Chevy Trailblazer, good tow vehical?
Anybody tow with a 6 cyl. Chevy Trailblazer? (could get by with a V-8 if necessary, love 6's) We've got a 2004 22' Tahoe Lite we are currently towing with our 1965 Chevy Van w/292 inline 6. Been ...
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I towed with one for many years. As someone above said within their specs they are good towing vehicles. Mine was an I6 EXT that had a 4950# towing capacity. I towed a 3500# GVWR trailer and the X20E in my sig. It towed the first trailer beautifully through mountains and every where else I took it. The Jayco X20E was little much for it and since it had 160k on we replaced it with a 2008 Sierra. I only had the 3:42 gears. Probably would have been better with the 3:73, but those are rare with the I6.
There's a lot of misconceptions about the GMT 360/370 platform especially with the I6. The issues you see people pointing about being a lousy tow vehicle, I would bet most of those had clogged catalytic convertors. A very common issue with the I6s on that platform. Essentially the thermostat will go bad and it will run rich causing the CAT to melt. Happened to me, and lots of others.
There is nothing wrong with the 4L60E. They are temperamental though and need to have their fluid changed every 50k like clockwork. If you get one before 2006 make sure to use DEX VI in it. Its a synthetic blends and runs cooler than DEX III. My TB was an '03 and had the original trans in it. Was as strong as ever with 160k.
IF you are serious about buying one I suggest joining the GMT Nation forum. Lots of knowledge and help. This is a flaky platform. Some have nearly flawless experiences, some have nothing but trouble. Mine was mostly the later. It never left me stranded but every year I owned it (8) it cost me anywhere from $200 - $1200 in non-maintenance repairs.
I will say this, mileage sucks. My '08 Sierra is a 5.3 V8, larger, bigger payload, and over all a far more capable vehicle. My Trailbazer was doing good if I got 14 in the city. I get 16 in the Sierra without even trying hard. And I've had the Sierra almost 2 years and it's almost flawless.
There's a lot of misconceptions about the GMT 360/370 platform especially with the I6. The issues you see people pointing about being a lousy tow vehicle, I would bet most of those had clogged catalytic convertors. A very common issue with the I6s on that platform. Essentially the thermostat will go bad and it will run rich causing the CAT to melt. Happened to me, and lots of others.
There is nothing wrong with the 4L60E. They are temperamental though and need to have their fluid changed every 50k like clockwork. If you get one before 2006 make sure to use DEX VI in it. Its a synthetic blends and runs cooler than DEX III. My TB was an '03 and had the original trans in it. Was as strong as ever with 160k.
IF you are serious about buying one I suggest joining the GMT Nation forum. Lots of knowledge and help. This is a flaky platform. Some have nearly flawless experiences, some have nothing but trouble. Mine was mostly the later. It never left me stranded but every year I owned it (8) it cost me anywhere from $200 - $1200 in non-maintenance repairs.
I will say this, mileage sucks. My '08 Sierra is a 5.3 V8, larger, bigger payload, and over all a far more capable vehicle. My Trailbazer was doing good if I got 14 in the city. I get 16 in the Sierra without even trying hard. And I've had the Sierra almost 2 years and it's almost flawless.
