testing a G80

Teal03 · June 3, 2004

dose any one have a safe way to do this?

Thanks,

Rich G.

builderpaul · June 3, 2004

I pull up to a solid wall, jack one rear wheel off the ground, put in drive and slowly apply gas. Tire in the air will not spin untill the one on the ground looses traction.

n8huntsman · June 3, 2004

G80? Can someone explain this to me?

Shaners · June 3, 2004

G80? Can someone explain this to me?

G80 is the RPO code (found in the glove box) if your truck has the locking rear differential.

snoman · June 3, 2004

I pull up to a solid wall, jack one rear wheel off the ground, put in drive and slowly apply gas. Tire in the air will not spin untill the one on the ground looses traction.

Not really true. It will spin until there is a 20 rpm difference and then a "clutch" kicks in with a clunk then it will kick out when axle speed gets to 20mph of so. This is not a very good way to test it. A safe way would be to put one tire on grass and other on pavement and goose it!

lrymal · June 3, 2004

Question, y'all. In a couple of years, I'll probably trade my truck off for a replacement 4-wheel drive something another... My question is, do I NEED a 4*4 or Z-71 or could I get by with a G80 locker?

Scenarios... I frequently drive on muddy pasture roads and obviously, the 4-wheel drive is certainly nice. No spinning, marvelous traction while cranked into 4-wheel drive. It is a typical slick and muddy road. No 2-wheel drive with a standard rear-end would be able to handle that road without sliding side-ways. The Z-71 tracks perfectly.

Second scenario... The same pasture road, but dry. However, a gate has a drop of about a foot and you have to ease up to it. If some stupid bovine gets in the way, you sometimes have to back up, the front wheels are in that drop-off. The Z-71 backs out perfectly. The 2-wheel drive truck cannot get out because those wheels are sunk the drop-off.

Those are real examples. I would love to have the smoother ride of a 2-wheel drive truck and use a G80 locker. Would a 2-wheel drive truck with the G-80 be able to work these two situations? Would it be able to back out of that gate drop-off? Would it be able to track ok going down that muddy pasture road?

AlanTDickey · June 3, 2004

My $.02: The 4X4 will give you much greater reliability and control in getting around in those slippery situations. One example from my experience: the ramp leaving my parking garage for work is really slick and steep. When it is really wet, I sometimes spin out significantly going up when I barely hit the gas (and yes both back tires spin). When I have it in 4x4, there is zero slipage.

Mighty HD · June 3, 2004

I'm not sure how reliable the G80 is with the 1500 & 2500 hd's...but in my zr2 that had supposedly a z71 rear end ...the g80 was known as the "quacklock" lol

snoman · June 3, 2004

My $.02: The 4X4 will give you much greater reliability and control in getting around in those slippery situations. One example from my experience: the ramp leaving my parking garage for work is really slick and steep. When it is really wet, I sometimes spin out significantly going up when I barely hit the gas (and yes both back tires spin). When I have it in 4x4, there is zero slipage.

You must have poor traction/tire grip to need 4x4 on any wet pavement.

PFarkas · June 4, 2004

Would a 2-wheel drive truck with the G-80 be able to work these two situations? Would it be able to back out of that gate drop-off?

The G-80 doesn't engage in reverse.

builderpaul · June 4, 2004

Would a 2-wheel drive truck with the G-80 be able to work these two situations? Would it be able to back out of that gate drop-off?

The G-80 doesn't engage in reverse.

Mine does. I can back up with one side jacked up on my floor jack.

carguru · June 4, 2004

You could always get a winch. Before my '02, all I had for years was a 2wd with a locker and a winch. I have the multimount setup so I can use it front and rear. My experience has been that in 2wd, traction is the key. The locker will help get you through many places. You can always test it out with the truck you have now to see how it performs. Just keep it in 2wd.

BTW, the G80 will work in reverse.

bigBP · June 4, 2004

I don't think you would have problems traction wise with the G80 rear end, but in terms of keeping the truck "on track", you'd want 4 wheel drive. It's a lot easier turning when your front wheels are spinning. I've had the experience were in trying to make an uphill turn in some mud the truck just kept going straight. With four wheel drive the turn would have been a non issue.

snoman · June 4, 2004

I have seen some 2wd trucks with light engines (6 bangers) go some pretty wild places off the road if equipped with the proper tires, a bit of weight in rear end (3 to 500 lbs) and a good LSD differental with proper driving!

citydriver · June 4, 2004

The G80 does work in REV....I had to put my trk in 4wd to keep from sliding off of my driveway in REV during the winter...B4 I bought some new tires..

But in my opinion, the 4x4 is a must on mud..I'm too d**n lazy to get out and hook up a winch .If you want a smoother ride,stay away from the Z71 Suspension...

As far as testing the G80..best way to do it is to pull the diff.cover and make sure everything is in place...(hard way ) or put it up on jack stands and have someone pull on 1(ONE) brake cable of the spinning wheel and c if the locker kicks in.....DO NOT TRY TO GRAB THE WHEEL BY HAND! (sometimes I can be as bad as Chitons...STEP 1:Disconnect negative battery terminal..HA HA)