Everone I know with a 02 or newer gm duramax truck has problems going straight in 4wd on slick roads.

If you even touch the gas the front pulls to one side or the other.
My 02 and 04 did or do it.

Taking the chip out helps but is no the problem. Both trucks did it from new.

I run 285 tires.

Any gueses?

Chad

Thats any 4x4 when used like your saying. My truck will do the same thing. Torque steer is what is happening.

WOW!!!

I thought everyone understood that concept.... I stand corrected!!!

be glad you don't have a locker or other type of posi then you'd really be freaked out!

Same thing happens to mine on muddy roads around here, the rear end tries to take the lead. I attribute it to the fact that I am running the same tire pressures F & R and with the heavy front end vs. the light rear end, the front tires are compressed more making them a smaller running diameter so the rear tires are trying to overtake the front end. I am planning on increasing the tire pressures in the front and/or lowering the pressures in the rear to make the rolling diameters the same and see if this eliminates or reduces the problem.

DEWFPO

The reason the front "sticks" is because there's more weight/traction on the front. Less on the rear. That's why the assend wants to come around.

That could be the case if your accellerating on a level or downhill slope, but if your accellerating up a slippery, slightly uphill slope and the backend wants to come around, there's not enough weight transfer to the rear wheels to cause the rears to dig in more than the fronts. Hence the theory about the rolling tire diameters, but you certainly make a valid point.

DEWFPO

diameter doesn't change.. this isn't a balloon, it is a non stretched rubber tire. you can make it shorter, by dropping the air pressure, but the ammount of tread doesn't change.. so the diameter cannot change..

you are feeling it pull from a couple of things. torque steer yes, and there is a little bending of something going on in your steering too. since i have upgraded parts in the front, i can launch as hard as you can imagine, no darting what so ever! even at the drag strip. the only way my truck darts now is from to much tire spin at the drag strip. onces the tires catch away she goes. i wouldnt call that darting, my tires are just spinning a lot, and the front floats one way or the other

The back is'nt trying to come around..... The front wont pull straight.
The back is fine. Its the front that is giving me problems.

I thought more people would be having this problem. Every truck like mine that I've drove dose it.

Its like the front is spinning faster than the back.

The truck handles better in 2wd than 4wd going down the road?????????

Chad

Are you talking about torque steer?

thats what i am talking about. under load with the bigger tires(more traction) something is giving in the front(steering). now you have one tire in the front wanting to go the opposite way the other wants too, hence the darting or pulling to one side

I've got it too. It only happens to me in slick roads not deep snow. I figure it's the weak steering linkage can't hold the power and the bigger tires don't help. This is the first truck of many I've owned that's done it. I just giver hard and let the front track sideways a little until I get up to speed and back off.

Sounds like to me the front end is lacking some suport?
Pulling a trailer through the mountains and backing off the gas isnt allways an option.

This really is agervating. These trucks are supose to be HD! Crap.

So whats the cure? Anybody.

My old half ton with 285's never missed a lick on slick roads pulling a trailer.

Sounds like to me the front end is lacking some suport?
Pulling a trailer through the mountains and backing off the gas isnt allways an option.

This really is agervating. These trucks are supose to be HD! Crap.

So whats the cure? Anybody.

My old half ton with 285's never missed a lick on slick roads pulling a trailer.

Tie rod sleeves and maybe a centerlink from www.superdieselperformance.com

I have the sleeves not installed yet. Dont like the idea of lossing turning radius with SD center link.

An other ideas.

I have towed in snow at 30mph and never had any problem steering, infact the truck was very stable.

good luck
drive safe

At lower speeds you dont notice it.

Happens all the time in 4wdH at higher speeds on slick, wet, icy, or muddy roads. Experience has shown me when I get rid of the wider tire with its flotation problems I get rid of the unstableness - more vehicle weight on less tire imprint. With 285 it is terrible - really goosy at 50 to 70 mph. With 265 & even stock 245 (all wide ratio tires) it is still not stability I want. I run 235/85R/16 E in the winter and have absolutely no problem with stability. No flotation at all - studded as well. And I drive fast and loose according to my passengers. Oh yea, 45 years and more than 3 million miles - no accidents nor major incidents involving winter 4wd fast driving. My tires stick like glue. (also have an extra 500 lb winch and bumper on front and truck weighs 9200 lbs.)

I dont belive its the tires causing the problem. I drove plent of other trucks with 285's without any troubles.

Happens all the time in 4wdH at higher speeds on slick, wet, icy, or muddy roads. Experience has shown me when I get rid of the wider tire with its flotation problems I get rid of the unstableness - more vehicle weight on less tire imprint. With 285 it is terrible - really goosy at 50 to 70 mph. With 265 & even stock 245 (all wide ratio tires) it is still not stability I want. I run 235/85R/16 E in the winter and have absolutely no problem with stability.

Gardnerteam is right. For the best stability and traction you need a narrow tire for everything but sand.

As for the underlying issue as to why the truck drives worse in 4WD, I would start by checking for loose front end parts. I had to replace the pitman arm and the idler arm when I bought my truck (100K w/265's) The 285's are harder to turn side to side and will cause accelerated wear in the steering joints.

My wife's Montero does the same thing. I found out that it changed with the tires on the front end. I wonder if the belts aren't aligned straight in your front tires, causing a type of tread squirm that you only notice on slick roads in 4WD.

I've never had that issue and I do a lot of driving in shyte weather.

Are your tire pressures out of whack? Empty I'm at 55/45. When the shop first put them on, they put 70 psi all the way around and the thing drove like it was on ball bearings. I got out the gauge and had an "ah-ha" moment.

I'm amazed at how stable my truck is; couldn't be happier. I do find that in the winter the arse end tends to be a bit light. It might sound dumb, but I get it to be well balanced in 2WD, and then when I hit 4WD, it's unstoppable. For my truck, that means about 600lbs in the bed - sand or salt or whatever.

There is a hill, probably 8% grade, going to one of our offices, and when it's really bad, I play by seeing how much I can mash it and still go. When I'm really on it, it squirms a bit like you describe, but I figure that only happens when I drive like an idiot :D

I run 45lbs of air in front and 40lbs in back, no problems. 245 75R16, what gm put on her.

I run 45- 50psi in the tires.
Talked to a 4wd shop, they said because of the limited slip front sending the power to the tire with the least amount of traction. Hence when 100% snow or ice the tires spin back and forth at a high rate witch in turn ends up with both tires spining and neither with any tracion.

The more power you have makes this worse.

He recomended an Eaton E locker.

Doed this make sence?

Could you just take one axle out and lock up say the drivers side?
At least 50% of the time you would end up with one tire biting.
The other would be stuck being able to steer.

the front is open, no limited slip nothing. the e-locker is only going to make it worse, once he figures out what we are telling him with his stock steering componets.

as far as the rest of the stuff your talking about, i will let you try!