G80 - Any good in 14SF?

[98chevy2500SS]

Hey guys,

I recently acquired a 97 Chevy K1500 with the F44 package and Z71. It has the dreaded Eaton G80 locker... I plan to do some light drifting and donuts in the snow. Is the G80 locker in the 14 bolt SF 6 lug any different than the G80 locker in the 10 bolt? Will I explode it? The truck has 228xxx miles. Should I be worried about anything?

This is my first time owning truck with a G80 locker as my 98 didn't have one, and have never driven one with a G80 before, so I am bit leery on it. So far I hear good things about it being good for the average person (not abusing it/using it as its intended use), as I will mostly daily drive this truck.

Thanks!

 

[blacksport]

you got good and bad with everything i have a used 1 from a suburban with 220k on it and i chirp 2nd pretty regularly....that being said i have a Detroit truetrac sitting on my tool cart.

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[df2x4]

I plan to do some light drifting and donuts in the snow.

You are going to hate the G80.

It's extremely hard to get used to for any kind of drifting/donuts. It's doable, but you have to keep your wheel speed really low because they unlock automatically at a certain wheel speed. Somewhere between 15 and 30MPH. They're really more of a tool for getting un-stuck.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about the "gov-bomb" stories as they mainly apply to the ten bolt G80s. The 14 bolt versions are much stronger from what I've read.

 

[honkon]

My Yukon has a g80. I've drifted around on dirt and gravel but never snow. I wouldn't worry about blowing it up drifting in the snow. I'd worry about blowing it up drifting on pavement though.
Might just be me, but it seems I don't read of people blowing g80s up very often around here.

 

[98chevy2500SS]

You are going to hate the G80.

It's extremely hard to get used to for any kind of drifting/donuts. It's doable, but you have to keep your wheel speed really low because they unlock automatically at a certain wheel speed. Somewhere between 15 and 30MPH. They're really more of a tool for getting un-stuck.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about the "gov-bomb" stories as they mainly apply to the ten bolt G80s. The 14 bolt versions are much stronger from what I've read.

Thanks for the response, I thought the 14 bolt version was stronger than the G80 10 bolt. Once I read that in the glovebox I instantly thought "Oh no, not the G80," lol. I guess I'll have to try it this winter, if I end up not liking it, can it be easily removed or do I have to find a 14 bolt without a G80?

My Yukon has a g80. I've drifted around on dirt and gravel but never snow. I wouldn't worry about blowing it up drifting in the snow. I'd worry about blowing it up drifting on pavement though.
Might just be me, but it seems I don't read of people blowing g80s up very often around here.

Thanks for the response, I don't do any pavement drifting as I really don't know how and don't really want to, snow/dirt/gravel is much more fun than pavement.

 

[df2x4]

Thanks for the response, I thought the 14 bolt version was stronger than the G80 10 bolt. Once I read that in the glovebox I instantly thought "Oh no, not the G80," lol. I guess I'll have to try it this winter, if I end up not liking it, can it be easily removed or do I have to find a 14 bolt without a G80?

There's no difference between the G80 and non-G80 housings so any carrier designed for a GM 14 bolt 9.5" will work.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

LoL if it's a 3.73 unit I'll gladly trade you for my 10 bolt non-G80 axle

 

[woody80z28]

I swapped in a 14sf g80 axle to my truck. The g80 teeth were chipped up, so I actually used bolt cutters to cut out the flyweights and keep it from coming apart. I figured with how much I beat on my truck I'd be better off 1-legging than exploding it.

It's pretty easy to open the cover and inspect the condition if you're concerned. At that mileage I'd sure take a look. Mine was 160k or so IIRC.

 

[Spookers]

I put a G80 axle (200xxxkm) In my tbi 305 2wd it was good when put it in but I drove it hard (about as hard as a 150hp can be) and hated it, only "locked" when I didn't need/want it and otherwise acted like an open (ie when doing brake torques or trying to drift) ended up swapping that for auburn gear posi and am very happy with its performance, no noise/chirping tire around corners (unless I intend to) other wise almost acts like a spool

 

[Schurkey]

I ripped the 10-bolt out of my K1500 in favor of a high-mileage SF 9.5 with Gov-Lock. The thing had been parked for a year or more when I installed it--the former owner screwed-up the brakes and the axle seals, I had to re-do all that. The guts looked wonderful, but the housing was really rusted on the outside.

Worked for a couple of months. I could feel it engage on corners in the snow 'n' ice. After awhile, I figured the posi additive had worked into the clutches, because I never noticed it engaging on turns any more.

Yeah, it's just broken. I pulled the cover, but failed to see what is wrong. There's no chunks 'n' pieces blown out, the thing looked fine to me. It's absolutely a one-wheel peel, though.