Dodge Dakota Accessories and Modifications

scarborough · March 2005

I purchased a 2005 Dakota ST club cab about a month ago and I'm trying to find a source to replace my standard rims. But I'm having a little trouble locating a source for rims the new 2005 Dakota model. Can any one point me to a good source to start with.

blakdak · March 2005

Go to www.tirerack.com or www.discounttiredirect.com

tcsmpsi · March 2005

I am looking to get a roll-up tonneau cover for my '05 quad cab. I am currently entertaining one of the Access covers.

Anyone here have any experience with such a critter?

jedvard469 · March 2005

Thanks for the info Dick. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons between a Roll-N-Lock and a Roll Bac.

danner · April 2005

I recently purchased a 1998 dakota extra cab 4 by 4. I would like to lift it 3 inches and want to know the cheapest route.

roy6 · April 2005

I have an '03 Dakota, reg cab with a 4.7L and would like to put on a "true" dual exhaust system. The problem is that I dont know if it will pass emissions test here in MD. Does anyone know if it is possible to pass the test, or how much of a performance gain I will get after the exhaust is installed in this way. I was planning on a dual 2 inch or 2.5 inch setup. Any comments would be appreciated.

bpeebles · April 2005

I too considerd a "true" dual exhaust for my 4.7L V8. The biggest detractor is that the 4.7L has 3 catalytic converters and 4 O2 sensors.

After much research, I setteled for a cat-back BORLA exhaust. It will last forever and most of the dyno tuners say that the 4.7L responds better to a SINGLE exhaust of no more than 2.5 inches in diamator.

If the exhaust tubes are too large, then the all-important exhaust VELOCITY will be reduced.

You may find that for all the trouble, adding a true dual exhaust will not provide much performance enhancement (but sure woudl sound great 8-)

You may find more performance enhancement in the INTAKE system. There are throttle-bodies and CAI systems that seem to help.

THROTTLEBODIES:
http://www.fbthrottlebodies.com/
http://www.thefastman.com/

INTAKE (This is just like the one I made)
http://members.aol.com/bsbets/truck/intake4.jpg

dustyk · April 2005

To expand a little on what Bpeebles has mentioned, the exhaust is an integral part of the fuel delivery or induction components and the cylinder head/combustion chamber design. Unfortunately there is a perception that adding exhaust exiting path will increase performance or efficiency. The fact is that that is not always or absolutely true.

Today's vehicle design must incorporate the most efficient systems, especially power delivery. The exhaust factory system is designed to work in the most efficient manner. The combustion efficiency is based in part on chamber scavenging, which is impacted by a certain amount of back pressure in the system. Changing the amount of back pressure in the exhaust system will affect combustion efficiency or engine performance. Now quieting the exhaust does induce restriction and flow losses to a certain extent, but a modern design compensates for this.

I would wager that the factory system is as efficient as one can get when the engine is operated in it's designed range. I would also wager that revising the top end of the engine (intake manifold and/or throttlebody) would yield more power per dollar than any change you make to the exhaust system. You could, in fact, cause a performance decrease by adding dual exhaust, all other things remaining unchanged.

Best regards,
Dusty

gregp5 · April 2005

Any surf fishermen here ?

Any advice on purchasing and mounting a rack of rod holders(3 or 4 tubes) to the front of my ' 01 QC 4x4 ?

I know some of them mount to where the liscence plate bracket is, but on our Dak's the front fascia is all plastic.

So, anybody, especially in N.J. have any ideas or advice ?

I did find one place that had a nice brushed aluminium rack for about $100., but would cost me another $250. to have a place make brackets to mount it to the frame.
The $100. aint bad, but $250. to mount it is steep.

ron35 · April 2005

gregp5 - I have a 2K Dak CC and had an annodized aluminum rack (holds 6 rods) added about 4 years ago at Anglers Aluminum Products in Wanchese, NC. The rack slides in and out of a mount under the vehicle and also includes a fold down tray to hold a cooler. It is a quality product and I am very pleased with it. Unfortunately it did run me about $500 including installation of the frame mount. I have tried bringing the URL up from Anglers Aluminum to send to you but have been unsuccessful.

