Why Are My Tires Squealing When I Turn [Causes & Fixes]

You may have noticed that your tires squeal each time you turn. This can be disturbing especially if you cannot actually pinpoint what could be the problem.

Having proper information on why the tires are behaving this way can help in ensuring no more squealing.

So, a number of things may lead to squealing when turning. They include misaligned wheels, underinflated wheels, worn wheels, and more.

If you can address these issues early enough, you can be sure to get the remedy to squealing tires as you turn.

Causes of Tire Squeal When Turning

Here are the main reasons why you have squealing tires as you turn and the best way to have the issues resolved.

1. Underinflated tires

If you do not check your tire pressure more often, you would end up with some of the tires low on pressure.

If the tires are underinflated, expect them to be more vulnerable to damage and flexing. Also, the traction performance of such a tire is not the best.

If the traction is not the best, you will find that there is not enough resistance in the tire as you turn. The squeals you hear are simply the tires trying to find the right traction with the road. The harder you turn, the noisier it gets.

Losing air pressure could be a result of a puncture. If it is a puncture, get to a tire shop and it should be repaired without a problem.

Sometimes it could be that you have not checked your tires in a while and now they are low on tire pressure.

For this reason, it is advisable to check the tire pressure of all the tires once a month and have them inflated in case they are low.

2. Worn tires

Tires rely on treads to have the right traction with the road surface. When you do not have enough treads, it simply means the tires struggle to get traction with the road surface.

Most tires can last an average of 20,000 miles or less depending on your driving style and applications.

As such, visually inspect the tires to find out if they still have the right tread amount to keep driving on them.

In case the tires are too worn, it is best to have them replaced and get tires that can actually give the best traction.

Another reason you could have less traction is the driving condition. If the tires are low on treads and you drive in wet conditions, you can find them quite noisy each time you take a corner.

3. Sudden stopping or braking

Whether you are turning or driving straight, slamming on the brakes will always lead to the squealing of tires. This is something most people have experienced while being drivers on the road.

This is because you were probably moving fast and now you have to stop suddenly. A lot of strain and pressure would be put on the tires thus ending up with squeals.

This should not be something you do more often. We recommend taking the time to slow down before taking a turn.

When you keep braking hard all the time, the tires tend to wear faster and you end up replacing them when they could have lasted even longer.

4. Turning too fast

It can be scary sometimes to end up in a corner while still at a high speed. Doing this will often leave you with squealing tires as you keep turning.

The traction will depend on the condition of the tires and so will the noise the tires make.

It does not hurt approaching the turn with a manageable speed where you can turn without the tires fighting for traction.

Also, ensure the tires have enough thread important for traction even if you decide to drive fast around the corner.

5. Alignment problems

Improper alignment can often lead to squealing tires as you turn. The worst bit is that misalignment can also lead to premature wear of the tires. It is best to have the suspension aligned so that you do not have such issues.

It is not just the tires that would wear fast, but also other suspension components because of the imbalance.

Most people who get their alignment done notice that there is a drop in the squeals and now enjoy driving their cars better.

Axle issues can also lead to squeals as you turn. This is because the faulty axle would create friction as you turn thus harming the other components such as wheel bearings leading to a squealing sound.

A faulty axle is not something you want to deal with. Make sure it is repaired and well-maintained subsequently.

It is important to have a mechanic also check your wheel bearing. Even if the axle did not cause the wear, replacing them would really help in ensuring you have a good drivable car without too many noises.

6. Brake issues

The squeal does not always have to come from the tires while turning. Another reason could be the brakes are worn.

When the brakes are worn, there is a metal plate that touches the disc rotor and thus you end up with a squealing noise. It is important to replace the brake pads as soon as you hear this squealing noise.

The squealing noise does not just happen when you turn, but also when driving in a straight line and you press the brakes.

Considering the importance of brakes, have the vehicle inspected to understand why the brakes keep squealing. You do not want the brakes to fail when driving.

Here is a video with more reasons why the brakes are squealing

Even as you change the brake pads, check the lug nuts too. If the lug nuts are worn, you can change them so that they hold the wheel right to avoid squeals too as you drive.

FAQs

What is the best way to ensure tire safety?

You are advised to balance the tires regularly. This helps to distribute the weight evenly and helps the tires wear regularly. You can also ensure proper wheel alignment and rotate the tires at intervals.

What else can lead to squeals as you turn?

Having a damaged belt, loose wheel, low power steering fluid, and others might be the main reason you experience squeals as you turn.

Can an underinflated tire squeal as you turn?

It is possible to experience such with underinflated tires. This is because such tires do not have enough traction leading to such noises.