I want the G80 locker installed...

[strafingmoose]

Hey guys,

 

So yeah, I bought this nice truck but the only thing that irked me about it is that it's got no locker. A bit annoying in winter time I can say.

 

So my question to you techies is; have you ever had a customer asking for it to be installed ? If yes, how tricky/costy of a job can that be ? Do you think the dealership should guarantee the job ? For how long ?

 

Thanks.

[MikeNH]

Getting a G80 installed will be hugely expensive and in the end you'll end up with a crappy locker. There are solutions in the aftermarket that are 100000x better for the same or less money.

 

Have not done the research on the G80 but what makes it a crappy locker . Is it just built lightly with not heavier components ?

 

 

It doesn't tolerate abuse but that really isn't my concern, I've grown up enough where my social status isn't directly proportional to my truck's ability to lay rubber.

 

It is very unreliable in my experience. In both this truck and my 2003 there is no constant to get it to engage at low speeds and I've tired every trick in the book with no luck. I'd take a selectable locker all day long. An open diff (or limited slip in some instances) for day to day driving and a true locked diff for times when you want max traction.

 

 

 

 

G80 locker not doings as good as dodge or ford limited slip in this test .

 

 

I'd take that with a grain of salt. Almost all of those comparison tests use press fleet vehicles- ones the manufacturer knows is going to be driven by the press and scrutinized so typically they're tweaked and improved in minor ways and all in all gone through with a fine tooth comb (look for vehicles that typically have Michigan plates with a small "M" in the middle of the plate- the M is for manufacturer). They also get the snot kicked out of them which is why the G80 didn't do well in that test where it normally would do well. Still not representitive of real world driving but they're after repeatibility there more than anything else.

[txab]

What year truck is it? Because your 2007 you have listed already has one. Just look for G80 in the RPO codes in the glove box

[kstruckcountry]

An ARB air locker or E Locker would be cheaper than $1200 I think

[strafingmoose]

The build sheet says no And yes, 2007 with the 3.23 gears

 

 

19D - EBONY 19I -

1SB - PREFERRED EQUIPMENT GROUP 6HC -

74U - FIRE RED 7HC -

A31 - POWER WINDOWS A68 -

ABV - AJ1 - DEEP TINTED GLASS

AL0 - AM1 -

AP8 - AU3 - POWER DOOR LOCKS

AZ3 - 40/20/40 FRONT SPLIT BENCH SEAT B30 - FLOOR CARPETING WITH FLOOR MATS

B32 - FRONT AND REAR FLOOR MATS B33 - REAR FLOOR MATS

B85 - BODY SIDE MOULDINGS C49 - REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER

C5U - GVWR: 3084 KG (6800 LB) C67 - AIR CONDITIONING

DF5 - DH6 - MIRRORS - VISOR, ILLUMINATED

DK8 - DL8 - POWER OUTSIDE MIRRORS, HEATED

E2C - E63 - FLEETSIDE BODY OPTION

FE9 - FEDERAL CERTIFICATION EMISSION FWI -

GU5 - REAR AXLE - 3.23 RATIO JF3 -

K05 - ENGINE BLOCK HEATER K34 - CRUISE CONTROL

K47 - HIGH CAPACITY AIR CLEANER KG3 -

KNP - TRANSMISSION FLUID COOLER LY2 - VORTEC 4800 SFI V8 ENGINE

M30 - 4-SP ELECTRONIC AUTO/OVERDRIVE NP5 - STEERING WHEEL-LEATHER WRAPPED

NT8 - NZ4 -

P03 - CHROMED WHEEL CENTRE CAPS PY9 -

QPR - TIRES - P245/70R-17" ALS BW R7K -

R7W - MANDATORY VK3 R9Z -

SAF - SPARE TIRE LOCK SLL - SOLD ORDERS

T74 - T96 - FRONT FOG LAMPS

U19 - KILO SPEEDOMETER UE1 - ONSTAR TURN-BY-TURN NAV AVAIL.

UJ6 - UQ3 -

US8 - CD/MP3 PLAYER, THEFTLOCK, RDS V22 - DELUXE FRONT APPEARANCE

V73 - STATEMENT OF VEHICLE CERT.-U.S. /CANADA V76 - FRONT RECOVERY HOOKS (2)

VB3 - CHROME REAR STEP BUMPER WITH RUB STRIP VG3 -

VK3 - FRONT LICENSE PLATE BRACKET VR4 - WGHT DIST. PLATFORM TRLER HITCH

VXS - YD3 -

YD5 - REAR SPRING BASE EQUIPMENT YD6 - REAR SPRING BASE EQUIPMENT

YE9 - Z49 - CANADIAN BASE EQUIPMENT

Z82 - H.D. TRAILERING EQUIPMENT Z85 - HANDLING/TRAILERING SUSPENSION

Z88 - ZK3 -

ZPR - ZY1 - SOLID PAINT

 