Ron 35

gregp5 · April 2005

Thanks ron35, I will look into it.

jedvard469 · June 2005

I've been searching for a lockable latch for the tailgate of my 2005 Dakota with no luck. I've been to the dealer and searched the web, but everything is for 2004 and earlier. Anyone have any suggestions?

tcsmpsi · June 2005

The "Pop Lock" (i believe that's the manufacturer) works on the '05 Dak. Have one myself. Got it thru realtruck.com.

sundevil99 · June 2005

I just purchased a used '99 Dakota, RC, 5spd Manual, 4x4. It doesn't have a single cup holder in the entire cab.
I would like to have something on the floor, but there's not much room around the sticks for the transmission and 4WD.
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

bbshopper · June 2005

I recently purchased a 2001 Dakota SLT Club Cab 2wd with about 74k miles. I will need tires and shocks pretty soon. I will do mostly street driving and I live in a snow area (central New Jersey). The truck has Michelin P215R75-15's LTX A/Ts which are pretty noisy. Also, I am not sure of the stock OEM size. I have Dodge alloy wheels. TireRack says 215's and other sites say 235's.

Can anyone give me suggestions of tires and/or shocks that they have been happy with? As for shocks, I would look for primarily OEM stuff. I don't want to make the ride too stiff.

Thanks.

bpeebles · June 2005

Tires -- Nokian Vatiiva (I did a LOT of research and ended up with 265/75R15 to replace my original 31X10.5 15)

Shock absorbers -- Edelbrock IAS (These are perhaps the very best shock absorber available They are TRUE monotube design. The unique design also reduces braking nose-dive and leaning on turns.) [And NO, they are not stiff]

ron35 · June 2005

Tires - I have had very good luck with the BF Goodrich All Terrain KO tires on several trucks.

Shocks - I agree with Bpeebles that you can'y go wrong with the Edelbrock IAS, I have had them on my 2K CC for 6 months and they are great.

Ron35

sunburn · June 2005

Tires - I just put on a set of Kumho Venture ATs (265/70-16s). I got them from the Tire Rack for $79 each. They are very highly rated by users on the Tire Rack website. So far, they are an improvement over the stock Goodyear Wrangler RTSs. They have a "mild" all terrain tread. They are a bit noisier than the Wranglers, but they don't howl like some AT tires do. Kumho also has an all season highway tread called the Venture HT. Also, highly rated.

As for shocks, I don't have any recommendations yet. Those are next on my list.

dustyk · June 2005

Ron, Bpeebles,

Can you describe the characteristics of the IAS shocks that you feel make it a good unit? How did it alter the ride? Stiffer?

Regards,
Dusty

ron35 · June 2005

I don't feel as though the ride is stiffer with the IAS shocks but I do feel less of a dip in cornering and the biggest improvement is that the wheel hop that I experienced before over washboard surfaces is almost completely gone, that was especially annoying to me.

Ron35

bpeebles · June 2005

(Dusty) The Edelbrock IAS (Inertia Active System) shock absorbers are VERY unique. Only Edelbrock has the patent on this design. The fist thing one notices is that they are installed UPSIDE DOWN from how a "normal" shock is. The skinny (piston) end is connected to the wheel-end of the suspension.

This is because the piston contains a weighted valve that can sense when the wheel is trying to move slowly (cornering/braking) or quickly (potholes). This allows the shock absorber to be stiff most of the time to control the wheels and hold them to the road... but when a pothole is encounterd, it INSTANTLY opens up a larger valve within the shock to allow the wheel to move abruptly without transferring the jolt to the vehicle.

In actual use, my origial shocks were TOTALLY SHOT and leaking fluid after about 1 year. My Dak had started to have some dangerous suspension problems wheras the rear end would "kick out" to the side over expansion joints (pretty scary at 65 MPH) There was a specific road wheras I could not even accellerate up without the rear wheels breaking loose over every expansion joint.

After installing the Edelbrock IAS shocks, I could use FULL THOTTLE in second gear up that hill and the xpansion joints will not even faze it. Each xpansion joint seems to make the rear end hunker down a bit... but I never lose traction. Also, I know my braking and cornering is more controled than it was before the Edelbrock IAS werre installed.

As for ride, there are a lot of dirt roads in Vermont.. and every spring there is the frost-heaves. The IAS shocks have performed very well over the 4 years I have had them on my Dak.

The Edelbrock IAS also come with rubber boots that go over the piston-shaft. This keeps the elements away from the moving parts.

