Anybody have a Trailblazer SS
 

Does anybody have a Trailblazer SS? Do you have 2wd or 4wd? What are the good and bad points of the vehicle and any problems you have had. I am looking for one for my wife to use occasionally. It wont be an everyday driver. I was leaning towards 4wd because I live in Michigan and I have heard the 2wd is horible in the snow.

You might not get any replies, check the truck forum. I had a Trail Blazer but not the SS and it was only 2wd. BIG improvement over the old smaller blazers for ride and comfort. Gas pedal was funky, I believe it is controlled by a sensor rather then a cable.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/f...play.php?f=159

Kelly O, on OSO owns one. I think he's on vacation. I have been in it. Lots of power

I too am thinking of getting one for my wife. Ive driven both also. The awd version feels and steers a little bit heavier in the front, buts its still the one I will get too. The 2wd one, with the street tires its has, can get a little loose when the streets get the first bit of rain on them. Almost worthless in the snow unless you put some more aggressive tires on the back. Both handle great, and are fast fast fast. Have fun. They look great too.

In fact, the only thing I've even considered besides the SS is an audi S4 avant.


The jeep GC SRT too small inside and wont pull anything under warranty. Its either SUV that can work or a fast wagon for us. The SS is just way more useful with kid, dog, and toys. I have a dirtbike I have to take places to ride so I need a 2" receiver to pull or put a joe hauler on.

have an awd one that is fun as sh*t.i didnt know that they came in 2 wheel drive.pretty fast and it surprizes alot of people how fast it is.

I drove a 2 wd for a day..it was my buddies, it was a fun ride...take off the traction control and it is even better

Jeep srt8 is rated to toe 3500lb which is next to nothing. SS can tow up to 6700lb. I test drove the awd version and had a **** eating grin the whole time. Really enjoyed it. Do you guys think it'd be enough truck to tow my Scarab SCS? Boat plus trailer plus fuel and gear is right around 5000lb.

If you have the SS numbers correct than yes.

The SRT isnt rated to tow anything.... according too their website....its not even an option. Not to mention the center exhaust would get all goofed up.

Actually websit is wrong. srt8 can tow 3500lb and the hitch drops the exhaust down.

Here are the mopar parts:

2006-2008 Grand Cherokee SRT8 Mopar hitch receiver parts

Availability: Now shipping (December 2007)

1. SRT8 Hitch receiver, 3,500-lb tow rating, 350-lb. tongue weight rating; 1 1/4" opening, includes receiver plug. Designed specifically to work with Jeep SRT8 center exit exhaust. Requires exhaust upgrade kit p/n 82211495.

P/N 82210037AB MSRP $129.00


2. SRT8 Dual center exit exhaust upgrade kit. Designed specifically to work with Jeep SRT8 models equipped with the Mopar Hitch Receiver.

P/N 82211495 MSRP $679.00


3. SRT8 Trailer tow wire Harness kit (2006 models), with 4-way flat trailer connector, plugs directly into the vehicle wiring, no splicing required.

P/N 82209768 MSRP $81.00


4. SRT8 Trailer tow wire Harness kit (2007-2008 models), with 4-way flat trailer connector, designed for easy installation and minimal splicing.

P/N 82211503 MSRP $155.00

Yeah, come to think of it i have seen a pic of one with a hitch.....but why would you mess with the back of it? Those center tips look pretty mean.

If you plan on using it in the snow, buy some Blizzaks.

My buddy has an 07 2WD SS in St Louis. Truck runs hard but he has a clunk in the tranny and check engine lights as 1st year troubles. He is very hard on anything with a gas pedal. A few times he has mentioned he should have bought the AWD version instead. At 25K miles in the first year it is ready for a set of tires.

I have a 06 awd and the only complaint i have is THE GAS MILEAGE SUCKS,but otherwise its a great truck. i tow my 30 velocity with it and no problems. i think the crappy gas mileage is from the awd,im gettin 12.5 according to the computer,i got out of a 2000 yukon that was bigger,heavier,not as much fun,and got 15. i drive it easy and wish it was a 2wd,but ive had no problems but that the radio died??? good luck tripps

I've got an '07 2wd and like it. I tow a 4500 lb boat/trailer and a 3000 lb enclosed MC trailer with no problems. The auto leveling system in the rear is great.

I have, however, already been through 1 rear end and this is a known problem. The transmission on both the 2wd and 4wd is the older 4 speed that is only rated a 360 lb-ft of torque and the motor puts out 400! Transmission failures are an issue.

BUT, the drivetrain has a 100,000 mile warranty so they can keep replacing rears and trannys for the next 5 years as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and I don't have a secondary trans oil cooler. If it's needed to tow at the published rating to prevent tranny failure then GM will be installing one for free or continue to replace the transmissions, it's their choice.......

