Front tires squeek in turns
I was going to airport parking and had my windows opened and as I was turning I heard squeeking sound of tires and at first I didn't realize it was coming from me but when I turned on several corners at low speed I could hear it was coming from me. As if the front wheels are locked and both turn at the same speed instead of different speeds. I just started driving VX recently and don't know if it's the way it should be or I've got something wrong. I may probably need to take it to wheel allignment just to check how things are unless it's totally normal for VX to do that.
This calls for an experiment!
Ahhh yes... the beautiful colors of peacocks and oil spills... continuous interference in action... evidence that God put this world together in a weird way..
Knivx, I thought TOD went to RWD at parking lot speeds - so wouldn't that eliminate AWD as a factor? Dunno...
If you notice, when you are turning normally there is resistance in the steering wheel - the VX wants to go straight but you overcome this and force it to turn. If you let go of the steering wheel it will straighten out on its own. However, when turning very, very sharply - just before you hit the steering stop - there is a point at which turning the steering wheel becomes effortless - in fact the steering wheel sometimes seems like it wants to turn sharper all by itself. At this point if you are on a smooth asphalt surface (such as a parking lot that has been seal-coated) the squealing will begin.
My theory is that the squealing of our front tires on shiny asphalt in tight turns is not due to the AWD but rather a compromise in the Ackerman angle.
This is based on two observations: 1. if you coast with the transmission in neutral, the tires will squeal; 2. it's always the front tires squealing. If there were binding between the front and rear wouldn't a rear tire be subject to similar force - maybe more so since we have limited slip diff in back and open in front? Granted, the rears don't have to contend with the lateral forces the fronts do in a slow speed sharp turn - but it seems if there were true binding between front and rear caused by the AWD and we wouldn't get at least a little chirp from the rear every now and then?
BUT - with transmission in neutral, front and back might still be connected if TOD does not revert completely to RWD as I thought, right? Not driven, but still connected. We must eliminate that possibility if we are to rule out AWD as a cause of the Ned Beatty factor.
SO - here's the proposed experiment: I will go to a parking lot that has been sealcoated and has a slight grade to it and I'll coast with the transmission and transfer case both in neutral - so there will be no driven wheels and no connection between front and back wheels - and I will turn the VX to full lock or thereabouts and listen for the VX to squeal like a Ned. Report back when it's done.
Yeah - I need to get a life don't I?