I orderd my Edelbrock IAS from ( http://www.shockwarehouse.com/ )

Other places include;
http://www.shox.com/
http://www.northernautoparts.com/index.cfm

BEWARE: Shock absorbers are available is MONOTUBE (high pressure) and TWIN-TUBE (low pressure). Be aware that the MONOTUBE is superiour in every way. (except they cost more)

tiph · August 2005

I'm also interested in a retractable cover for my 2005 Dakota Club Cab. I've been looking at the Retrax system and the Pace Edwards Jackrabbit and the BAK Roll Back. Anyone have any experience with any of these.
tiph

jeffwilsco · August 2005

I have an 03 dakota w/ 3.9 v6 . It seems like it has poor throttle response, wondering if anyone else with same engine has expeirenced the same.. Thanks

regnar · August 2005

I own a 01 Quad Cab and have a Pace Edward Jackrabbit. Works great in winter, not 100% water proof but only a small amount leaks in. Have no complaints. Good luck in your search.

Regnar

jay889 · September 2005

hey saw your comment about spike50 roof rack for dakota can't find it could u send me pics or tell me where to find it . kayaker and got dakota 05 quad cab and don't want to go with expensive bed rack . looking forward to hear from u thks :

jay889 · September 2005

saw one made by spike50 posted could not find pics he recieved reply from saabgirl if any info out there send me PLEASE!!! thanks

quad05 · September 2005

Does anyone know how to tap in to the cargo light i need to add rear lights to my 05 quad

Also i need a new rear bumper the aftermarket bumpers say that the can handle a 3500LB trailer. has anyone had one? i'm only using a small uhaul to move to a new house

Thanks jim
admin@outdoorwaterpumps.com

bookitty · September 2005

jdl, it may be more cost effective to have a 2" receiver installed (you can do it, or have it done at places like U-Haul,1-800 Hitchit, etc.). If you present bumper is okay, the receiver also offers a place to mount bike racks, extra cargo carriers and will generally "pull" better than a bumper mounted hitch. It is probably even less expensive than a replacement after market bumper. Either way, you will still have to wire for lights for anything you might tow.

Bookitty

jneal · October 2005

Anyone have any suggestion on where to find accessories such as running boards and grilles for 06 QC's?
Seems to be a scarcity of aftermarket accessories of any sort for the 05/06's as of yet.
Just took delivery of 06 SLT QC 4.7 auto w/lsd and love the truck so far w/only 450 miles. Also own a 93 SLT CC w/125K and no major problems ever and hope the 06 is just as good.
Thanks, jneal

tcsmpsi · October 2005

I found realtruck.com had what others didn't for my '05 QC back last November. I suspect they would also have for the '06.

jneal · October 2005

Thanks, I'll check out realtruck. Pretty well everything I will be looking for should be the same for 05 and 06 QC's. Just a few trim pcs etc ...not going to tinker with performance mods right now, my wife, for some odd reason, thinks a 60 yr old man is supposed to drive a stock truck.... :P
Jneal

dfg · December 2005

My wife has wrecked the truck again for the 2nd time in 3 months by rear ending someone. Both times this did over $2500 damage to my Dakota quad cab that could have been prevented with a higher quality after market bumper. Does anyone out there know of a good bumper, (something stronger that won't bend on shipping like the Reflexxion bumper that iowabigguy bought and later returned)perhaps something similar to a Ranch Hand bumper (no Ranch hand doesn't make anything for Dakotas, I checked but I wonder though if their Durango or Ram bumpers will fit??)or the equivalent that is "wife proof"?

jneal · December 2005

If your wife drives like mine it is impossible for anyone to manufacture a "wife proof" bumper!!

bpeebles · December 2005

My Dak has a cap on it. That makes it necessarry to use the mirrors to back up. ( A REAL TRUCK ;-) )

Now that the snow is here for the next 5 months, my wife has comendeerd my Dak. for her commute to work.

