custom trail boss vs LT drivetrain

Blake Thrasher · August 20, 2019

Hello,

looking at purchasing a trailboss!!! I’m not a person that cares for leather and the bells and whistles but concerned with the difference in drivetrain. Is the 6 speed dfm that obsolete vs the 8 speed afm.

econometrics · August 20, 2019

12 hours ago, Blake Thrasher said:

Hello,

looking at purchasing a trailboss!!! I’m not a person that cares for leather and the bells and whistles but concerned with the difference in drivetrain. Is the 6 speed dfm that obsolete vs the 8 speed afm.

You have it backwards. The TB Custom comes with the 5.3L / 6speed that is AFM. The LT TBs come with the 5.3L / 8speed DFM, which is the newer tech.

MacLaren · August 20, 2019

Sounds to me like you would be better served with the LT Trail Boss.

If it were me, I would absolutely drop the extra coin for the LT.

On the other hand, theres not a thing in the world wrong with the Custom TB

It's a fine truck, no doubt about it. And, if I were really worried about how much money I was to spend or had a strict budget, I wouldnt hesitate getting a Custom TB.

Donstar · August 20, 2019

To add to MacLaren's comment is that the "tech" difference between the two isn't enough to be the deciding factor, imo. Features like armrest storage will be more of a concern!

newdude · August 20, 2019

15 hours ago, Blake Thrasher said:

Hello,

looking at purchasing a trailboss!!! I’m not a person that cares for leather and the bells and whistles but concerned with the difference in drivetrain. Is the 6 speed dfm that obsolete vs the 8 speed afm.

As others pointed, the Custom TB has the AFM and 6 speed. The LT and higher trucks are 8 or 10 speed with DFM. DFM is, simply, AFM on all 8 cylinders. It can run on any combination from 1 up to all 8 cylinders, in 17 different configurations. AFM is a specific set of 4 cylinders that can deactivate. DFM also rids of the VLOM control and goes for direct solenoids to each cylinder. DFM is much less noticeable than AFM, although AFM is smoother on the new trucks due to the pendulum vibration absorber on the torque converter.

tanner709 · August 26, 2019

Test drive the 6 vs 8speed before you decide.

In my case, the 10k+ price difference wasn't worth it.

And I found the 2019 6speed/5.3 a hell of a lot better than my 2016 6speed/5.3. Scary difference actually - makes me think something was wrong with my 2016 now.

I think you'll be pleased with a custom w/ a few small addons or GM options.

K455 · August 31, 2019

On 8/26/2019 at 12:04 PM, tanner709 said:

Test drive the 6 vs 8speed before you decide.

In my case, the 10k+ price difference wasn't worth it.

And I found the 2019 6speed/5.3 a hell of a lot better than my 2016 6speed/5.3. Scary difference actually - makes me think something was wrone to lookvg with my 2016 now.

tranny

I think you'll be pleased with a custom w/ a few small addons or GM options.

Right on my custom 6 speed tranny is smooth as butter have to look at rpms to notice shift

MacLaren · September 2, 2019

I tell ya what fellas, these are good days!

With the 2019's you cant go wrong.

Both 8 and 6 speed as smooth as silk.

The fantastic mpg with the 8 speed, the money saved with the 6 speed. Just hard to go wrong!

Don't get me wrong, theres gonna be some lemons in any year model but, I think we are getting exceptional vehicles with either 2019.

BlancoSilverado · September 2, 2019

On 8/19/2019 at 7:30 PM, Blake Thrasher said:

Hello,

looking at purchasing a trailboss!!! I’m not a person that cares for leather and the bells and whistles but concerned with the difference in drivetrain. Is the 6 speed dfm that obsolete vs the 8 speed afm.

Ok, wait till the 2020 comes out. the new 2020 LT trailboss comes with the 5.3L and 10-speed. That's the setup you want.

HolmesSierra · September 17, 2019

I’m going to purchase the custom TB within the year and I like the 6 spd over the 8 or 10 because it’s been used forever without fail. The custom as well doesn’t have the auto start stop feature which is big for me. I think with a few addons the custom will be a perfect ride. GM did great with the TB models regardless.

tanner709 · September 17, 2019

17 hours ago, HolmesSierra said:

I’m going to purchase the custom TB within the year and I like the 6 spd over the 8 or 10 because it’s been used forever without fail. The custom as well doesn’t have the auto start stop feature which is big for me. I think with a few addons the custom will be a perfect ride. GM did great with the TB models regardless.

Others may be able to chime in on this, but if you can wait... wait until late year, and wait until the last week of the month.

You should see peak sales at this time.