I have a 2004 Blazer 2wd and I may have the opportunity to hop on a TrailBlazer. To do this, I would have to sell my Blazer. So, what can you guys tell me about the TrailBlazer. Is it a pretty good ride? Does it have a lot of issues. I LOVE my Blazer but a big concern to me is it's mileage. I'm sitting at 170,000 miles. While I do love how easy it is to work on, I don't want it to get to the point where I'm always having to work on it. So being able to get into something with less mileage would be a selling point for me. I have a few questions I'm looking for answers on as well as just general info.

- How easy are the trailblazers to work on (both general maintenance and repairs)

- How does the engine in the TrailBlazer compare to the engine in the Blazer?

-People keep telling me that the TrailBlazer is better than the Blazer because of some suspension issue that they fixed with the TrailBlazer. Can someone please elaborate on this?

- How does the TrailBlazer perform off-road? I do like to have occasional fun goin on and off the trails.

- Do ALL TrailBlazers come with the option for 4wd or is that a secondary option? If some of them only come with 2wd, do you know if they at least have posi-trac?


Anything else you guys can tell me technical-wise or just something yours did that impressed you, let me know!

 

I would much rather drive my TB then the blazer. Of course the 5.3L v8 might have something to do with it. Some where 2wd others were 4wd, and for the locking diff you'd have to check the glove box code is G80. And the ride is SUPERIOR to the blazers by far it rides like a car then a truck. I'm sure it would go great off road, but I don't take mine there as it has street tires and it has running boards. But it kicks *** in the snow in 4wd, 2wd not so.

 

--Super easy to work on. Had dozens of them apart to lift or lower or help maintain. Parts are dirt cheap as well.
--The engine whether 4.2 or 5.3 is more powerful than your 94. Significantly actually. The pre-06 I6 had over 270HP and the after-06 had 291 stock. The 5.3 was right at 300 HP. I have 35 inch tires and never want for more power with a 2006 4.2L. Defintely get a tune to remove the choking torque management GM threw on them for soccer moms though.
--Suspension is different. Not necessarily better depending on what you desire, but the TB was the first SUV not to necessitate a rollover warning due to the front suspension design and low COG. It works well, but is limited on how much you can lift without going to a SAS.
-- OFFROAD--Pics can speak for me
















--4x4 was not standard. 2wd was available. Positrac--ie..G80 locker or G86 limited slip was an option on all, but not standard.

--I can answer any question you have on the Trailblazer platform pretty much. Keep in mind that there are many variants. GMC Envoy, Saab 9-7X, Buick Rainier, Olds Bravada, Isuzu Ascender. Also have the SWB and LWB variants if you want 2 or 3 rows of seating.

Only the TB and Envoy had a selectable transfer case for 4x4. The others could be 2wd or AWD.

The v8 or longer wheelbase gets you a slightly larger rear diff and the SS or Aero gets an even bigger one, but they are all direct bolt in swaps except for the really big one needs an adaptor ujoint and a shortened driveshaft(It was well worth it to me)

Lifts make it ride much better and stiffer it up like it should have been from the factory while be quite affordable. My buddy was one of the first and still one of the biggest designer/vendor of them. I prototyped several items for the lifted world of these trucks. Even have coilovers from Radflo available for the front now.

If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to ask.

 

FYI- I have owned and lifted several blazers and s-10s. 85 ext cab, 88 door blaze, 88 reg cab lb, 94 4 door blazer, 96 4 door blazer, 98 4 door blazer.

The trailblazer is far more solid truck overall. The specs on them really are impressive when you boil it down. Boxed frame, near 300 HP, 2.7:1 TC, decent 4l60 tranny, 5 link rear, decent sized struts up front, way more interior room, great towing capacity, traction control or stabilitrac for winter.

I did not want a Trailblazer til I drove one and near 6 years later mine will never leave me.

 

I didn't realize they came with that much HP! I think either you had a typo or misread mine wrong - mine's an 04, not a 94. Either way, my 04 is advertised at 190 hp on a quick google search. By no means do I plan on off roading mine the way you have with yours unless I do some serious suspension work to it, but it is nice knowing some of the other things. That makes me lean more towards the TB now. I'm going to see what I can find out as far as the year and features goes. I know it has the side steps and I'm hoping I can drop those to gain a little extra clearance when off roading...unless they only drop as low as the frame rails. Then I'm just gonna leave them. The TB I'm looking at belongs to someone in the family and he doesn't have it publicly listed for sale yet, so I have some time to do plenty of research. The engine size and finding out if it has G80 or G86 are two things I'm very curious about right now. At this point, if it has positrac, that may just be enough to win me over and start looking for a buyer for my Blazer.

