anyone thrown one in?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6_kOlUXYoI

saw this vid and got curious.....

Post #5 here for my opinion http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=210862&highlight=locker

And I intentially spec'd my trucks without them. They are not an ideal traction solution for on-road trucks, IMHO.

In theory they work just like any other locker in that they will stop all differential action once wheel spin gets above a certain point. The major difference is that it will NOT lock above 25 mph, hence the governor term in "gov-lock". This keeps the back end from wagging side to side at high speeds.

In practice the locking speed varies with how dirty the governor is, or if the diff will lock at all. The governor itself is pretty delicate and some times will explode if it fails to lock right away and then locks unexpectedly at high rpm. My truck with 5,000 miles on it won't engage over 15 mph, it will still work under that but not above. So their biggest drawback is that they are overcomplicated and can be sometimes unreliable.

The benefit is tht when they do lock they go like stink.

It's a blessing and a curse.

Pro's of the G-80 are that it's 100% torque distribution to both wheels, regardless of traction surface. (Technically, it's 50% and 50%, but you get the point.) A limited slip will always have some torque loss due to friction loss, and also the friction can typically only generate limited amout of torque transmission to the axles, and not always in a even manner form side to side. If you got to see the promotional videos with Howie for the GM trucks, there were some excellent shots of the GM G-80 versus a Ford with L/S. If you're in snow, or mud or sand and you're going a slow speeds, the locker has a distinct advantage.

The down side is that the G-80 is not made to function above moderately slow speeds (say 20mph +/- a few). That's good when you consider that you don't want your rear end sliding out at 50 mph on a wet on-ramp. But it's bad when you actually need the extra traction available to the other tire at higher speeds. Here, a L/S unit has an advantage.

I recently went on a trip in my Dmax truck with my travel trailer into the Smoky and Apalacian moutains for summer vacation. During one day, it rained a bit. Trying to climb up the hills at 25-40mph was a pain because every time I'd give it a bit of throttle, the inner tire would spin in the uphill turn. Here a L/S unit would actually give more traction. So in this scenario, it's a curse, because I was going to fast for it to lock up, and if it had, it would have either just broke traction again on the inner wheel by trying to turn them at exactly the same speed, or it would have broke itself trying to distribute power where SOME portion of differential axle speed is needed.

It's a trade off. I'll keep mine until it breaks or otherwise quits, and then I'll get a HD torsen type or something else better suited for both applications.

see sticky!!! and they are stock on all diesel aplicaton.

I'm 99% sure that the G-80 is NOT standard on all 08' models. I had to do some shopping to make sure I got one. They are pretty common but not standard.

Edit:

http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/features/

This link shows that the "locking differential" is only standard on the LTZ models....

see sticky!!! and they are stock on all diesel aplicaton.
I don't have it on any D/A combo, and I don't remember specifically deleting the option, but rather I didn't check off that option.

The G80's are pretty weak IMO.

The G80's are pretty weak IMO.

what do you consider better?

thanks for all the response to this thread guys...appreciate it.

heres another vid i came upon as well....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8nAbg5suFw

The stock dodge torsen style diff is better in some ways in that it gives you some "posi" action at all speeds and tends to be stronger although it's not bulletproof. The down side is that it will hang up if one of the rear tires comes off the ground, the torsen's requires some preload on the lightly loaded tire to make it work.

The "best" differential would be a locker style diff that you can engage when you need it. There are both air and eletrically operated diffs but they are mucho dollars. I don't suggest the detroit locker style that have historically been popular because they constantly engage and disengage even when tooling around parking lots. They can be pretty loud. You won't get ANY diff action when you are on the gas, only when you lift off the gas. The G-80 will allow differential action up till you have a 100 rpm or so difference in tire speeds and then engage. If the stupid thing would just work as designed and not break it would be the ultimate differential in my book.

i see...i dont plan on doing any really extreme off-roading or mudding....but this fall me and a couple of buds have decided to hit up a couple deserts: ocotillo, glamis, pismo, stoddard, and el-mirage. So probably the most intense terrain ill be going through is sand. I just want to make sure im not getting stuck-seeing as how i got a little more weight on my 4 wheels then the buds. =)

I don't have it on any D/A combo, and I don't remember specifically deleting the option, but rather I didn't check off that option.
pull the diff cover bet it there ;)

iirc dmax alli and G80 is all in the same package under the HD package

pull the diff cover bet it there ;)

iirc dmax alli and G80 is all in the same package under the HD package
Then why would the original poster be asking about putting one in?

And I'll go pull the window sticker/ build sheets to settle this argument (conundrum), but I refuse, vehemently, to pull apart a perfectly good truck, UNLESS there's something in it for me:cool:.

mine was a one tire fire till i put wider tires on it.


currently it is option for a G80.

how about a build sheet?

mine was a one tire fire



haha thats good. my sisters mustang does it...so we say the horse is limpin

some times it would lock other times it wouldnt.

If it was a one tire fryer....untill you put bigger tires on then it's not a G-80. The tire size will have no affect on the operation of the diff. Lots of open differentials will spin both tires it all has to do with equaly loading both rear tires.

In sand you'll most likely be traveling faster than 20 mph so you'll be in one wheel peal territory with the G-80. If you slow down and crawl through then the G-80 will engage. I bet it'll anoy the crap out of you. I really really need to pop the cover and see what it would take to disable the speed governor and allow this diff to lock at all speeds. Hell you may be able to strap the weight with a tie wrap and be done with it.

Does any one have a picture of a G-80 through the window where you can see the governor guts?

If it was a one tire fryer....untill you put bigger tires on then it's not a G-80. The tire size will have no affect on the operation of the diff. Lots of open differentials will spin both tires it all has to do with equaly loading both rear tires.

In sand you'll most likely be traveling faster than 20 mph so you'll be in one wheel peal territory with the G-80. If you slow down and crawl through then the G-80 will engage. I bet it'll anoy the crap out of you. I really really need to pop the cover and see what it would take to disable the speed governor and allow this diff to lock at all speeds. Hell you may be able to strap the weight with a tie wrap and be done with it.

Does any one have a picture of a G-80 through the window where you can see the governor guts?
it is i already checks. see the said sticky that i have mention twice in this thread....................http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=209199

So if we remove some weight from the lockout counterweight we could expect the differential to continue locking at higher speeds?:) Just a few properly sized and positioned holes drilled should do it. Some of us enjoy steering left to go right up a freeway onramp in the rain. At my wheelbase it doesn't even require much skill.:rolleyes:

Just by looking at the animated stuff that's floating around I think we may be able to just tie the counterweight off with zip ties. If I had a good picture of what the diff looks like from the outside I could tell for sure. Best bet would be to remove the counterweight and machine the weight off all together....but that's time consuming.

I would love to have a Detroit style locker in my rig. i actually like the feel of a Detroit, good positive locking action no need to hit any switches, and much cheaper. that being said, does Detroit make a locker for the 11.5".

I would love to have a Detroit style locker in my rig. i actually like the feel of a Detroit, good positive locking action no need to hit any switches, and much cheaper. that being said, does Detroit make a locker for the 11.5".
they did make 2 and only two.

one is in a sled truck. lb7
there other is in a 04 dually that lost a piston....

as for full production.... dont know.

so these 2 were prototypes and they never did full production? that sucks. selectable lockers cost too much and a full spool would be a little too hard core for street driving.

so these 2 were prototypes and they never did full production? that sucks. selectable lockers cost too much and a full spool would be a little too hard core for street driving.
the other option is getting a true trac diff.. ~570 for it.

true tracs are good but not worth 570 when i already have a half ass factory limited slip.