The times, they were a-changing for Chevrolet's pickups toward the end of the last millennium. A few years before, in order to meet emissions and fuel economy requirements, manufacturers began heavily pushing trucks and SUVs in place of conventional vans, wagons and sedans. While many went over the top with sheer mass and luxury amenities, the little S-10 Blazer kept things reasonable with all-around performance, versatility and fuel economy that didn't rely on corporate trickery to make sense.
The 1998 Blazer came with either four-wheel disc brakes, or disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear. At 11 inches in diameter, the front brakes on the 1998 Blazer were about 0.5-inch larger than on previous models. The front brake calipers on these later trucks also used two pistons instead of one. This distributed brake pad force more evenly, which helped to extend pad life while potentially increasing braking power. Rear disc brakes remained single piston, but were new for the 1998 model year. Rear drums remained unchanged from 1995 to the 2003 model year.
