First time post, need your help guys

[Depusn23]

I am a Firefighter in the great state of Florida. My sweet ride is a '16 Tahoe LT on black 22" Snowflake wheels with Goodyear Eagle-Sport All Season tires.

So here is my issue. As of recently i've been noticing a very slight/subtle almost like jerking motion, whenever i let off the brake pedal and give the truck slight gas. Only happens when turning and going very slow. The 22" wheels and tires we put on about 10 months ago. When they were put on, the shop had told me that they had gone ahead and done an alignment on the front end.

After several months of my wife driving the vehicle, i started noticing a very small amount of uneven wear on the outside of both front tires. This was around March-April i started noticing the uneven wear.


Around June, i noticed that the outside of both tires were pretty much bald so i immediately took the truck in and had a front end alignment done. Well right around this same time, is when i started noticing that slight/subtle jerk motion. If i had to describe it, i would say its almost as if one of the front tires is slipping, and the automatic 4WD system send extra power to that wheel.

I did some reading online and it seems that uneven/worn tires in the front of a 4WD vehicle such as a Tahoe can affect the transmission as well as the torque management of the 4WD system.

A buddy of mine who also has a 2016 Tahoe has told me that these trucks are known to have some type of issue with the torque converter. Can anybody tell me if this could definitely be the cause of what i am noticing with the truck?

Today i took the truck out of auto 4WD and left it in 2WD and didn't notice anything. My wife drove it shortly after me and also didn't notice that weird jerk/nudge. Any advice is welcome. Thank you.

 

[wjburken]

I am a Firefighter in the great state of Florida. My sweet ride is a '16 Tahoe LT on black 22" Snowflake wheels with Goodyear Eagle-Sport All Season tires. So here is my issue. As of recently i've been noticing a very slight/subtle almost like jerking motion, whenever i let off the brake pedal and give the truck slight gas. Only happens when turning and going very slow. The 22" wheels and tires we put on about 10 months ago. When they were put on, the shop had told me that they had gone ahead and done an alignment on the front end. After several months of my wife driving the vehicle, i started noticing a very small amount of uneven wear on the outside of both front tires. This was around March-April i started noticing the uneven wear. Around June, i noticed that the outside of both tires were pretty much bald so i immediately took the truck in and had a front end alignment done. Well right around this same time, is when i started noticing that slight/subtle jerk motion. If i had to describe it, i would say its almost as if one of the front tires is slipping, and the automatic 4WD system send extra power to that wheel. I did some reading online and it seems that uneven/worn tires in the front of a 4WD vehicle such as a Tahoe can affect the transmission as well as the torque management of the 4WD system. A buddy of mine who also has a 2016 Tahoe has told me that these trucks are known to have some type of issue with the torque converter. Can anybody tell me if this could definitely be the cause of what i am noticing with the truck? Today i took the truck out of auto 4WD and left it in 2WD and didn't notice anything. My wife drove it shortly after me and also didn't notice that weird jerk/nudge. Any advice is welcome. Thank you.

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your service as a firefighter. My father was a volunteer firefighter for 54 years (1960 to 2014), 32 of them as chief.

Can you share a little more information about your vehicle? How many miles are on the vehicle? What work, other than the alignment and new tires, have you had done to the front end? How often do you have the vehicle in Auto 4WD?

 

[Depusn23]

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your service as a firefighter. My father was a volunteer firefighter for 54 years (1960 to 2014), 32 of them as chief.

Can you share a little more information about your vehicle? How many miles are on the vehicle? What work, other than the alignment and new tires, have you had done to the front end? How often do you have the vehicle in Auto 4WD?

Hello WJ,

I bought the truck with 30K miles and it currently has 67K miles. I've always kept the vehicle in auto 4WD. I haven't done any other work to the truck beside the wheels and tires. I was under the impression that vehicles that either had an auto 4WD setting or where AWD were ok to keep in this setting, As the rear wheels would be the ones normally getting power until the vehicle detected any sort of loss of traction in the front end and it would then send power to the front wheels.

Dion

 

[wjburken]

Hello WJ,

I bought the truck with 30K miles and it currently has 67K miles. I've always kept the vehicle in auto 4WD. I haven't done any other work to the truck beside the wheels and tires. I was under the impression that vehicles that either had an auto 4WD setting or where AWD were ok to keep in this setting, As the rear wheels would be the ones normally getting power until the vehicle detected any sort of loss of traction in the front end and it would then send power to the front wheels.

Dion

If you are seeing/feeling a difference between when the vehicle is in Auto4WD and in 2WD, that might indicate something amiss with your 4WD system.

The Auto 4WD systems are not as picky about the tires being worn as the fulltime AWD systems are.

Does this only happen when you are going slow, from a stop, and turning at the same time, correct? If you are going straight, do you feel the same jerking? Do you hear any noises in addition to the jerking motion? Is it more prevalent when you turn left vs right, cooler out vs hotter, concrete vs asphalt?

Sorry for all the questions, but trying to get a better picture of what you and your wife are experiencing.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum. Folks here are happy to assist you, using their vast experience with these vehicles.

 

[Depusn23]

If you are seeing/feeling a difference between when the vehicle is in Auto4WD and in 2WD, that might indicate something amiss with your 4WD system.

The Auto 4WD systems are not as picky about the tires being worn as the fulltime AWD systems are.