[jro909]

the g80 gets kind of a bad rep alot...i live in a GM dominated area, everybody i know drives silverados or sierras and i have yet to hear of a g80 taking a shit...i love mine, its never let me down but then again i'm not laying rubber down on country roads, i use it how it was intended..i think neglect and abuse are the core source of people bad mouthing it

[W/T_Deluxe]

Go with an eaton performance posi, trust me you wont be dissappointed. I actually think that gm uses this diff now, as far as I can tell, Eaton does not make the old G80 locker. GM still uses RPO code G80 but I dont believe its the same part number. The G80 is notorious for failure, and not always from excessive abuse, I've seen it...not pretty. Buddy of mine installed the performance posi after his G80 blew and has no regrets. I actually have one waiting for me to install it this weekend. I think after the diff, bearings(which I found out I didnt need, but am going to use anyway), shim kit, and oil I got around 550-575 in it, of course thats without any labor costs

 

 

edit, I must be mistaken, Just checked eatons website and they still list the Mlocker, which is essentially the G80 from the parts breakdown and description im reading.

[W/T_Deluxe]

If wet, the G80 locks very quickly with minimal spin.

 

 

This is why I do like the way in which the G80 functions, but just dont like the fact that they dont seem to hold up.

[asc08]

I'm in the same boat. I'm considering a Richmond Gear Powertrax unit. About $500 for the unit. I checked several years ago at the dealer about having a G80 installed,, and they were at about $1200 for the parts alone...

[txab]

That's different, I haven't run across a GM truck that didn't have the G80 in quite a while

[454ss]

5.3 and 6.0 better! ha what a joke. put a real load behind either of those small blocks and ill walk away from you on any grade and get the same or better mpg than that 6.0 manifold eating turd. they are fine for running empty but not working.same as ifs, fine for driving highway, not working, plowing, ect. my dana 60s in the k30s never needed constant front end parts like this ifs crap.

[Islandbro32]

I have a G80 on my 07 Sierra. Had it for two years now and doing some mild off-roading and two summers on the beach it has yet to fail me. Once I get the money I would love to get a selectable locker but for the time I'm quite content.

[TRCM]

Is the G80 locker safe in winter ? I would think a limited slip in the winter time would be more safer .

 

 

Yes, been drving them for years in snow an ice. Better than a LSD. The G80 will not egage above 20mph so no chance of it turning you 180 deg. while driving down the road. LSD is only good for performance cars. I had a powertrax on one of my older trucks. Was very hairy driving on ice and snow, 55 mph and if you gave it to much gas on snow and ice, would turn you sideways in an instant. The instruction that came with it specifically warned you about how dangerous it can be, even provide a warning decal to place on the dash.

 

 

The fact that they wont engage above a certain speed is a pain in the asp in some cases. In my case it was trying to take a run at some deep snow on a hill. Very frustrating ! It would work much better if it worked up to a higher speed.

 

 

Well, if you actually LOOK at how one works, and not just listen to the dealer, then, true, it will not ENGAGE above 20 mph, BUT, if you engage it below 20 and maintain a fairly straight path (don't turn), and don't let off the gas or change to reverse, it will STAY locked/engaged until the torque is backed off (the skinny pedal is let go).

 

This is so when you go around a turn @ 50 mph, and the outer tire starts turning faster, it doesnt see the difference in tire speeds as slip and slam the locker in, causing you to spin out.

 

Once the locker engages, it will STAY engaged until one of the below happens:

1) you let off the gas -, which changes the torque on the diff

2) you change direction of the torque, IE, go from forward to reverse

3) you go around a turn sharp enough to force differentiation, IE the outer tire is turning faster enough to allow the ramping plates to release in the diff

4) the transmission shifts, which changes the torque level

 

All the tech data I have seen on these say they will not ENGAGE above 20 mph, but none of them say they actually DISENGAGE at 20 mph, which is what they would have to do if it engaged under power below 20 mph and you stayed in the throttle until you were @ 60 mph.

 

Imagine if you are going down a wet muddy road @ 10 mph, then you accelerate to 30 mph, you will still have the locker engaged as long as the torque on it does not change.

 

BUT, if it were to DISENGAGE like some on here are saying @ 20 mph, then you'd be driving down that muddy road @ 10 mph, then as soon as you hit 20 mph, you'd have a sudden loss of traction on 1 wheel, and you never make it to 30 mph.

[kstruckcountry]

If you hate IFS so much go buy a Dodge and quit trolling. But then you'd prolly bitch about how the joints go bad on them too, and how the right side always goes out where the shaft meets the u joint.

 

Anyways (for the non trolls), I got a chance to use my G80 a little on some steep off camber stuff this weekend, and I was pretty happy with it. Almost instant lockup. Sure beats LSDs in my book.

[BlkSilverado2011]

Does that same rule apply to silverado's? I have a 2011 LS

[MikeNH]

Getting a G80 installed will be hugely expensive and in the end you'll end up with a crappy locker. There are solutions in the aftermarket that are 100000x better for the same or less money.