Braking

60 to 0 MPH Brake Test

Our brake test was the simplest test we performed. We accelerated each truck to 60 mph then fully applied the brakes to find out which truck would stop in the shortest distance. We ran each truck a minimum of three times, unloaded, in two-wheel drive with traction and stability control enabled. The best stopping distance determined the winner.

It’s not surprising that the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan had the best braking scores. They have the largest brakes available in the segment, though the Tundra really stood out from all the other trucks; it stopped 7 feet shorter than the Titan.

Again, we saw a dramatic difference in how the Silverado and Sierra performed relative to each other. The Sierra had the longest braking distance of all the trucks tested, 15.4 feet longer than the third-place Silverado. We don’t think the Sierra’s more aggressive rear shocks were the only reason for this gap, but we’re at a loss to figure out where the rest of the difference came from, given the wheels, tires and powertrains were identical, and we only measured a 40-pound curb-weight difference between the trucks.

The stopping distances of the second- and fifth-place trucks were only about 8 feet apart — incredibly close — versus a nearly 24-foot difference between the first- and sixth-place trucks.

Next: Wheel Travel

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