Brake Pad Wear Indicators - Up, or Down?

02 Silverado HD 2500. Replaced rear pads. Outer pads have 2 wear indicators, inner pads have only 1. Does the orientation of the wear indicator on the inner pads make any difference?
I wouldn't think so, as most of the ones I've replaced are made identical, so you end up with 1 side up and the other down. But - After completing the job, as I picked up the old parts, I noticed the old pads were made mirror-image, (opposite of each other), so either both wear indicator tabs are pointing up, or both are down, (on the lower edge of the pad), once installed. I installed them pointing up, and I can tell the old ones that came off were installed pointing down.
Haven't driven it yet, but I'm wondering if I messed-up, or does it not matter? (Guessing if it didn't matter, they would have saved $, and simply made 2 identical inner pads per set, not mirror-image of each other).
No manual or online instructions I can find say anything about this, other than the outer pads having 2 wear indicators.
So does it matter? If so, is it a matter of interference/potential dragging brakes/no brakes?
Thanks in advance!

you should be fine as long as there is clearance between the indicators and caliper bracket

On my 2000 1500 the rear pads can be swapped to any position..

The front pads are specific in how they go in with the wear tab.

I HAVE REMOVED THE TAB IN THE FRONT TO USE A PAD THAT WAS FOR THE INNER/OUTER POSITION..so it could be used.

I did notice as I installed the new pads, that both of the Inner's did not slide a freely as the Outer pads, to me it seemed as if the distance between the upper & lower stainless steel slides was tighter toward the inside. I thought maybe some rust or debris remained under the new slides, on the caliper bracket. So I pulled all the pads out, removed the slides, wire-brushed and steel-wooled the casting surfaces where the slides seat. Reinstalled everything, and it was the same. In hindsight, I would almost guess the wear indicator is rubbing slightly against the upper part of the brackets, causing the tight feeling. At least I did lube the slides well, (not excess amount of lube, but made sure it was a nice even coating on every possible contact surface of the slides). The inner pads were not "tight" afterward, they just weren't as "free" as the outers. So I think I'm okay. Tell you what, I hadn't realized how much the braking ability had dropped off, what a world of difference! Also, after driving a few blocks, using the brakes several times, I got up to about 25 mph, popped neutral, and it coasted great, so they aren't dragging... Thanks guys! (And to anyone who does these in the future - I suggest you point the inner pad wear indicators down)!

what I also have found with the brake pads,,,, including the very expensive GM pads is , the pad backing plate ,has metal burrs on the edges.. These must be filed down . the pads must slide into the caliper with not much effort... over time and adding some rust they will bind up...so it is important to make sure they fit correctly...

coating the back side of the backing plate with antisieze [small amount] this will prevent squealing ..also aid in the prevention of binding.

Good points! The pads I bought, were the high-dollar AutoZone brand, they had some kind of 2 or 3 layer laminated backing on the plates, almost a rubbery/plastic type cushion layer, supposedly to eliminate the noise. They were black anodized/powder-coated, and very nicely deburred, more so than any pads I've ever seen, including OEM.
I am wondering about the different types of slide lubricant. The AZ brand came with new slides, and a black grease, almost looked like the good old Molybdenum DiSulfide Paste you use on the lobes of a flat-tappet camshaft. I had to buy a Napa hardware kit to get a set of the rubber boots for the caliper bolts. It came with a white, PTFE (Teflon) grease. It also included stainless slides, and they had a neat-looking black coating on the undersides, (presumably a sound dampening material?), so I used those slides, and put the black lube on the Drivers Side brake, and the white stuff on the Pass Side, just to do a real-world comparison test. I will share any worthwhile findings as we get down the road several thousand miles. Anyone have any good/bad notes on either lubricant?

Good points! The pads I bought, were the high-dollar AutoZone brand, they had some kind of 2 or 3 layer laminated backing on the plates, almost a rubbery/plastic type cushion layer, supposedly to eliminate the noise. They were black anodized/powder-coated, and very nicely deburred, more so than any pads I've ever seen, including OEM.
I am wondering about the different types of slide lubricant. The AZ brand came with new slides, and a black grease, almost looked like the good old Molybdenum DiSulfide Paste you use on the lobes of a flat-tappet camshaft. I had to buy a Napa hardware kit to get a set of the rubber boots for the caliper bolts. It came with a white, PTFE (Teflon) grease. It also included stainless slides, and they had a neat-looking black coating on the undersides, (presumably a sound dampening material?), so I used those slides, and put the black lube on the Drivers Side brake, and the white stuff on the Pass Side, just to do a real-world comparison test. I will share any worthwhile findings as we get down the road several thousand miles. Anyone have any good/bad notes on either lubricant?


what I found compared to the older GM vehicles is that these OEM rubber boots swell with certain lubes...I have used silcone grease to keep the rubber parts and metal pins protected from the roads salts and water corroding ..this worked till the 2000 silverado ....now the boots from autozone appear to not be doing this ....the brakes now work better than the 2000 when I purchased this vehicle,,,.

You may be onto something there - I haven't felt brakes this good since driving a buddy's Corvette! I thought mine had just faded so slowly, that I hadn't noticed the dropoff in braking performance. But I now actually believe they are better than they were new. The pedal feel and level of control over how much brake I'm using is fantastic, and the stopping power is remarkable for a big, heavy duty, 4-door, 3/4 Ton, 4WD truck. Can't remember the empty weight, but with the huge differentials, transfer case, 8-Lug axles, and all the other HD stuff, it's got to be close to 5 or 6,000 Lbs.