I went out to inspect this truck today in the Hope's of buying my first Hummer. Typical 18 year old issues, nothing Incoi couldn't live with, until I stepped on the gas. The front tires - especially the left front - squealed like a banshee on acceleration. They would calm down completely when coasting at any speed, but apply anything more than a feather of throttle and the front tires sounded like they were screeching themselves straight through the gates of Hell.


Lifted 03

The squeal would also present when turning and accelerating, but at a much greater volume and severity than you'd expect. I have had many 4WD vehicles and currently own an F250 with big tires and a 3" lift, so I know what to expect from a 4WD on tight turns. This was not normal by a factor of five or more in terms of volume and intensity. It seemed like the slower turning wheel (inside) squealed less.

Is this a transfer case issue? Front diff? Anyone else heard of this? Seems like the front and rear axles are out of sync when under load.

 

many things can cause that including driving in 4 low on pavement. could be really bad alignment or bad steering or suspension components it can even be the wheels rubbing on the torsion bar or bad wheel hubs or ball joints.

 

No, none of the things you mentioned address these observed symptoms. It was in 4H, and if it was an alignment issue it would not go away when coasting. If it were a rubbing issue (which it clearly was not - clearances were easily checked) it could be manipulated by steering angle. A bad suspension component that allowed the front wheels to flop around under acceleration could possibly result in scrubbing like this, but again that would likely also be evident in turns and at rest with suspension play (there was none).

For the above reasons, I disagree with your response and I remain convinced it is drivetrain related.

 

ok. good then that you checked it as all of those are common issues to look for on the H2. especially on a lifted truck with aftermarket offset wheels.

 

Did you buy it? Btw, "squealing" & "screeching" does not come from tires, unless you're driving like tokyo drift.

 

If you're too stupid to know what the sound of tire rubber dragging across pavement sounds like, I can't help you, hummerz.

 

Ignorance is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I've built over 20 race cars, 5 of them start to finish from stripped frames/unibodies. 2 more full restorations and 3 more restomod classics. 3 long travel buggies and off road race trucks. 1 racing season championship and multiple podium seasons. Full lift and shop in my barn. You go ahead and keep your bee-holder in your bonnet, big boy - you assumed too much when you decided half naked behind your keyboard in your Barkalounger that I misdiagnosed the source of the sound of the tires. You're not the only person in the world with automotive experience, hummerz.

The whole point of my post was that this is an unusual condition - front wheels being driven out of time with the rears. I was just hoping that someone with H2-specific knowledge might have seen it before, or it was perhaps a known issue. Instead, I get the Dark Ambassador of the Hummer Forums self-righteously declaring me ignorant with his little ricer videos. Nice.

 

Again, the source is not from the tires. OEM axles(front/rear) ratio is 4.10, if the axles ratios don't match(+/- 2%), the tc would implode in no time. However, there is a safe way to compensate front/rear axle ratio variance, simply by changing the diameter of tires. Btw, how much did you pay for it?

 

Sounds like a bad hub to me, possibly CV joint issues too. H2's are hard on hubs as is, larger tires and wheels compounds the problem.

Tim