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Feels Like I Am In 4 Wheel Drive

AvaLance

SM 2005
SM 2004
SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
May 28, 2002
Messages
3,945
Location
La Vernia, TX
I have noticed this for quick a while but now it is getting on my nerves when I am in 2HI and turn sharp like parking in a parking lot it feels like the front is binding up in front like it does in 4HI when you turn it sharp I have a Z71 with the 17" wheels and tires has any one else noticed this??
 
Mmmm, I know what feeling you're talking about. I personally have not felt that on my Av when it's in 2 HI. So if it persists, you should take your Av in for service.

Check to make sure you hear that "4wd noise" you hear like when you know it's engaged and you should even check your fuel economy. If fuel economy is bad, then you know for sure you somehow didn't get back into 2HI.
 
I don't have the wine of the 4HI so I know I am in 2HI and my fuel economy is great yesterday on the free way I got 18.5MPG :eek: and around the city I have been getting 15MPG so I will have it looked at, soon it just I have 44K miles so I am out of warrenty so any thing I take it to look at costs me
 
Then if everything seems fine, I bet that it's normal to feel tightness when you're making a tight turn. You can't really expect to have decent speed anyway when making a tight turn so I guess your Av is alright.

If this just started, then I don't know what to tell you.
 
Thanks for your help I am going to drive the next 2003 AV we get in at the dealership and see if it does the same thing
 
Ive had the same problem for about a year now. I have taken my truck to several dealers and none of them find any problems. They all tell me its normal on avalanches and suburbans.Im going to get less aggresive tires soon and see if that solves the problem. I have had so many front end problems with my truck so dont feel too bad :E:
 
Funny, I thought this was just me. In my '03, I can feel the front end pull ever so slightly when moving off from a standing start on a gentle turn... such as you would do when turning left at a stop sign. I'm running in 2WD and have even tried shifting into neutral thinking it may be 'hung up' from my last use of 4WD. Seems odd to me but it's almost like it's sending some portion of the torque to the front axle.

Anyone else get this?
 
I saw something on Monster Garage a few weeks ago and I think this may be the answer, its taken from the figure 8 race track episode. They were talking about hard turns and the effect that camber has on traction and tread contact.

Perhaps it doesn't feel like you are in 4wd. Perhaps your tire is slipping just a bit and that slippage feels like it's pulling. Think of it this way: you turn the wheel all the way to the left, and being moving forward. Because the wheel is turned so far, and because the camber is basically vertical, you have less tire surface on the ground than when your wheels are straight (again, this is based on Monster Garage information about firgure 8 race cars). Since there is less tire surface area on the ground, it is possible that when you take off your tires could skid (or Skidd!) a little...and that's what you feel, not a pull as if you are in 4wd.

Just a thought.

Craig
 
Craig,

You make a very valid observation and I guess the wider than stock tyres on the front of my av would also add to feeling that effect. It's just odd because I never felt this type of thing in my old '95 silverado or my wifes '98 suburban. Might be something special about the steering geometry of the av. ???
 
Skidd said:
Craig,

You make a very valid observation and I guess the wider than stock tyres on the front of my av would also add to feeling that effect. It's just odd because I never felt this type of thing in my old '95 silverado or my wifes '98 suburban. Might be something special about the steering geometry of the av. ???

'Burbs were redesigned in 99 with the rest of the truck line-up, right? I wonder if steering geometry changed in 99, explaining why you don't feel it on the 98. Just a thought.

Craig
 
CraigF said:
'Burbs were redesigned in 99 with the rest of the truck line-up, right? I wonder if steering geometry changed in 99, explaining why you don't feel it on the 98. Just a thought.

Craig
LOL.. just what I need, another reason to by the missus a new car. I can see it now if she reads this thread... "See honey, that's why I need a new suburban, so that you can check that your av is behaving normally!"

I guess I'm going to have to get a drive in a few newer vehicles in order for me to see it it's correct... it may also have something to do with the RH drive conversion.... given that the whole steering arrangement has changed.
 
Skidd said:
LOL.. just what I need, another reason to by the missus a new car. I can see it now if she reads this thread... "See honey, that's why I need a new suburban, so that you can check that your av is behaving normally!"

I guess I'm going to have to get a drive in a few newer vehicles in order for me to see it it's correct... it may also have something to do with the RH drive conversion.... given that the whole steering arrangement has changed.

Skidd,

How about doing an RHD conversion on an H2? I'm sure the missus wouldn't mind that!

Craig
 
CraigF said:
Skidd,

How about doing an RHD conversion on an H2? I'm sure the missus wouldn't mind that!

