Owners of other General Motors GMT800 series SUV or truck vehicles such as the Chevy Silverado, Suburban, Avalanche, GMC Yukon, Sierra, Hummer H2 and the Cadillac Escalade may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools needed to change the rear brake pads include a floor jack, two jack stands, a lug nut wrench, a 14mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench, an "F" clamp and a tube of high temperature synthetic brake parts lubricant grease.

The additional tools needed to replace the rear rotors include a propane blow torch, an 18mm socket with a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench or a standard 18mm wrench, and a tube of Loctite "Red" high strength thread locking adhesive.

The parts that I used on this 2006 Chevy Tahoe LS RWD (rear wheel drive) and can personally recommend are as follows: Wagner ThermoQuiet QC974A Ceramic Rear Brake Pads and ACDelco 18A1412A Advantage Rear Disc Brake Rotors.

A few other rear brake pads that are listed as being compatible with the RWD (rear wheel drive) 2000-20006 Tahoe are as follows: ACDelco 17D974ACH, ACDelco 171-0870, Bendix D974A and Wagner Severe Duty SX974A.

Some new sets of brake pads that are listed as being compatible with the 4WD (four wheel drive) Chevy Tahoe include the following: ACDelco 17D834CH, ACDelco 14D834CH, ACDelco 17D834MH, Wagner Severe Duty SX975 and Wagner ThermoQuiet QC975.

Other rear rotors that are compatible with 2000-2006 Tahoe SUVs are as follows: ACDelco 177-902, Raybestos 580165PER, Wagner BD125655 and ACDelco 18A1412.

Then loosen the plastic lug nut caps by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron.

You can also use a 7/8" socket or a 22mm socket to loosen the plastic lug nut caps.

Once all 6 caps have been loosened, you can remove the plastic hub cover.

Slightly loosen the 6 lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise with the tire iron.

Carefully raise the rear of the SUV with the floor jack and securely support it with the two jack stands.

I prefer to work on one side of the vehicle at a time to keep three wheels on the ground for extra safety.

Remove the rear wheel to reveal the rotor, bracket, caliper and suspension.

If the caliper slider pin turns as you are trying to loosen the caliper bolt, hold it in place with a wrench.

I used a 20mm wrench that was nearby but a 19mm wrench would be a better fit. You may also use pliers or an adjustable spanner wrench.

Spin out the two caliper bolts and set them aside in a safe place.

Carefully rest the caliper on the suspension or suspend it from the spring with a bungee cord.

Try to avoid stressing or kinking the rubber brake fluid hose.

Make a mental note of where the wear indicator bars or "squeal" bars are located on the old pads.

On this 2006 Tahoe LS RWD, the wear bars are located at the top and bottom of both the inner and outer pads.

Attach the "C" or "F" clamp to the caliper by using the back of an old brake pad to evenly distribute the pressure.

Move to the right rear area of the engine bay and twist off the black plastic cap on the brake fluid reservoir in the counterclockwise direction.

Removing the reservoir cap will allow the brake fluid to more easily travel back through the line.

Slowly turn the "C" clamp handle in the clockwise direction to compress back the piston.

Repeatedly check the level in the brake fluid reservoir to prevent it from overflowing.

I'd recommend moving the "C" clamp back and forth between the two sides of the caliper to evenly compress back both of the pistons.

Try to avoid pinching or otherwise damaging the rubber dust boots surrounding the pistons.

Don't leave the brake fluid cap off for longer than necessary since brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air).

If you are going to replace the rotor, you will need to remove the two 18mm bolts that hold that caliper bracket in place.

I recommend buying the ACDelco 18A1412A rear rotors since they have excellent reviews on Amazon.

GM secured the caliper bracket bolts with heavy duty thread locking fastener adhesive that requires heat for removal.

Be very careful when you are using the propane blow torch and don't let the flame come in contact with the rubber brake fluid hoses or the rubber dust boots on the caliper slider pins.

