What Causes Abnormal Noise from Tires When Turning a Car?
3 Answers
Car tires squeaking when turning is the sound of friction between rubber and the ground, which is a normal phenomenon. This occurs because the car's inertia is forward during a turn, while the tires experience resistance friction with the ground. When car tires contact the ground, various levels of noise can be produced due to the type or unevenness of the road, the vehicle's speed, the type of tires, and the tire's air pressure. Other reasons for abnormal noise from tires when turning a car are as follows: 1. If it's the sound of tires rubbing against the ground, realignment may be needed. 2. If it's a rattling sound, it could indicate a faulty CV joint, which requires replacement. 3. If it's a metallic scraping sound, it might be the brake pad shield rubbing against the brake pad. This can often be fixed by prying the shield slightly with a screwdriver.
With thirty years of experience in mechanical repairs, I've seen plenty of cases of tires squeaking during turns. The most common cause is cracked rubber boots on the steering ball joints, which leads to grease leakage and metal-on-metal friction sounds. Next, check the front wheel bearings—if they're low on lubrication, you'll hear a clunking noise at low-speed turns. Last time I worked on Old Zhang's car, I found his CV joint boot was torn, allowing sand to wear out the joint, causing a clicking sound when turning. For cars with modified suspensions, it's often the anti-roll bar bushings deforming and creating noise. Loose tie rods in the steering gear can also produce knocking sounds during turns. Focus on identifying the sound type: dry grinding usually means lack of lubrication in suspension components, while metallic knocking often indicates ball joint failure. Also, insufficient tire pressure can cause the tire sidewall to rub against the ground, creating odd noises.
I just encountered this situation last week! When turning left in the rain, the right front wheel made a squeaking noise. At the repair shop, they found the brake pads were rubbing against the wear indicator. The mechanic said when cornering, the car body tilts and the brake pads shift under force, causing friction noise. If you've installed wider tires, sometimes the tire edges can rub against the plastic fender liners making a rustling sound. Last time, my friend's car was even funnier - after checking for a long time, they found the wheel hub bolts weren't tightened properly, causing misalignment between the hub and brake disc during turns. By the way, rear-wheel drive cars especially need attention to differential oil - if it's low, you'll hear a whining noise during turns. Don't ask how I know - it cost me 800 bucks to replace the oil seal.
