Squealing Tires and Squirrely Steering

Originally, I never noticed either issue. I ran the stock tires until winter and then snow tires. I put the stock back on in March and started to notice squealing when cornering. I'm not driving that hard and no different from last summer. They were aired up a bit much after the swap (around 38 psi) and I lowered it to about 34 psi but no real change. 34 psi is what the dealer put in originally.

I've also noticed the steering is lot more squirrely lately. By this I mean that minor imperfections in the road pull the steering wheel around and bounce the truck a bit back and forth a fair bit. The alignment was off (pulled to the right) and the dealer realigned and that's when I noticed it. Maybe it did this before and it's only now that I'm paying more attention I notice it. I also got my truck cap around the same time. More weight in back maybe causing this?

Anyway, just curious if any of this sounds familiar to anyone and if so what, if anything, can be done. Thanks.

 

My tires will slightly squeel when turning super tight into a parking spot depending on the road surface but my steering is straight and true. Are you stock or lifted?

 

Fully stock. I notice the squealing mostly on left turns so not overly tight and sometimes on right turns too.

My steering is straight on good surfaces. It's hitting a small bump or imperfection that causes larger than expected deflections and not anything I noticed prior to the alignment and topper (not sure which, if either, could be the culprit since they happened close together).

 

Tire pressure is way to high.

 

Chalk test for tire pressures.

Alignment at a shop with a solid reputation for having calibrated equipment and techs that work with all the numbers, not just toe.

 

34 is too high? That's what the dealer always sets it to and prior wasn't a problem. I can lower it more and see if that helps. Can't really go below 30 psi though as it's more likely to trigger TPMS warnings.

 

I would go down to 29 psi. your tires are P rated, if they are all the same psi your TPMS wont go off.

I run 35 psi only because I added about 600lbs of armor and gear

 

I also run 30 (which is on the inside of the door). I'm guessing you're feeling squirrely going from your winter tires which are probably not P rated like your stock tires are. If it's been since march and you haven't gotten used to it, maybe you are more of a "C" or "E" rated tire person.

 

The snow tires were Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV. I don't really get tire ratings but these were not LT tires. In any case, the stock tires were used last summer/fall as well and never noticed these issues before.

 

Ya thats a P tire so should drop PSI to 29 and its a snow tire so its going to be super extra grippy and cause squealing.

Personal opinion: dont run snow tires in non-snow, you'll wear the heck out of them.We only run snow tires from Labor Day to Memorial Day

 

Mine sound like I'm in a movie car chase when I turn corners in parking garages unless I go really slow.

 

Ha, but nobody does that

 

Function of hard rubber and slick surface.

Rubber hardens with age and loses compound grip regardless of miles used and tread depth. The decline years 2-5 is pretty notable. After 5 most any tire is about done compound wise.

Tire birth date is on sidewall. Tire rack has articles on how to read if unfamiliar. Most ties are at least a few months older than the vehicle they came on.

 

Just an idea....I don't really know if it would make a difference but when you put the stock tires back on did you get the left side back on the left and vice versa? Like a normal tire rotation...I run 32 psi also....

Just curious about the rims? Did you swap just the tires out or tires and rims? Did you run the stock rims with your snow tires too?

 

Yikes! Max Psi on a p rated tire is 50

35 was the "standard" for a long time just as older cars used to have the 55 circled on the speedometer because most highways were standard 55. However, with different vehicle weights, tire compounds and tire types this "standard" no longer applies.

A good example where 35 is terrible is LT tires. LT tires on a Tacoma should be around 50-55 while on an F-250 should be around 65 psi.

Toyota doesn't determine the psi needed for their truck, the tire manufacturer does.

 

Just to clarify, my snow tires are off. The squealing is my stock tires not the snow tires.

 

Discount tire did the swap and based on what they tell me they do rotate them when swapping. Swapped just tires onto stock rims. Ran stock rims with the snow tires.

 

Oh gotcha, ya just drop to 29 and see what happens

 

If you set it to 30 like the door sticker says and then press the reset button it will not trigger any warning light.

 

Okay, they are down to 30/31. We'll see how it goes. Regardless, they were at 34 all last year 'cause that's where the dealer sets it each time I bring it in and this is a new issue. Maybe they are older or just don't age well. I'll just drive like a granny until they are shot and get something better.