2004 Silverado 4x4 Lt With Quadrasteer on 2040-cars

Road Test: 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT
By: Mike Magda, Editor, PickupTruck.comPosted: 05-17-04 22:19 PT
© 2004 PickupTruck.com

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Quadrasteer is the most useful innovation designed for a pickup truck since an unknown blacksmith or carpenter fabricated the first cargo bed for a 4-wheel chassis more than 100 years ago.

But when General Motors first introduced this revolutionary feature to Chevrolet and GMC pickups in 2002, it was part of a special option package priced upwards of $7,500 on two-wheel-drive models and about $6800 for 4WD. This package included the 5.3-liter engine, heavy duty locking rear differential, ZX3 suspension, traction control, tow equipment and heavy-duty brakes.

For 2003, GM unbundled Quadrasteer from the pricey package but it was still a $4495 stand-alone option. Not too many truck buyers were willing to part with that much money, so the benefits of Quadrasteer weren’t exposed to many pickup truck owners.

Now, GM has lowered the price to a more manageable $1995, and it’s worth every penny to those who tow on the highway or drive in the city. This isn’t gimmicky showoff technology that only mechanical engineers can appreciate. Quadrasteer turns a 19-foot long, 4500-pound land yacht into a nimble runabout. No more 3-point turns in shopping-mall garages or driving on sidewalks to finish a U-turn. Quadrasteer also reduces trailer sway during lane changes and makes beginners look like pros when backing their Bayliner into the water.

We spent a week with a 2004 Chevy Silverado LT 1500 Extended Cab 4x2 in a Southern California beach town where parking spots are measured for import cars, not trucks built in the Midwest. Driving lanes are usually narrow, and most pickup owners have to scout out doublewide spots far away from the destination for an easy park. But the Quadrasteer slid straight between the Accords and Camrys with the fewest of steering movements. Gone are the embarrassing cockeyed parking angles that force the truck to invade adjacent spots.

By the numbers, a Silverado with Quadrasteer cuts a turning circle 37.4 feet across. That’s 9.2 feet shorter—or about 20 percent improvement—than a regular 2WD Extended Cab model. In real-world driving, that makes a big difference since traffic lanes are about 12 feet wide.

For towing, Quadrasteer adds stability and improves maneuverability. The rear track on a Quadrasteer vehicle is 71 inches, which is five inches wider than a regular Silverado. The heavy-duty equipment needed with Quadrasteer helps boosts the maximum tow rating to 8600 pounds (with 5.3-liter engine). That’s 200 pounds more than any other 1500 series Silverado. The GVWR also goes up 400 pounds to 6600 pounds.

More important, Quadrasteer improves trailer manners. Think about it: if the rear wheels of the tow vehicle can turn, they effectively steer the front of a trailer. The trailer tracks better and responds quicker during lane changes.

The benefits of Quadrasteer are not limited to parking garages and trailers. Quadrasteer changes the all-around driving dynamics of the Silverado. Driver confidence improves with every maneuver, especially at high speeds. Driving a pickup is more enjoyable and less stressful simply because you’re not avoiding situations that are inherently problematic with a long-wheelbase vehicle. Parallel parking becomes simpler and narrow alleys are no longer a challenge. Drivers who feared fullsize pickups are now more comfortable taking the wheel and are amazed at just how sharp the Silverado Quadrasteer will turn.

Quadrasteer was developed by Delphi, the world’s largest supplier to the automotive industry. The rear steering unit is electromechanical: it is not hydraulically operated and therefore needs no fluid or high-pressure pump. The unit mounts on a heavy-duty Dana 60 axle (which houses a 9 3/4-inch ring gear) and is protected by a skid plate. A computer monitoring steering angle and vehicle speed controls the motor that drives the rear steering rack.

At low speed, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction of the front to help the truck maneuver into tight spots. The maximum rear-wheel turning angle is 12 degrees. At high speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction of the front wheels. This action reduces vehicle yaw and lateral forces during sudden lane changes because the rear wheels aren’t being dragged by the front of the vehicle.

Vehicles equipped with Quadrasteer can be operated in normal front-steer only, 4-wheel steer or a special 4-wheel-steer tow mode. The driver makes the selection using a push-button switch on the dashboard. The special tow mode increases the rear steering angle at higher speeds for additional control.

The $1995 Quadrasteer option includes the following equipment required for operation:
• Redesigned pickup bed with flared fenders 
• Heavy-duty front and rear disc brakes 
• ZX3 Ride Control Suspension Package
• 145-amp alternator
• Heavy-duty limited slip differential
• Traction control
• Cab market lights

The massive Stepside-styled rear flares accommodate the extra five inches of track width and clear the additional steering angle. By law, the wider rear end requires roof, side and tail marker lights to signify the increased vehicle width. The rotors on the rear disc brakes grow from 12.8x0.78 to 13.0x1.18 on Quadrasteer 1500 vehicles. The ZX3 suspension includes driver selectable shock damping to adjust for different road conditions or ride comfort.

Electric steering may terrify traditional drivers. Trusting a vehicle’s directional movements to a computer, electric motor and planetary steering rack can be unnerving—regardless of the speed. But Delphi officials stress that Quadrasteer has completed rigorous testing. The company wouldn’t elaborate on backup systems designed to assure drivers that the rear wheels won’t steer on their own or lock to one side during an electrical malfunction or power loss. Officials simply said if the system fails, Quadrasteer provides a controlled return to two-wheel steering. Besides, Chevy drivers already trust the throttle operation to a computer. Why not the steering?

From a maintenance perspective, Quadrasteer doesn’t impose any undue demands on the owner. Delphi says Quadrasteer has neither a positive or negative impact on tire wear. Quadrasteer vehicles can become misaligned in the rear, but officials say chances are less than in the front. There is no sensing device to alert the driver if the rear is out of alignment. The driver typically becomes aware of misalignment when the steering wheel is off center. Those who go off-roading on severe trails may risk getting some mechanicals caught on a rock or thick brush, but otherwise the system should not impede any other driving activities.

Our LT-trimmed Silverado drove as cushy and comfortable as any top-of-the-line pickup. We’ll detail the LT driving experience more in an upcoming story on a 2004 Silverado LT 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 that we tested shortly after the drive in the Quadrasteer truck. For the record, we recorded 12 mpg during one week of steady short-hop trips around the beach community. Our LT had a base price of $32,235 and an as-tested price of $35,065. Beside Quadrasteer, the truck’s other options included heavy-duty trailering package, XM radio, traction control and a tire upgrade.

Quadrasteer’s advantages far outweigh any disadvantages, and the new price point makes worthy of consideration when purchasing a Chevy Extended Cab or Crew Cab truck. This innovation will surely find its way into more trucks. Future applications could include developing electronic front steering and interfacing the front and rear wheels with the brakes to automatically regain control in uncertain circumstances. For now, we’d just like a little program in the computer that will allow us to crab-crawl at low speeds to make grand entrance at the Friday night cruise or angle into a parallel parking spot without backing up.