LancePearson

Not sure where to put this but I want to tow my 76 on a Uhaul trailer to the Tail of the Dragon, etc. which is 497 miles each way from me and my 2008 Trailblazer 4.2 L six at 291 hp will do it as it does my 4,000# boat and trailer but it would be getting close up to where it will be a tad sluggish getting to speed so I looked around. Found two choices: Tahoe with 5.3 L. 320 hp V8 but more torque and pretty expensive or a 2008 Trailblazer SS with a version of the LS2 Corvette V8 in it which churns out 390 hp and 400 ft lbs of torque through a stock 4:10 rear end on 20" low profile tire wheels and bought a used one today in black that will be here in about a week and am trading my six in. Love the TB but this SS version is about $10,000 less than a Tahoe of the same 2008 vintage and miles. Amazing, that I'll have a basic Corvette block pulling a trailer with a 76 Vette on the back this summer! By the way, the Trailblazer SS stock is 1" lower with stiffer suspension and in some Youtube videos stock with nothing done runs a 5.8 second 1-60 and 14.3 seconds in the quarter...FASTER than my 76!

I'll post a photo of what an SS looks like but as soon as it is transferred here I'll have two Corvettes...sort of.

Interesting turn of events.

lance p.

markids77

Deal's Gap is an amazing stretch of road but is largely populated by tour busses and tourists on Harleys or Metric cruisers riding in large groups slowing others down. You should drive it, but you would probably have more fun on your Burgman. Very technically interesting stretch of pavement marred by it's mystique and popularity. The SS should make the trip there more enjoyable but i have to ask... why not simply take Rojo?

LancePearson

Mark,

Merry Christmas!

I did drive Rojo the 100 miles each way to the Skyline drive this June and drove the entire 105 mile skyline drive the next day, spent the night in Waynesboro, then came home on the Blue Ridge Parkway south as far as route 60 then went E home the following day but with a car that is about to celebrate her 36th birthday Dec. 21, I want to get more in the habit of towing her for longer distances beyond that just so it's reliable to get her there and back and me with her. I also drove here to VIR's road track to run for my one day experience in May on the road course and back and that was about 240 miles total and all went well plus track time.

I am planning a two week driving trip to Maine this coming June and if I want to this will allow me to tow the Vette and drive some of those roads as well. Early days for that thought but now I can if I want to. Just increases the range of what I want to consider doing with the C3 and besides, this Trailblazer SS is just plain fu and I like the idea that I own a second vehicle with a sort of Corvette engine in it...I'll include a couple videos from Youtube on stock SS's with this engine and stock 4:10 rear end combo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50GtU4jP7ZE&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGCptVfdsFU

Some have put turbochargers on them as well and upped the hp considerably more...not at all what you expect from an SUV but then, this is the basic 6.0 liter LS2 Corvette engine I believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOvG_2Y-aN8

Lance P.

markids77

And Merry Christmas to you as well! A performance SUV is indeed a great platform to use as a mobile basecamp from which to explore incredible stretches of road. Much more room for incidentals, and easier to sleep in in a pinch. If you have time for it, there are a couple of favorite roads in Massachusetts I can recommend which can be driven as a circular route of sorts in a single afternoon... and there are similar routes in Vermont I can recall. As your trip gets closer let me know if you want to explore some exquisite driving not very far at all off the Interstate. Also, if you're a bass (or enormous trout) fisherman you should spend a day on the White River in New Hampshire... seine some crayfish for bait and catch a trophy for lunch. It's similar topography to your area, so you know the roads (and scenery) will be incredible.

Alan 71

Hi Lance,
Nice looking vehicle! .... AND interesting capibililities.
Regards,
Alan

LancePearson

Alan,
I didn't know anybody put a 4:10 rear end in a factory car but GM did with the Trailblazer SS and then put AWD and a 395 hp Vette engine with 400 ft lbs of torque in it. It is stock faster than my '76 Corvette and it's an SUV!

LancePearson

In googling some questions I found a number of C6 owners own TB SS suvs for the same reasons I will next Wed. or Thursday morning when it arrives from Hartford, Conn. They love them for the sporty aspects, the LS 2 engines they have in their Vettes and the power they bring to towing and stiffer suspension. Some 2wd owners have put 3:42 rear end gears in them and mpg goes to where it is on my 4.2L tb 291 hp six. I'm not sure if that can be done on an AWD model like I have coming but the only decent TBSS 2wd I found had been driven for two years in Michigan where the origin of the word "rust belt" comes from the salt they use on the roads in winter. Non starter for me so I went with the leather interior, black awd which also had lots less miles on it than my current Tb LS model.

Gonna be fun but will spend more $$ on gas. But then, with no wife, you gotta have some fun in life and the 76 Vette and this are gonna be a good part of mine.

Lance P

Curby

The Trailblazer SS is a sweet ride. Congrats.

qwank

My '99 Silverado has stock 4.10's in both axles. RPO GT5.

