Hi guys!Please explane me,I read that Chevrolet Silverado have a Differential:automatic locking rear.Is it same with mine F350,2006?I think my F350 dosen't have locking system,its 4X4 but its not lock all wheels.Do you know what i mean?When I drive 4X4 and one wheel lost traction I understand that differential not locking,right?Thanks! (Sorry for english) Look at this link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-rQTHMVAuw and this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6_kOlUXYoI

 

Most cars have what is called an "Open-Differential". That means if one wheel looses traction, it is going to get most of the power, while the wheel that does has grip will get almost no power at all. But, you can order almost any truck, even some cars with a "Limited-Slip-Differential", basically if one wheel looses traction, it automatically sends power to the wheel that does have traction so you don't get stuck. Limited slip only works so well however. The videos you show there show a locking differential which can lock the wheels 1:1. I do not know of any trucks with an automatic locking differential as standard equipment, but you can get 09 F-150s and Dodge Power Wagons with electronically lockable differentials.

EDIT: That locking differential is an additional cost option on some Chevrolet and GMC Trucks.

 

YouTube - G 80 Cutaway So,only Chevy have this system?OK,if I want this G80 on my truck is this possible,and how much it will be cost for me?

 

It is not possible as far as I know. The axles are not the same, so the differential cannot be changed over. BUT, you can purchase a manual electric or air locker. You have to flip a switch to engage the locker when you loose traction, and have to remember to unlock when going around a corner

 

there are lots of choices for aftermarket "full" lockers for ur truck..

i'd suggest a air or electric if its going in the back..a mechanical locker in the rear can be harsh to drive on the road..

but if ur serious about needing a locker for offroading then put it in the front..u get the best of both worlds... u only use the locker when ur in 4WD, and secondly having both wheels pulling will do more for u then having both rear wheels pushing...

hope that helps...

 

For reference, the G80's major flaw was that it needed a good bit of tire spin to get it to lock. That is, it didn't lock till one wheel was spinning at a fairly high speed. Thus, you had about a 30% chance of exploding the differential when the locks "threw". Failure was UGLY, usually taking out the diff, carrier, AND ring/pinion.

It was/is an open differential until there's enough speed in the system to use centrifugal force to move pawls to lock down the spider gears. Enough speed to "throw" the pawls usually meant that one wheel was spinning at 30 MPH or so, and the other wheel was stationary. That meant that the spinning wheel suddenly got stopped when the pawls engaged, and that much energy has to go SOMEWHERE. There are a number of stories over on fullsizechevy.com, with pictures, of G80 failures. Usually resulting in two double-handfuls of metal shavings/chunks, and a very large tow bill.

After failures like this, most folks opted for limited-slip differentials, or lockers with much better actuation methodologies. There's a reason why GM didn't sell a whole lot of them.

-blaine

 

LOL wow what a stupid design that is..

typical GM thinking..

"HEY, lets make the locker feature engage at 30mph wheel speed".. hahaahaha...

 

Didn't sell a lot of them??? Every Chevy/GMC that has a Z71 label on it has a G80 locker.

It doesn't require 30mph difference in wheel speed either. I can get mine on my Avalanche to lock at crawl speeds. It is far superior to the LS Trac-Lok offered by Ford in their half tons. So much so that Ford now offers a locking diff.

I won't argue that the design has its limitation, though. Big wheels, high torque are a recipe for failure. And there most certainly ARE better on the aftermarket but up until the 09 F-150 there wasn't anything better than the G80 for normal use.

 

I dont know guys what you think,but I think lock diff. is a very good thing,and I dont know why Ford behind in this category.Anyway, thanks guys for replays.

 

Because they are unreliable.

 

Where'd you hear that?

Z71 = FX4 = skidplates and shocks. No enhanced traction device. At least on any truck *I* ever knew. You may have seen some trucks that got the Z71 package AND a G80, but the two weren't ever offered together as a single package. Incidentally, like Z71, G80 is an option code, not a part number; G80 is the option code for a locking differential, like Z71 is the option code for skidplates and enhanced shocks.

Depends on where you're measuring speed. If you're looking at wheel speed (versus speedometer speed), it's fairly easy to get ONE wheel going 30-ish MPH before anything happens. Remember that because of how the diff works, tire speed can be double speedometer speed if the other wheel is held stationary.

How do you figure "normal" use?

-blaine

 

The people who don't have it hate it the people who do love it,go figure

 

yeah i always thought Z71 was just GM's crappy pretend offroad package of shocks and stickers...

same with the FX4.. not what i would define as a "offroad" package by any means..

 

Go take a look over at the chevy and GMC forums. Lots and lots of G80s that completely fail leaving you with an open differentials, or others that explode and destroy the differential completely. Many people also complain about rough engagement, and not so nice noises going around corners.

 

look, there are going to be people who don't like it hell there probably some old people who don't like color TV's. The majority of people who have it love like myself and I have had zero problems.