4 Wheel Drive Question

[eddiedav]

Hey All,

I put my 2008 Tahoe into 4 wheel drive yesterday for the first time and there may be an issue. I pulled into a cul-da-sac and the thing would hardly turn!! It was like I was pressing the brake pedel down. When I got to my parking garage the same thing... Turning hard right or left the thing stopped and there was a noticable noise... I called a friend and he said that is normal but this is not my first 4 wheel drive vehicle and I've never had this happen before. The dealer said to bring it in but wanted to get some feedback first...

Is this normal for this car???

 

[Sepiroth]

When you turn the wheels to almost full lock, you nibd the front C/V's. That is why it feels the way it does.

Normal yes. Should you make sharp turns in 4wd, not if you can avaoid it.

 

[Zed 71]

Are you engaging 4 High on dry pavement? That is not good for the drivetrain and yes it would make turning difficult.

Try it off-road and let us know what happens.

 

[Gambler]

You should never have your vehicle in 4hi or 4lo when you are on dry pavement, which is probably always the case in a parking garage. Auto should be fine in those cases though.

 

[LVYUKYUK]

Ouch! Never do that again as you are running a very high risk of grenading a CV axle hopefully, and not the tranny!! Bad bad bad!! NEVER use 4WD on dry pavement. Your outside tire needs to turn more than your inside tire. By engaging your 4WD you are trying to have both fronts turn at the same rate all coming back to your diff and driveshaft. Your other 4x4 may have been All Wheel Drive or have manual hubs. All Wheel Drive is NOT 4x4. Manual hubs disengage the axle from the rotor/wheel. There is NOTHING wrong with your Hoe man. No need for 4x4 on pavement either. :gy:

 

[bad63lac]

Well, I had the same thing happen to me when I turn in my driveway when its snowy.

My driveway has a steep incline for the first 15 feet or so. It ramps up in elevation about 4-5 feet over the 15 foot length.

When it's icy/snowy, I _need_ to have it in 4wd high otherwise my rear tires only will not get me up the driveway. If I engage it before turning, I get the same resistance described. I've now started to initiate the turn first then turn 4wd on as I start to climb the driveway.


I'd also like to note that my Trailblazer did not EVER do this in 4wd. It is the same type of 4wd as the Tahoe/Suburban. No manual hubs, not AWD.


Anyhow, I looked into it and it appears to be "normal" for our trucks. At first I thought it was my wheels rubbing on something.

We'll just have to deal w/ the smaller turning radius in 4wd mode.

 

[eddiedav]

Wow!! Thanks a ton guys!! That is a huge relief and that does make perfect sense. We had a little snow (1inch) and some ice here is Charlotte, NC and I guess I was a little excited to put the big boy in 4wd!!

 

[JD Larue]

Don't worry. My Bronco and Hummer did the same thing on dry pavement. But if I were you I'd look for some dirt somewhere and try it again just to make sure you don't have a problem.

 

[73shark]

Since you said this is your first 4WD, strongly suggest, if you haven't already, read the owner's manual re: 4WD.

 

[LVYUKYUK]

Well, I had the same thing happen to me when I turn in my driveway when its snowy.

My driveway has a steep incline for the first 15 feet or so. It ramps up in elevation about 4-5 feet over the 15 foot length.

When it's icy/snowy, I _need_ to have it in 4wd high otherwise my rear tires only will not get me up the driveway. If I engage it before turning, I get the same resistance described. I've now started to initiate the turn first then turn 4wd on as I start to climb the driveway.


I'd also like to note that my Trailblazer did not EVER do this in 4wd. It is the same type of 4wd as the Tahoe/Suburban. No manual hubs, not AWD.


Anyhow, I looked into it and it appears to be "normal" for our trucks. At first I thought it was my wheels rubbing on something.

We'll just have to deal w/ the smaller turning radius in 4wd mode.

Yeah, a good reason for this is weight. Your trailblazer was a light suv. The downforce on the front tires was far less than that of a full size suv. Because of this, your tires were 'allowed' to spin at different ratios because of less down force. You probably just never noticed it. My 4Runner has a front locker and on granite in 4-lo it sounds like dogs barking because the inside tire is FORCED to turn at the same rate as the outer. It also has manual hubs, so when disengaged, but still in 4lo, no barking.