The LD's are not a race part, it is intended for off-road traction and slick conditions. They break when guys drop the clutch, power stands, blow the tires off, doughnuts in the WalMart parking lot, etc.
I've had LD diffs in three 10 bolt GM trucks, and in a 14 bolt, for a sum total of 200K-250K miles, including towing, they never missed a beat...........
Cheers for that. That's a genuine relief as there are only two components I'm worried about failing and the diff is one of them. In the UK, the option of going to a breaker's yard and pulling one from a truck just isn't realistic - hence the concern.
My Suburban is my daily transport and I really want to both look after it and tweak it and improve it compatible with that. If I want something to be an idiot in I'll stick the R1 engine in the smart. The bus is to be looked after.