BTW, the truck is not a handfull in 2wd, it's just fine. I think too many people have gotten used to FWD or AWD and have forgotten what a RWD car/truck drives like. They also torque limit the motor off the line and on shifts so sometimes it doesn't feel like it's really making the 395 hp they claim. With traction control and stabilitrack I have no issues in the rain and trust me, it rains in FL. As for snow, that's a function of the tires and the Goodyear RS-A's that come on the truck are about the biggest pieces of **** I've ever had on a vehicle. I swapped in the Goodyear F1-GS D3's and the truck was transformed. If I lived up north I would have a set of winter treads and that would solve all the snow issues. 4wd with the stock tires OR performance tires WILL NOT get you around up north in the snow, you need real winter tires regardless of the number of wheels driven.

Fuel and economy cannot be used in the same sentence. Without a trailer the best highway mileage I've seen is about 17, with the MC trailer that drops to 13 and with the boat it drops to between 11 and 12. The 4wd only loses about 1 mpg from what I've heard.

Check out:

http://www.trailvoy.com/
http://www.trailblazerss.com/forums/
http://www.tbssowners.com/forums/index.php

That Yukon only made about half the HP. If you want to play you gotta pay ;)

Not too off topic but I just bought a Jeep SRT8 and yes it doesn't tow,but I have an F-350 for that. Fuel economy first week (not broken in) is about 11-13. BUT, they have a $99 kit that disengages the front drive axle (for fuel economy+1 mpg est. and dyno runs) and i'm looking into a few other mods to help the wife live with the fact that her daily driver gets less than half the fuel economy of her traded in Honda Accord v-6. I have never drove the Chevy. I know it tows more,is cheaper, and has more room,but you only live once and I liked the design of the jeep and the 4.7 sec 0-60(or lower in some cases) vs. 5.3-5.5 on the SS. C-ya Mike

Buy the BMW X5, with the Dinan pkg, stage 3 (minimum of 450HP)....wave bye-bye to both of them and ride in comfort, class, and style. Even tow 6,000 lbs as well.

Not sure the input torque number is correct. The trans is a 4L70E (new in 06').....same as what I have in my Vortec Max. 385ftlbs. It addressed many of the weak links found in the 60 and 65 and is quite stout. My truck is heavier and I pull 7200lbs of boat often. I dont know of any premature trans failures from a daily driver staying in the limits. I do understand that an SS is stop light raced and thats probably the issue. The only problem I had with my trans is a bad torque convertor vein that made a whistle noise. Replaced for free and was a known problem. For the past 8k miles Ive had a zippy shift kit, and a computer with zero torque management. Love it. Dont worry about the trans.

Well I just got back from test driving both of the trucks.

We drove a used 2006 SRT8 with 33000 miles on it, fully loaded. The wife liked it a lot and thought it was very "peppy" ( her words). Back seat seemed very small. The avarage MPG according the the drivers information center was 11.5. I liked the interior layout and the passenger seat was comfortable and I had lots of leg room (I am 6' 200 lbs). The exhaust sound was noticible if you stood on it, but during normal cruising it was not annoying. When I drove it I liked the acceleration. Brakes were VERY responsive. After driving it for about 10 minutes, my butt cheeks started to hurt. The ride was not too bad compared to my winter car (Oldsmobile 98 touring sedan).

We then drove a 2008 AWD Trailblazer SS with the 1SS package. Our first impression was the back seat was considerably bigger. When she was driving it we both noticed that it has a much softer ride than the SSRT8. The ride was even softer than my touring sedan. Leg room in the front seat was the same as the SRT8. he exhaust note was quiter than the SRT8. I may go drive a 2008 SRT8 to see how the seats and ride are in that one.

SS.......period. Chrystlers suck to deal with when they break. If you need that extra half second the match an SRT get a CAI, catback, HSRK, and tune from vector. you were already going to do that anyway probably. SS's look soooooo much better.

The other thing that may sway me to the TBSS is the fact that GM backs up their vehicle with a 5 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. I am guessing the SRT8 has a 3 year 36,000 mile powertrain warranty. Yes the tune and exhaust were things that I would do anyhow. I figure by the cost of the improvements wouuld make the SS just as fast or faster than the SRT8 and for less money than the SRT8.

The only bad thing about them is they have that cheesy plastic look on about the entire interior.

I agree about the plastic interior. It does look outdated, my 89 Oldsmobile 98 Touring sedan has burlwood inserts on the dashboard and on the console. The door armrest are vinyl. The rest of the dash and door panels are plastic and vinyl. I guess that GM thought that someone paying almost $40,000 would want a little better looking interior. Heck even the new Z06 has plastic all over the dashboard.