Lucas Bell 
When General Motors reintroduced the Chevrolet Blazer back in 2019, fans of the storied nameplate were left in a bit of a contentious place. Gone was the off-road capability and the body-on-frame construction of the beloved K5 and S-10 generations, now replaced with a FWD-based unibody platform. The crossover’s urbanized styling was another point of contention, surely a result of the heavily Camaro-inspired muscular bodywork. Unlike the unassumingly powerful Trailblazer SS of the early 2000’s however, this all new Blazer was far more show than go, with only 193 horsepower under the hood as standard. Thanks to the folks over at HP Tuners, Chevrolet Blazer owners may soon find themselves with much more horsepower under their right feet.
In effect, this ECM support system likely spans to the rest of GM’s family of midsize and large crossovers offering a transverse LGX and LGY 3.6L V6 engines. These include the GMC Acadia, Cadillac XT5, Cadillac XT6, Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse. We’ll report back with confirmation.
The Buffalo Grove, Illinois-based tuning company announced that the Blazer has officially joined the long list of cars that can be modified with their line of commercial software. Through the use of an HP Tuners tool and their VCM Suite Beta software, speed shops can now write and modify code for 3.6L LGX V6-equipped Blazer SUV. The VCM Editor allows for adjustments to be made to a litany of parameters, such as torque strategies, spark tables, fueling, RPM limits, fan activations, transmission shift points and pressures, exhaust valve control, and speedometer settings among others.
Companies such as Lingenfelter Performance Engineering have eyed the Chevy Blazer as a fun project, as its 3.6L high feature V6 engine is supported by the supercharging program that the company has been installing on the Chevrolet Colorado V6 and GMC Canyon V6. However, the rather pedestrian nine-speed automatic transmission in the Blazer is a major difference from the 8-speed units currently in GM’s midsize trucks, and could be an obstacle for tuners to guarantee its durability with added power.
What this really means is that HP Tuners have opened the door for other tuning companies to introduce the Chevrolet Blazer to forced induction, finally bringing the possibility of big power. Even the most powerful Blazer that comes from Chevy is equipped with only 308 horsepower, and the truck’s looks alone are leaving buyers begging for more to play with. While Chevrolet has yet to give us a proper replacement for the 390 horsepower LS2-powered Trailblazer SS, a cracked ECU on the aftermarket is sure to provide a worthy successor.
