So I noticed last winter with my '08 that whenever I had the wheels turned nearly full-lock in 4WD, even on glare ice, I would get a back-and-forth jerking in my steering wheel. I attributed this to the u-joints instead of CV joints like most other 4x4s have.

My 2011 is doing the same thing. Just wanted to ask everyone is this normal? Or do I just have really bad luck?

I think it's normal, just looking to make sure I'm not alone.

 

Normal for a true 4x4 There is a bit of difference in tire rotational speed when cornering.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, Scott!

I'm not talking about wheel hop or driveline binding, every 4x4 I've ever had does this. At work I drive an '08 Dakota 4x4 that did this exact thing yesterday when cornering hard in snow, but there was no snapping in the steering wheel.

I think it's simply the u-joints snapping over as they rotate under power, but I'm not certain.

 

Now i see what you are talking about, guess the steering wheel snapping I have never noticed.

We have snow today so I will have to pay attention.

 

If you look at the velocity of a setup like the 4x4 front-end, where you have a u-joint at an angle... With a constant speed at the axle, the wheel it accelerating and decelerating. The output velocity of the shaft is not constant.

Hence the term "Constant Velocity" joint. A CV joint allows a sharp angle in a shaft, without the inconsistent output velocity.

This is why in driveshafts, if you have any angle in the front u-joint, you need the same angle at the back. That way the u-joints cancel each other out.

For instance, in the front of my 4x4 F250, the front driveshaft has a u-joint at the front end (with 0 degree angle) and a CV (double u-joint) at the back where it mates to the transfer case. The CV joint allows a sharp angle for the front driveshaft.

A double u-joint CV is basically just a very very short driveshaft

 

Thaks, Art! That makes sense.

At first I thought it was a lubrication issue on my '08, so I promptly greased the u-joints and noticed the same thing. I then figured it must be normal, or my truck is just strange.

Now with my '11 I figured that the possibility of having two strange trucks must be absurdly low, so i just wanted to make sure it was normal!