AWD vs 4WD

[latvius]

I have a question for the Denali AWD owners. I have a Tahoe 4WD and a Denali AWD both 2005 models. My wife and I love the Denali but hate the turning radius.
My 4WD Tahoe can turn on a dime, the Denali you have to make a 5 point turn.
I know the AWD is supposed to be harder to turn but sometimes I wonder if AWD is stuck on or something.

I have not been able to drive another AWD so I don't know if mine is "normal" or not but thought I would ask.

 

[randeez]

it shouldnt be any different, the "AWD" is always on but its an open differential in the front, no way for it to lock unless something is mechanically messed up. any other mechanical difference? larger tires? alignment happen to be a full rotation off or anything like that? If the rear diff G80 were locked it could have an effect on the turning radius, if i beat the hell out of mine itll sometimes(rarely) stay locked and you can hear the outside tire skip
my AWD makes uturns fine, i would call it on a dime but not unexpectedly wide.

 

[latvius]

I replaced all the steering components a couple years ago and had it aligned so I know that is all good. The tires are a little bigger but not enough to make a diff I would not think.
Part of our driveway is gravel and the Denali plows the gravel to the side when it goes around the curve.

 

[nadthomas]

I noticed in your signature, that you mention the Denali has TAG bumpers. I wonder if the additional weight of the heavy bumpers and tire carrier has thrown off the alignment, or changed the angle of things due to suspension compression.

 

[latvius]

No the bumpers are on the Tahoe. My son n law has the xl Denali and I recall him saying it ate up tires because it pushed down the road. My Denali has mud terrains and I can see where it is wearing the lugs on the outside edges.

 

[WildernessJeep]

My Denali is hard to turn, and especially after I change out worn steering components (another joy of AWD). I wish I had a true 4WD system, if for nothing else than the gas mileage and ability to turn it off.

 

[latvius]

So it's not just me
I wish they had made a 4wd Denali instead of AWD.
The only suv I have that turns better than my 4wd Tahoe is my 1995 Bronco.

 

[adventurenali92]

I have a 2006 AWD Denali xl. I don’t have problems turning. I can maneuver just about anywhere and mine is longer than yours. I actually really enjoy the AWD system in the summer because it handles quite well around the windy mountain roads that I live on and I can take corners a little faster than my buddy that has a 4WD tahoe. And again I’m longer and heavier than his. And the comment about gas mileage, when my Denali was on a stock tune I compared with a 4WD SLT Yukon xl, and the gas mileage was about the same. With a bigger motor and AWD.....
the AWD doesn’t make that big of a difference on gas mileage......

 

[petethepug]

The 06 vs 07-10 Denali turning radius seemed different. Our 06 Denali XL was a bear in tight spaces. The 08 we have now is not as much work.

The internet shows approx 22’ for the 06 Denali XL as well as the 07-10 Denali XL. Could this be a difference in the turn to lock between the model year changes of 06 to 07?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[swathdiver]

I wish they had made a 4wd Denali instead of AWD.

They did, starting in 2015!

 

[swathdiver]

The 06 vs 07-10 Denali turning radius seemed different.

The difference between a pitman arm and a rack and pinion setup. However, the turning radius is actually smaller for the GMT800s but effort/feel is the opposite.

 

[W8TVI]

So I had both a '91 4-door 4wd GMC Jimmy, and a '94 4-door AWD Olds Bravada.
The only difference between the two in drive train is the transfer case. Everything else is built like our trucks.
Both had the same turning radius, and the Bravada actually got a lot better MPG than the Jimmy. The Jimmy would get 18MPG highway at best, and the Bravada would get 19MPG in the city at worst, and normally got 21 MPG. It was a great winter SUV. Drove through bumper high snow to get to work one winter like it wasn't there.

Back on topic, I haven't driven a Denali, but I never felt like my '00 Yukon XL was hard to get into any place, or didn't turn tight enough.
...but that could have something to do with the fact that I learned how to drive in a '94 Chevy Suburban.

The difference between a pitman arm and a rack and pinion setup. However, the turning radius is actually smaller for the GMT800s but effort/feel is the opposite.

My 2000 Yukon XL is rack and pinion. IIRC, they switched to rack and pinion when they went from the square body to the OBS body style.

 

[swathdiver]

It's been my experience that the bigger they are, the easier they are to drive. I used to haul cars with an F-SuperDuty, I-beam front axle with 10-lug wheels and whipped that thing all over the place and it had a double sleeper cab to boot.

 

[latvius]

For gas mileage my Denali gets 13 and my Tahoe 14 mpg. I love the Denali expect for turning, it leaves tire marks in the driveway where it's sliding the tires across the pavers.

 

[randeez]

could be rear locker stuck engaged

 

[sumo]

How’s your tire tread? If one side has considerable tread compared to the other, side to side or front to rear can cause binding in the drive train. Tires with smaller tread will spin faster than a tire with more tread.

 

[latvius]

They look the same from one side to the other, but front to back is different. The front outside edges are wearing faster but right front and left front look to wear the same.

 

[swathdiver]

They look the same from one side to the other, but front to back is different. The front outside edges are wearing faster but right front and left front look to wear the same.

That's the toe.

 

[bigblackdog]

I have a question for the Denali AWD owners. I have a Tahoe 4WD and a Denali AWD both 2005 models. My wife and I love the Denali but hate the turning radius.
My 4WD Tahoe can turn on a dime, the Denali you have to make a 5 point turn.
I know the AWD is supposed to be harder to turn but sometimes I wonder if AWD is stuck on or something.

I have not been able to drive another AWD so I don't know if mine is "normal" or not but thought I would ask.

Yes, the AWD is on when turning. It's AWD and it's proportionately always on. Your other truck, is it equipped with a 4 button 4WD selector, with an AWD option? If so equipped, you can select 2WD and disengage the front axles allowing the wheels to turn at a sharper angle thus reducing the "turns on an acre" to just a dime. The Darnali is never going to give that satisfaction and offers only 4Hi and 4Lo options, but it will always get you home in bad weather.

 

[latvius]

Yes the other truck (Tahoe) has 4WD button with I think it is listed as AUTO not AWD. I'll look when I go to lunch here in a min.

I gotcha on the AWD explanation, was just wondering if my experience is abnormal to others who have AWD Denali's. I guess it is a subjective question, I guess I need to drive someone else's or have them drive mine to see if they are similar in turning.