10 vs 12 blot axle

[aknight_sa]

hi all,

whats the difference between the below two axles from the operational point of view?

GM Corporate 12-bolt (8.7/8-in. 1.31 Axle Dia. 30 Spline)

and

GM Corporate 10-bolt (8.5-in. 1.28 Axle Dia. 28 Spline)

Thanks

 

[gone huntin]

They are pretty much identical except for the differences that you noted, so you answered your own question. The one thing I can tell you about them is that they're weak. The best thing to do to them is remove them and replace with a 14 bolt.

 

[aknight_sa]

weak as in very slow? or weak as in can be broken easly in tough offroad driving?

 

[MattK]

weak as in, they generally aren't trusted with tires over 35" if the truck is wheeled.

either of the axles are about the same strength. 14 bolts are pretty common and plenty strong.

 

[aknight_sa]

so you recomend i change to 14 for read.. what about the front axle? leave it as 10 or change to 14 as well?

 

[Leper]

14bolt is for rear only. Dana 60 is the common upgrade for the front. Wheel with your current axles until they break, then upgrade. I am kinda hard on my 10 bolts at times and they haven't broken yet.

 

[firefighter184]

I have wheeled the piss out of my 10 bolts with no problems. There are plenty of guys here who wheel 10 and 12 bolts. Keep your foot off of the skinny pedal and wheel with brains not brawn and your 10 or 12 bolts should hold up all the way to 35's. INTERCEPTOR wheeled his 10 bolts with 37s for a LONG time wit no problems.

 

[sebban]

I´ve wheeled my 10/12 bolt combination for 6 months now with baja claw 38,5" No probs. (with exception of the diffgears which is now replaced with lockright) My buddy has a 10 bolt front and a 14 bolt SF and 39,5" Also no probs.

The 14 bolt SF is not very much stronger than the 10/12 bolts either (since they are all SF i.e. semi floated).
You need to have the 14bolt FF (fullfloater) rear and a Dana 60 front to have the tough stuff. But then you can really stomp on it with 44" boggers without a worry.

Just my 0.02$

Seb.

 

[mrk5]

Given you location, I'll be 10bolt or 12bolt would work just fine. I assume you're pretty much running in the sand.

For some extra insurance you can get Superior Gear alloy shafts for a little over $200 from OffroadDesign.com. That's what I did.

 

[79chevyk10]

Given you location, I'll be 10bolt or 12bolt would work just fine. I assume you're pretty much running in the sand.

For some extra insurance you can get Superior Gear alloy shafts for a little over $200 from OffroadDesign.com. That's what I did.

I'm also one of "those" guys, I'm running a 12 bolt with superior axles and a detroit (for the money, should's got a 14 bolt FF) and I'm running 36's and I wheel pretty hard on dirt and rock, I am a finesse driver that is not afraid to bounce the truck for traction and have not had an issue yet. They are not as bad as some may think. Just keep the tire size 37's or smaller and replace the axle shafts, the stock ones are "flute'd" and have a major minor diameter. Now I'm want a doubler and gonna have to spend the money again and get a 14 bolt FF. So you need to ask yourself "Where do I see myself in 3 years wheelin wise" and "How big of a tire do you want to run"

 

[rick88blaze]

I have a 12b and D44 under mine. The spec's on them are in my signature. When I wheel, I can be pretty hard on the throttle. I have had my K5 bouncing hard enough that tires were coming off the ground and I haven't broken anything yet. I think a lot of guys don't give the 1/2 ton axles enough credit sometimes. Granted I do have hardened shafts in the rear, but the only thing that gave me any problems so far is the u-joint. I am running a conversion joint to go from a 1330 yoke on my driveshaft, to the 1310 yoke on the 12 bolt. I plan on going to 35" or 36" tires next winter but I'll keep the same setup until I start breaking stuff. Then I'll probably go to the 14ff in the rear.

Rick