Carefully heat the area around the 18mm bracket bolt with the propane blow torch for about a minute or two.

I used a rubber mallet to help loosen the bracket bolts.

If you have trouble loosening the bolts, try heating up the area for another minute with the blow torch or use a breaker bar on the wrench to apply more torque.

I'd recommend wearing thick work gloves when you handle the caliper bracket or the two bolts. They might still be hot enough to burn your fingers.

Once everything has cooled off, remove the two bolts and pull off the bracket.

Wipe both sides of the new rotor with a shop towel and brake cleaner spray to remove any oil or dirt.

If you have trouble removing the old rotor, make sure that the emergency / parking brake has been released.

You can also try hitting the rotor with a rubber mallet to loosen it.

Clean off the lug nut studs and the parking brake assembly with brake parts cleaner spray.

Push the new rotor in to place over the parking brake assembly and on to the studs.

(This Tahoe was primarily used in the very flat state of Florida, so the emergency / parking drum brake pads were in great condition and did not need to be replaced and the mechanism did not need to be adjusted.)

Apply some brake caliper grease on to the area where the clips will reside in the bracket.

Push the new pad abutment clips in to the bracket and apply a thin layer of grease to the area that will come in contact with the brake pads.

Pull the caliper slider pins out of their rubber dust boots and apply a thin layer of synthetic brake parts lubricant grease.

Spin on one or two lug nuts to hold the new rotor in place.

Apply a small amount of Loctite "Red" to the threads on the bracket bolts.

GM used a yellow colored thread locking adhesive that is similar to the heavy duty Loctite "Red 271" that is considered to be a permanent glue that can only be removed by heating the area to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius).

Spin in the bottom bracket bolt and tighten it in the counterclockwise direction (as seen from the outside of the vehicle).

Apply some brake caliper grease to the tabs or "ears" at both ends of each new brake pad where they will come in contact with the pad abutment clips.

Push the two pads together until they are flush against the rotor.

Lower the caliper over the new pads and in to the bracket.

Loctite Blue can be easily removed in the future with just the use of hand tools and it helps prevent the bolts from loosening due to vibration or shock.

Hold the slider pin in place with a 19mm wrench to prevent it from spinning.

Tighten the two caliper bolts in the counterclockwise direction to just past hand tight or about 30 ft-lbs of torque.

Double check that the two caliper bolts are tight before moving on to the next steps.

It would be best to bleed the brake lines at this time in order to flush out the old fluid and replace it with fresh DOT 3 brake fluid. For more on this topic, check out my Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With An Assistant DIY Guide or alternatively the Brake Line Fluid Bleeding With A Power Bleeder Guide.

The brake fluid bleeder valve is located underneath a rubber cap on the back side of the caliper just below the top caliper bolt.

Slightly tighten the lug nuts in the clockwise direction with the tire iron.

Carefully lower the SUV from the jack stands by using the floor jack.

Continue tightening the lug nuts in a "star" or "criss cross" pattern in the clockwise direction to about 1/4 to 1/3 turn past hand tight.

It would be best to use a torque wrench to make sure that the lug nuts are properly tightened. The Tahoe's owner's manual specifies that the lug nuts should be tightened to about 140 ft-lbs of torque.

Sit in the driver's seat of the vehicle and pump the brake pedal a few times to restore the brake line pressure. Check the brake fluid in the reservoir and verify that it is at the proper level. If it is low, add some new DOT 3 fluid.

To break in your new rear brake pads, just drive normally for the first few hundred miles while trying to avoid any hard or "panic" stops which may glaze over the new pads and cause them to be noisy and/or not perform as well.

It's also a good idea to regularly check your driveway or garage for drops of brake fluid which may indicate a leak, check the brake fluid level in the reservoir, and also verify that the lug nuts are still tight.

For more, check out my other 2000-2006 GM Chevrolet Tahoe DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.