 

94 or 04 its bout the same sub 200 HP 4.3 v6.

At least give the TB a try

 

Maybe I'm a bit of a S-series purest, but I would NEVER trade a Blazer in good working order for a Trailblazer. (Okay maybe if it was a LS2 powered SS lol). Its true the Trailblazer has a more modern suspension / steering setup... Struts in front, coils in back, rack and pinion, etc. But that doesn't make it perfect. They are also larger and heavier which is a trend i don't like in the newer mid-size suv's/trucks. IMO they feel more like driving a large car/minivan than a truck, which could be good or bad depending on your preference.

I would say they are just as easy to work on, and have their fair share of common issues just like any other vehicle. TRE style swaybar endlinks wear out and clunk loudly, front struts blow out and leak, Front hub and BJ issues, hybrid E-fan assy problems, rust in door seams, etc.

The straight six 4.2L does have a little more pep than a 4.3L, but from what i can tell the difference seems to be in the upper rpms, the 4.3L makes decent torque but is anemic in the upper revs. I do not like the "Fly-by-wire" throttle on the trailblazer, or any car for that matter. Fuel mileage is probably a toss up, and If the TB is a 5.3L it gets the obvious win in engine power.

I've never had a TB offroad so i can't compare but both have a G80 (posi) option avail. and neither have good ground clearance stock so that's a toss up... Unless of coarse the Blazer is a ZR2 in which case Blazer would get the nod. (no offroad pkg in TB that I'm aware of)

 

They are just as easy to work on. A veru simple platform for the DIYer actually.

End links do suck but for $40 you can build some that will eliminate any further issues.

In years of moderating TB forums and wrenching on dozens of them I hardly see blown out struts. They tend to last without leaking far longer than anyone should run them. The do better than a standard shock like on the rear or on the s-series.

Front hubs and ball joints are just like any other vehicle and dont wear out any quicker. Plus they are simple and cheap to replace when the time does comes. I do mine yearly because of the big tires and keep the old ones for trail spares or give them to people that need them.

Hybrid Efans...What??? The platform uses a typical fan clutch not e-fans.

The rust in the doors is far less than my previous S-series trucks, but still the same ole GM issue.

The 5.3 is the obvious win and the 4.2 has a little more pep...interesting since they have almost the same numbers and having driven both many times, the power is basically the same. Both are hands down more powerful than the 4.3. 4.2 at 291 vs 4.3 at 190...100HP is more than a little pep. Esp if you remove the torque management as I said above. My 4.2 is peppy enough to break loose my 35s pretty easy.

The size I can agree with 9 inches longer and 6 inchs wider is a big difference. But with my 2 kids now and the fact that the TB seems far more spacious inside than any of the 4 door S-series I owned, its an ok trade-off to me. The TB dimensions are near identical to the 4 door JK Jeeps in width, height, weight, and wheelbase so they are not big by any means.

The size is partially a non-issue because the TB actually has a smaller turning radius than the 04 S series he has now. Its also that turning radius that helps me offroad to keep the bigger body as clean as it is.

The driving experience is more like a car in the TB. I hated it, but a leveling kit makes it feel just like a truck should. Solid and planted. HD Bilstein struts do the same thing if you dont want to lift or level.

FYI--The zr2 has only half an inch more GC than a Traiblazer(8.5vs8). But also adds about half of the extra width you did not like in the bigger size.


---IMO having owned multiple of each platform, the Trailblazer is a better vehicle overall. Nothing wrong with a nice s-series. I still want another 2 door blazer w sas for a trail rig and another 4 door to just have a for a mildly lifted beater...I would go 1st gen on both though cause the 2nd gen never impressed me.

 

My 5.3L takes a hybrid fan. it is electro-viscus. Pricy bastard too. $199.99

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/wcs...6_pri_larg.jpg

But as far as the TB goes, when my blazer is done I am going to replace it with another LS powered trailblazer.

 

Ahh. the electronic clutch. I never considered them hybrid E-fans, just a mechanical with a computer in control. E-fans means no mechanical link to me. I guess you could call it hybrid then, but it is replaceable with the 08 thermo fan clutch that has no wires. I did the swap few years ago.