On my '04 2500HD Duramax the rear brakes seem to act a little weird when I'm backing up at slow speeds. They groan and have a little less stopping power than they normally due when slowing down while going forward. Yesterday when I put the truck in 4-Low to climb up a set of oil-changing ramps it was worse. I would assume this is due to the lower gear ratio.


I'm not used to the diesel yet; my other truck was nearly identical in every way but the engine was a 6.0 gas. My theory is that the D-Max produces way more torque at low engine speeds, so this is why I'm feeling a difference.


Sorry this isn't explained more clearly, but it's about the best I can describe it! Is there any cause for concern? The brakes seem totally fine the rest of the time.

4 lo to get on ramps??? yikes....ican tell you that the bad brake feel in 4lo, is that of the lower gear ratio...most people shift into neutral before trying to brake....otherwise ya get a nasty grind sound coming from metal-metal....

Oh, don't worry, I'm not a newbie to the whole 4X4 thing! In fact I've never driven a vehicle that wasn't a 4x4. Anyway, I'm not talking about when shifting into 4x4. (I always let the truck roll forward in neutral at about 3-5 mph in 4 high and then push the 4 low button to avoid any harsh dropping into gear.)


Also, I've found it works really well to put a diesel (or any truck) in 4 low so that you can just idle up the ramps without needing to rev the engine up.


But back to my brake deal, it sounds like you've got the same opinion that the lower gear ratio makes stopping feel a little weird at low speeds. The brakes haven't been doing it anymore, so it seems to me like it must be relatively normal while in 4x4. I'm paranoid, what can I say!