In 2004, all 2-wheel drive Chevrolet Yukons, Suburbans, Avalanches, TrailBlazers and Silverados had rear disk brakes as standard equipment.
For 2005, rear disc brakes are still standard equipment on all 2-wheel drive Chevrolet Yukons, Suburbans, Avalanches and TrailBlazers.
However, the 2005 Silverados are another story. All 2005 2-wheel drive Chevrolet Silverado 1500HD, 2500HD and 3500 models have rear disc brakes as standard equipment. HOWEVER, the 2005 2-wheel drive Silverado 1500 model has rear DRUM brakes -- with no option to upgrade to rear disc brakes.
Now I know that we have already discussed this downgrading of the low end Silverado to an inferior rear drum braking system on this newsgroup. Some posters thought this decision by GM to eliminate rear disc brakes from the "SAFETY & SECURITY" section of its 1500-series trucks was a chicken shit thing to do. Other posters said that this is no big deal and that second-rate rear drum brakes are good enough for a truck of this size. The fact remains that drum brakes are inferior to disc brakes, otherwise, GM would be putting drum brakes on the front, as well.
In order to give some creditability to its reinstating of the old fashioned rear drum brake system, GM has made the brake drums bigger, possibly in an attempt to increase stopping power and heat dissipation. Unfortunately, this newly-designed rear drum brake system of the 2005
1500-series Silverado has a brake drum which is so large that it requires the use of a 17-inch rim in order to give it adequate clearance. The use of this larger rim necessitates the use of lower profile tires, so the load capacity of the 4 standard-equipment tires of the 2005 truck is reduced by 264 pounds when compared to the standard tires which were on the 1999-2004 1500-series trucks with 16-inch rims.The bottom line is that GM has made the decision to go back to drum brakes on the rear of its 2005 Silverado 1500-series trucks to save money. Even though drum brakes have more parts than disc brakes and are harder to service, they are less expensive to manufacture.
So my question is: How much does GM save by using rear drum brakes instead of rear disc brakes?