Craig

LOL... Man, I wish!! Down here there is not much change out of $ 1/4 Million for a top of the line H1 converted to RH drive. I've never priced a H2 but I'm guessing that it would scare me!
 
Skidd

I don't think the H2 RHD conversion would be anymore than what you put into your AV...
Only the extra cost of the H2 over the AV, would shouldn't be more that $30,000 AU dollars...
Remember, the H2 is on the Suburban frame, in otherwords the AV frame....with minor adjustments...

You could always wait until the H2 SUT

dichris
 
dichris said:
Skidd

I don't think the H2 RHD conversion would be anymore than what you put into your AV...
Only the extra cost of the H2 over the AV, would shouldn't be more that $30,000 AU dollars...
Remember, the H2 is on the Suburban frame, in otherwords the AV frame....with minor adjustments...

You could always wait until the H2 SUT

dichris

Ok let me give you an idea of how the costs might play out....

According to the Hummer web site the MSRP of a fully loaded H1 station wagon is..

USD$116,483 - vehicle cost

add

USD$3500 - freight

Total getting to Australia - USD$119,983.00 = AUD$173,933.84

OK so now it is here and we are talking prices in local currency.

add Luxury Car Tax (a 25% tax on any car imported that costs more than $55,135.00) - $29,995.75

add RH dive conversion fee - $20,000.00

add Goods & Services Tax (10%) - $22,392.95

Total - $246,322.55 So now whe have it imported, converted and all taxes paid to the Federal Government.

Ahhh but you want to drive it, well then...

add State Govt Stamp duty for initial regiatration (15% of vehicle blue book) - $36,948.38

add insurance (per year) - $2,000.00

and you can drive it out the door for $285,270.93... ohh wait, you actually can't drive it out the door because you haven't put any fuel in it yet. :rolleyes:

So I'm hoping the H2 is a lot cheaper than a H1... now maybe you can see why an avalanche in Australia will cost you $110K.
 
Skidd

Check out www.hummer.com... H2 with some packages is around $60,000 US dollars...... So after taxes and all the other stuff, your looking at $165,000.00 AU Dollars... thus leaving you about $100,000.00 AU dollars to fill her up with fuel for the year... Which would add up to one hell of a lot of driving... Your wife and kid will miss you...

dichris
 
dichris said:
Skidd

Check out www.hummer.com... H2 with some packages is around $60,000 US dollars...... So after taxes and all the other stuff, your looking at $165,000.00 AU Dollars... thus leaving you about $100,000.00 AU dollars to fill her up with fuel for the year... Which would add up to one hell of a lot of driving... Your wife and kid will miss you...

dichris
LOL... then I'm sure she'll tell me I've picked the wrong colour.

Anyway to keep this on topic, do you suppose a H2 would feel like it is pulling from the front wheels when it was in 2WD? Can you even put them in 2WD?

Anyway I'll try and find some other late model chevys to drive (they are few and far between down here) and I'll see if the issue is with the conversion or the not. (y)
 
Well, a week ago I would have read this forum and just said that it must be something I can consider myself lucky for not finding. However, I live on a pretty steep hill here in WV and I was turning right (up the hill) the other day and the turn is a little over a 120 degree turn (meaning I have to turn as tight as the AV gets and go into the other lane to make the turn) and the front will locked then make a popping noise (exactly like the one you here when you are in 4HI and put the steering to the extreme) then the wheel just released and continued to drive - the lock up as so bad that it cause the rear tire to lose traction and spin a little on dry pavement. I thought for sure I just dropped my front diff. by the sound and feel of thing - however after getting up the hill, I dropped her into 4HI and 4LO and she ran just fine. So I just wrote it off as being normal (considering how hard I drive my AV). Put given the same hill and under the same condition, I can reproduce the sound and feeling - so shop tells me they can not reproduce it so the tech gets to drive home with me one day so I can "make" the truck do it. They think it could be caused by the front diff. being put under "too" much stress (I am not buying out on that one - it was designed to turn that tight - then it should drive that tight). At any rate the shop tells me everything is great under there - so I will continue to drive until I can get them to isolate the problem.
 
With my 2000 burb, I used to get that feeling,... espcially when backing up. I took it to the local dealer, and they said it needed to have the transmission/ transfer case fluids changed,... This vehicle had about 28k on it, and wasn't run hard or anything like that. I went ahead with the recommendations, ... problem went away. I was told that the plates inside the transfer case/ transmission that get stickey and that what causes the binding. I am not sure of the components of both units, but the problem did go away. I traded it in with 44,500 miles on it for my AV, which was the vehicle I wanted when I bought the burb. I wonder if the Miltec 1 would help with this.
 
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