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Handling
While acceleration and traction are important, they both mean nothing if the
driver can not keep the new 2006 Trailblazer SS when it reaches rough road
or a sudden turn. To help perfect the sport tuned suspension of the new SS
the engineers could find no place better to test and tune their new
suspension than the race track, so after hundreds of hours and driving and
tuning, the suspension of the new ZQ8 suspension package was perfected. The
first change in the suspension, and most obvious to an onlooker, is the
lower stance thanks to the new stiffer springs over all four wheels. The
new SS sits about one inch lower than the base model Trailblazer, which like
the lowered engine, helps to lower the center of gravity and reduce body
roll through corners. Also aiding in the cutting down the body roll are the
enlarged front stabilizer bars, which are about ten percent bigger than the
base model. Bilstein shock absorbers are used like on the other
Trailblazers, but these particular Bilsteins are specially designed for the
handling needs of the new Trailblazer SS. The aforementioned StabiliTrak
electronic stability control, while working to help control traction issues,
also helps with cornering. One of the more innovative suspension features
of the ZQ8 suspension package is the rear air-leveling system which, by use
of a on board air compressor controls the ride height for a smooth mix of
performance and ride quality. To ensure that the 2006 Trailblazer SS is
going slow enough to safely make the turns and utilize the fine tuned racing
suspension, the braking system has also been heavily revamped. It comes
with a standard four wheel disc brakes, equipped with an anti-lock braking
system. The front rotors have been enlarged to a huge 12.8 inches which is
bigger than the base model Trailblazer, and over those big rotors newly
designed iron double piston calipers, combined with the same style
performance brake pads as are used on the new Corvette, and the larger than
stock master cylinder which yields a 3.6 ratio brake pedal. Helping to
ensure that these new brakes get the new SS stopped as quickly as possible,
twenty-inch six-spoke polished aluminum wheels are standard and come wrapped
in 255/50R20 V-rated performance tires. These new braking innovations are
attributed to allowing the new Trailblazer SS go from sixty miles per hour
to a full stop in under one hundred and thirty five feet. Heavy braking,
especially on the track where it is repeated over and over in short periods
of time, can cause a great deal of heat which increases rotor warping and
severe brake system wear. To battle this issue, the Trailblazer SS offers
and optional front brake cooling package which via a series of ductwork,
pipes cool air being rammed into large cooling vents mounted in the front
fascia.
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