My wife has "standing orders" to NEVER back up my truck. It is possible to always find a parking spot that one can "pull thru" before stopping thus can simply drive forward to get out.

aaron18 · June 2006

I am strongly considering getting a bedrug for my 2005 Dakota Club Cab. But after reading the installation instructions, I was wondering what people are doing about the tie-downs in the bed floor. The general instructions from Wise are to cut a small slit or remove the anchor and reinstall over the rug. That will work for the ones by the tailgate, but am I going to loss access to the ones in the floor? Are people cutting hole in the bedrug and putting the rubber stopper in the bedrug???

bobs5 · June 2006

I removed and reinstalled the anchors over the bedrug when I installed the bedrug in my Quad Cab.

dewaltdakota · June 2006

The caps in the floor on the 2005's are very thin, and don't have much of a lip to stay put on the painted floor, muchless on the flexible foam and carpet of the Bedrug. I have an '05 Quad Cab, and only put the floor section down on my bed, but did NOT cut holes in it for access to the floor tie-downs. I've been able to make due with the four corner tie-downs.

Disclaimer: I have a cap on my bed, so the Bedrug stays put, without the sides being installed. It could easily blow out, if I didn't have the cap.

tinasmith71 · July 2006

I just put a new instrument cluster face on my 2004 Dodge Dakota. Yeh, I got suckered into buying one of those with the flames on it that glow at night when the lights are turned on. Anyway, I did everything right with removing original cluster sticker, taking out all the needles, and replacing them after the new cluster face was put on. After driving a bit I noticed all the instruments worked except the gas gage. The needle wasn't moving and I knew I had already used up half a tank. So I took the dash, panel, ect. off again thinking the needle may have been pushed down to far and was getting stuck, Well, I put the needle back on making sure there was room between the needle and panel, drove the truck again and this time the needle moved about a quarter tank down and stopped. Is there anyway to just fix the gas gage some how or do I have to buy a whole new cluster panel? I spent 85$ on this stupid flame face (although it looks really cool) but I don't want to have to replace the whole cluster because then I also loose the flames that I just bought. Any suggestions

steak2k1 · July 2006

I have an 05 QC. The rear brakes suck...for that matter they may as well not be there for all the good they do.

I would be curious to know if anyone has changed these rear brakes out for disc brakes.? If so what was entailed in the job.? do it yourself or at a garage.? If at a garage...how much.??

As some other posts have noted...the new Dak with an ~5L diesel would be awesome. 250 HP with maybe 330-350 ft/lb torque. Oh yea.

come on Dodge get your poop in a group.!

stk

winnie12553 · January 2007

Hi, I have a 1999 Dodge DAkota pickup and am trying to find a cap for it. I do not want a new since this is an older truck but I cant find one for my size. I cant believe they make so many different sizes. I measured mine and it is 80 X 63. Does anyone know if there is another make that has the same cap? Every time I find a cap it is either too widw or too long. Please help. Thank you
Winnie

dewaltdakota · January 2007

Being that the Dakota is a mid-size pickup, and until recently, they were the only ones in that category, you most likely find one made for another make/model that fits the bed size of your Dakota.

winnie12553 · January 2007

Thanks for the reply and information. How can I find out what other makes might fit short of going around and measuring all different trucks. thank you Winnie

winnie12553 · January 2007

dewaltdakota · January 2007

There was a word omitted from my previous post, and unfortunately it was an important one. You most likely will not find any other make/model will directly cross-fit to your Dakota.

Your best bet may be to inquire through a truck cap manufacturer, such as Leer, or a dealer of truck caps. They have all of the cross-reference charts, and should be able to tell you if there's anything out there that will fit. Once you have a list, you can then check the local ads for people selling the caps off of their other make trucks.

tomstokes86 · January 2007

What is a good aftermarket exhaust system for a 2001 4.7L Dodge Dakota?

blk4x4 · January 2007

Depends on what you want and how much you want to spend...You can go simple and get a flowmaster 40 series 2 1/2 in with off set inlet and opp. off set outlet and a piece of extension pipe and it will bolt right up to the factory tailpipe......Sounds good too

tomstokes86 · January 2007

Really im just looking for something that sounds good on the truck. I am not to familiar with the Dakota, so I dont know what is a good system to go with. I know sometimes certain brands and mufflers, etc. sound better on certain cars though.

tomstokes86 · May 2007

stldakota97 · May 2007

on my 97 dakota with a 318 i have the flowmasters performance series on it with 3 inch tips. depending on the size of the engine determines the size of the exhaust you want. the exhaust i have gives it a nice groaty sound and gives it a good muscle tone.

ryank1 · October 2007

I have a 2000 Dodge dakota SLT V8 2WD and I want to lift it 3inches. The question is that after i lift it will i be able to put 33in. tires on my truck and also somebody told me that i might need a shift extension if i lift it is that nonsense or do i need one?

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