TBSS's are really nice. They are fast stock, but with some PCM tuning they really wake up.

LancePearson

qwank, that's what I've been reading about the tbss, do a tune and they get really serious quickly..5.8 second zero to sixty or faster, for one thing. Gonna be interesting driving awd for me. I've seen youtubes of them doing burning donuts with all four wheels easily once they disable the traction and stability control apparently. Not sure I'll do that since I have a long term warranty on the vehicle though.

I have driven my TB Ls in 4wd mode which you can select on a dial and it didn't seem any different on the highway to me at all. Mine is coming down from Hartford, Conn on a transport hauler that loads next Tuesday and I should have it and my TB LS traded in on it by then.

qwank

That's the beauty of these new fuel injected cars. I spent $350 on a tune for my Silverado and got .8 quicker in the 1/4 mile. Most of the difference is actually made in the transmission tune. It will feel a hell of a lot quicker.

Even stock, after having this SS for a week, you'll never go back to a regular Trailblazer.

Dose11

Oh The Trailblazer SS is really nice Lance, I don't like SUV's but that is one that I wouldn't mind having. That or the Jeep Cherokee SRT8.

LancePearson

Dose,
It is very nice. I like the size and have had a Trailblazer since 2005. I fit at 6'4" in them with size 15 feet and haul two female 60 pound greyhounds with long legs around all over with me too. They ride well and the 4.3L six with 291 hp is one of the ten best motors in the world for several years...why GM went away from it is a complete mystery to me. it is smooth, extremely quiet and vibration free and runs effortlessly. In my case it just would be better if it had the HP of the 5.3 l. v8 or now, with the TB SS, the 400 hp of the Vette LS2. I'd be less than honest if I said I needed the Vette engine but the TBSS screams.

The Tahoe would be a better fit and get better mileage but this will be fun. The drive to Maine in June with the SS is going to be really fun on some local roads there or in Vermont or New Hampshire! It has plenty of power to tow up to the limits and I will only need to go to 5,000 and it will tow my 19' Wellcraft and trailer easier as well. The suspension is stiffer by about 25% which will also help towing.

It is a modest experiment by me but then again, I decided that I wasn't going to stick with my girlfriend all winter so this will take that place. Women are a lot of trouble and I've had my share plus a very long marriage so me and the girls are going to play with a Trailblazer SS...which happens to be black with leather interior as well!

TexasTechDad

I have had 2 TBSS and they were both stolen! Its a very popular car across the border, first theft we have on video ! Followed my wife to her office at noon , when she went inside they ran from across the street and were gone in 60 seconds! Great car but left us stranded too many times! Best MPG was 17 ....but who cares they are great cars!!!

LancePearson

Wow, Dad. Was it locked? I have that claw that I can use in addition to the other normal things. Glad I don't live near the border with Mexico based on your story. Yes, I would think they would be higher profile with the engine and rear end in them. I will always lock it at the very least and may put an alarm system on it that is really loud! I know I am giving up mpg versus the Tahoe that would actually work well with it's 5.3L v8 as well but then, they cost for equal miles on the vehicle about $10,000 more and weigh about 6,000 pounds in stead of 4500 so I bit the bullet and assumed I'm going to get truck mpg instead of cars and have fun with it too.

Thanks for sharing.

lance p.

Lance P.

TexasTechDad

locked and parked at the front door of the office building . She was followed they knew what they were after. 6 cars taken in the area that afternoon5 Escalades and my wifes TBSS. I live in a suburb of Dallas very low crime! The second time we were out to dinner came back an hour later and Gone! My Wife Loved her TBSS, we both cried ...both times. I cant get her to try again. FBI said that there was a Ring from Mexico that was responsible for the first theft and that she was lucky to have not confronted these guys as they are Armed and Dangerous! Just becareful and enjoy a great car!!! Good Luck! First Time caught on video, walked past a Dodge Crew cab Viper Truck and the Aston Martin parked next to her.

billcarson

"hey amigo,i park de nice truck for you"."try the refried beans our specialty".

LancePearson

Hey, Poncho...Meet my friends, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson!

Oh, and keep your jalapena fingers off my TBSS or face the consequences!

Seriously, I do have "the claw" I can use on the steering wheel and will think about some kind of security system. Never owned cars I thought people might steel before, Poncho, but with RoJo, the 76 Vette and now this black TB SS, I guess I'll have to give it some thought. Pretty brazen theifs in Dallas.

TexasTechDad

If they want it they will get it! My friend had a nice old Pick-up that he put a anti theft device on the steering wheel that attached to the brake pedal. They spray the lock with freeon and then hit it with a mallet and it shattered. They left it on his door step!

LancePearson

sounds like there is no real good alternative to stop a determined thief. Maybe I'll just lock the door, hope that either OnStar or Lojack can find it and let it go at that.

Lance P.