Does this only happen when you are going slow, from a stop, and turning at the same time, correct? If you are going straight, do you feel the same jerking? Do you hear any noises in addition to the jerking motion? Is it more prevalent when you turn left vs right, cooler out vs hotter, concrete vs asphalt?

Sorry for all the questions, but trying to get a better picture of what you and your wife are experiencing.

WJ,

This weird jerk/nudge only happens when starting from a dead stop and going very slow, under 7 mph, or when turning and going very slow, again under 7 or 8 mph. Have only noticed it on asphalt. There are no noises, except a slight vibration when going above 80 mph which probably has to do with the reduced tire circumference in the front. It was explained to me by a transmission electrician, that when a vehicle is kept in auto 4WD, and the front tires are worn out, while turning, that reduced circumference of the front tires, will make the 4WD system think that the tires are slipping when in fact they aren't, it just takes less time for the front tires to make a complete revolution as they are slightly smaller than the back tires, and the 4WD system since it makes thousands of adjustments per second will see this is as loss of grip and send extra power to them. Again, when cursing in second gear or higher there are absolutely no jerks/nudges, nothing, butter smooth shifting up and down. Its only when going from a dead stop, and going very slow. Its been hot all summer long in Florida so its only happened in the heat. It doesn't happen more when turning right vs left. And to be honest, it doesn't even happen all the time.

V/r
Dion

 

[wjburken]

WJ,

This weird jerk/nudge only happens when starting from a dead stop and going very slow, under 7 mph, or when turning and going very slow, again under 7 or 8 mph. Have only noticed it on asphalt. There are no noises, except a slight vibration when going above 80 mph which probably has to do with the reduced tire circumference in the front. It was explained to me by a transmission electrician, that when a vehicle is kept in auto 4WD, and the front tires are worn out, while turning, that reduced circumference of the front tires, will make the 4WD system think that the tires are slipping when in fact they aren't, it just takes less time for the front tires to make a complete revolution as they are slightly smaller than the back tires, and the 4WD system since it makes thousands of adjustments per second will see this is as loss of grip and send extra power to them. Again, when cursing in second gear or higher there are absolutely no jerks/nudges, nothing, butter smooth shifting up and down. Its only when going from a dead stop, and going very slow. Its been hot all summer long in Florida so its only happened in the heat. It doesn't happen more when turning right vs left. And to be honest, it doesn't even happen all the time.

V/r
Dion

I would be surprised that the difference in wheel diameter would be enough to kick in traction control/stabilitrak at such a low speed and not when going highway speeds.

My understanding of Auto 4WD is the front IFS/Differential is engaged and the Transfer Case is set to transfer power if it senses any slipping of the rear wheels based on speed sensors on the front and rear prop shafts. I think your jerking is due to your front differential being engaged and binding/bucking slightly at low speeds, particularly when turning. I don't know if I would worry too much about it.

This is just my guess based on my understanding of your situation and how Auto 4WD works on GM trucks.

That being said, when I had trucks with Auto 4WD (GM) or Torque on Demand (Ford), I would only engage it when it was rainy or in the winter when there was a chance of ice or snow on the road. My rule of thumb was: Dry roads - 2HI, chance of wet or slippery roads - Auto 4WD, driving in snow - 4HI.

 

[Depusn23]

I would be surprised that the difference in wheel diameter would be enough to kick in traction control/stabilitrak at such a low speed and not when going highway speeds.

My understanding of Auto 4WD is the front IFS/Differential is engaged and the Transfer Case is set to transfer power if it senses any slipping of the rear wheels based on speed sensors on the front and rear prop shafts. I think your jerking is due to your front differential being engaged and binding/bucking slightly at low speeds, particularly when turning. I don't know if I would worry too much about it.

This is just my guess based on my understanding of your situation and how Auto 4WD works on GM trucks.

That being said, when I had trucks with Auto 4WD (GM) or Torque on Demand (Ford), I would only engage it when it was rainy or in the winter when there was a chance of ice or snow on the road. My rule of thumb was: Dry roads - 2HI, chance of wet or slippery roads - Auto 4WD, driving in snow - 4HI.

Thank you very much for your input WJ. I will keep it in 2Hi from now on. I was under the impression that Auto 4WD was ok since it wouldn't always be on, and would only kick in when needed. But that is exactly what the transmission guy told me at the transmission place. He said to only put it in auto 4WD when raining outside, and 4HI when driving on the sand at the beach. Thanks for your input. I'll give it a few weeks and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

D

 

[wjburken]

Thank you very much for your input WJ. I will keep it in 2Hi from now on. I was under the impression that Auto 4WD was ok since it wouldn't always be on, and would only kick in when needed. But that is exactly what the transmission guy told me at the transmission place. He said to only put it in auto 4WD when raining outside, and 4HI when driving on the sand at the beach. Thanks for your input. I'll give it a few weeks and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

D

Sounds good. Good luck.

 

[swathdiver]

Always ask to the see alignment sheet, before and after settings. Rotate your tires on the same schedule as your oil changes. Check the air every couple of weeks when cold and after a temperature change, like when a cool front moves through.

The tire you describe comes from failure to rotate in a timely fashion and the toe being out in the alignment.

4 Auto has the transfer case sending power to the front axle, the front propeller shaft is spinning but the axles are not engaged with the differential until the computer request it. Use this for bad weather. Stick in 4HI is think you'll need additional traction off road, do it right before or just as you turn off the pavement. A 4x4 does like to make turns on hard surfaces.

I'm not sure that leaving the transfer case in 4Auto has any affect on tire wear.