I have a question about the universals (53597)

Once I get them in the car the seem to be too long, when I turn the axles I can feel the tension it has when the wheels are pointing straight. Is there something I'm missing here? Putting the stock axles and shafts in it feels like it should, although the o-ring they tell you to put inside makes it tight again. I must be screwing something up here. It's not a binding feeling, it's the shafts bottoming out on the axles and the outdrives.