I want the G80 locker installed...

strafingmoose · February 20, 2012

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.

holty · February 20, 2012

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.

I agree, look into the Detroit trutrac or another flavor of an Eaton posi. you're going to be looking at about $400-$500 regardless.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DTL-912A654/

strafingmoose · February 21, 2012

Thanks a lot for the info guys. And where would you get that job done exactly ? Can dealerships install such aftermarket parts ? I guess there are shops specialized in playing around those criticals parts ?

Also, what kind of lock is the best ? The Detroit's are full, permanent locks as I understand. I think there are limited slip locks as well.

What are the pros and cons of both ?

Morgan1986 · February 21, 2012

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

pistonslap · February 27, 2012

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.

Z45 · February 21, 2012

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.

strafingmoose · February 21, 2012

Yeah, had a G80 on the 2003. It was as safe as a RWD can be...

TheTrueMoron · February 23, 2012

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

Since this was for the '08 models, I'd be curious to see what the results are with the 6-speed. My truck seems to have good traction on icy/snowy roads.

To the OP: The G80 really isn't worth anything. In practical application it really accomplishes nothing. In my experience, the traction/stability control does more than the G80 ever has. In fact, I have had numerous experiences where I needed my G80, but it failed to work as it should.

Morgan1986 · February 23, 2012

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

Since this was for the '08 models, I'd be curious to see what the results are with the 6-speed. My truck seems to have good traction on icy/snowy roads.

To the OP: The G80 really isn't worth anything. In practical application it really accomplishes nothing. In my experience, the traction/stability control does more than the G80 ever has. In fact, I have had numerous experiences where I needed my G80, but it failed to work as it should.

I wonder how much it would cost to instal a switch locker. ON/OFF . So when you need it you have it.

Morgan1986 · February 21, 2012

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.

Thankyou for the information so it will not engage above 32km that is awesome.

Morgan1986 · February 21, 2012

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 ?

Morgan1986 · February 21, 2012

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

454ss · February 26, 2012

g80s are junk if you actualy use yous truck, blown out them in half, three vquarter and one tons. junk. cant wheel them cant have themhold up with farm work, just junk. shit, in the muscle car era they didnt last in cars, you think they will hold up in a truck? if it does you dont use your truck for more than groceries, haha, wanna-be truck owners.

454ss · February 26, 2012

the major reason gm trucks have gone to **** cheap weak crap is because people excuse the weakness they have built into the trucks since 88. no solid axel in front, weak engines cause of **** torque management in the electronics, ha ha, die hard gm since birth and this is what they give me to defend, no big block, car like built trucks, ha, jokes. you people that love them are posers that dont work your truck, haha, wax your chrome wheels wannabees, you need a yugo not a truck.

music · February 23, 2012

Some of you guys have very different experiences than mine. We have a lot lot of steep inclines around here, where you are basically at almost a stop turning into a road that's steep from the start. If wet, the G80 locks very quickly with minimal spin. The "traction control" rarely, if ever, kicks in... unless you're gunning it pretty hard. I only use auto-4wd with snow/icy conditions. Considering it's going to hit 70 today (?), I don't think I'll be using it this year.

pistonslap · March 3, 2012

Good read " TRCM". But when your head is bouncing off the roof that is a lot to think about. I think if I had a choice it would be a air locker or similar.