My 96 8800lb 2500 had the single piston calipers as well, as does my 98. I think the dual piston calipers came about in 2000.

 

Let me try that again lol. I thought 98 was the last year for the LD 2500. I am pretty sure 1999 was the first year for the dual piston calipers on the 2500

 

That's entirely possible. I have never seen a LD 2500 though.... guess they weren't real common, and I haven't bought a 99 or newer yet. Yet......

 

To be honest, I never knew they built them. Chevy/GMC did and still does. You can get a 2500 and a 2500HD. Dodge did build a 2500 and you could get the 8800 pound chassis, but the 2500 was still pretty heavy. On GM, the rear axle is semi floating and on the HD, it's a full floating. All the 2500 Dodges and Rams have a full floating rear axle.

 

That's not my experience. On the '96 model 2500 4x4 with Dana 60 front, I'm running the late model aluminum 16x8 wheels to this day with no issues/changes whatsoever. The Dana 60 rear is quite different, as the Dana 60 is a drum brake rear (for the earlier model years) and the 16x8 aluminum wheel will not go over the drum's stiffening rib without modification. It will work if the drum's stiffening rib is turned down about 1/16" - 1/8" all the way around it. Once done, the wheels fit fine in the rear and no issues were experienced with braking. The later model 17" wheels should also work on both front or back without issues, as long as the appropriate size tires are used to prevent rubbing.