Posi vs lockers?

[Iowan]

I looked at Eaton's website and found way too many options to even know what to choose from, Don't really offroad all that much, snow traction isn't bad here, and the trucks turning radius isn't very conducive to donuts so will I really need any of these? no, not really. I figure the money I spend will be on the engine and then doing some aesthetic stuff.
Are the factory ring and pinion gears tough? Or are aftermarket gears better?

 

[df2x4]

You guys can flame me if I'm wrong or they're different but I had a 2011 Colorado with the four banger, five speed and the G80 option. It would lock fairly early and would stay locked until I got off it. I bought the truck new. I sometimes popped the clutch to make sharp turn arounds and would dump the clutch in 3rd or 2nd on snowy roads to go sideways. The ass was really squirrely so I'm certain both wheels were spinning and the thing was going faster than 20. Maybe the revised them? No idea.

GM used the G80 RPO for a ton of different traction devices over the years. To my knowledge our trucks were the only ones that got the crappy gov-locks.

 

[Supercharged111]

Ya know the whole unlock vs stays locked debate probably isn't taking into account half working 20+ year old crappy when new diffs. There are 2 centrifugally actuated weights that lock and unlock it. A heavy one that locks and a light one that prevents locking. I wonder if there's a notch the heavy one is supposed to sit in to prevent WOT unlock.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

A Open diff will do that if you drop the clutch, Its enough force to hit the spider gears and get both axles spinning. If you were to slowly let out on the clutch it would peg leg.

Most of my junk has been open diff. I could only get the Firebird to peel two wheels for an instant and it had to be on painted concrete before the clutch type limited slip went in it. My Ranger never did spectacular doughnuts like my Colorado did in the snow haha. It was also a stick but the only time it would spin both wheels is when the weight would transfer from left or right but would resort to powering the wheel with least weight on it so I assume. I tried the parking brake trick but that never worked for me.

GM used the G80 RPO for a ton of different traction devices over the years. To my knowledge our trucks were the only ones that got the crappy gov-locks.

You guys would know more than me. I'm pretty sure that Colorado had a locker as one time I tried to pull a stuck truck out of it's resting spot. Of course I didn't free the truck, but with my buddy in my truck and me watching the chains I saw the passenger side tire start spinning and then there was an instant where the bed jittered and the driver's side tire came to life and spun with the p side tire. They had to use their '97 K2500 and it didn't even seem to flinch as it pulled that truck out from it's spot. 4x4 certainly is cool.

 

[RDF1]

You mentioned spinning in the snow so that is what i was referring to when i mentioned the clutch dropping and breaking both tires loose.

IF you have equal traction then both tires will spin with a open diff. On my Tahoe with a open front diff, if im easy on the throttle i can get both front tires to break loose while pulling something. If i get on the throttle fast then the truck torques over and the driver tire spins all by its lonely self.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

Right, it does happen but it's inconsistent/unpredictable, doesn't last long and is annoying when they do occasionally peel both.