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Dodge Dakota - Quad Cab
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Comments
Bookitty
In a pinch, I can still seat four, but I'm not sure about the availability of seat belts now. They should have made the rear seats removable for even greater flexibility, but it's so easy to remove and replace them it doesn't really matter.
Oh yeah, the Mopar seat covers are much easier to install when the seats (or at least one) are out. It's almost a three beer job trying to crush your arms behind to make attachments when they are in place!
If it were REALLY that simple to increase power, improve MPG or reduce tire wear, the manufacturer will have allready done it at the factory.
The 4.7L V8 hemi has ALL KINDS of hi-tech gadgetry allready included.
The list includes;
*)Hollow camshafts
*)individual ignition coils for each cylinder
*)Magnesium valvecovers
*)hi-flow exhaust manifolds with special insulation
*)carbon-iron composite engine girdle
*)Cracked connecting-rod endcaps
One reason that there are not many aftermarket "power-improving" bolt-ons for the 4.7L is because it is VERY hard to improve upon the original design. (A SUPERCHARGER may be the only chioce for REAL gains)
If you wish to sacrifice the NVH limits that the design engineers strived for... you may be able to find small improvements.
NVH = Noise Vibration and Harshness
But do not let me stop you.... by all means buy a "tornado" and give us a full report of your findings.
SO long as the frosty libation stays cold, I can deal with it.
Going hunting tomorrow, pheasants look out!
http://www.atra-gears.com/gears/mar01/24_dr_dr.html
that said, i tried every performance improvement on that car - as it's autocrossed and rallied extensively - and the only improvements that ever felt like they made a difference to me were (1) the proper tires, (2) good suspension mods. and (3) joining the PCA (Porsche Club of America) to find out that all of the money i'd spent on 'improvements' should've been put in the stock market! that was way back in the late 80's, though, where id've made another $20k out of the wasted bux. ;-)
the similarities in the quad and 944 are what finally got me to buy the quad over its various competitors. we've got 2 928 'S' models as well, but the quad has the 944s niche character as well as it being a truly utilitarian vehicle to boot.
truthfully, the ONLY performance enhancer that really makes any sense at all would be a very well designed supercharger. when you look at it that way, and before you spend $4k on a good s/c, or waste at least half of that on jicky performance improvements, why don't you do what i did:
go buy a good used 944 for the same $4k... and if you want to make a good race car out of it, you've already got a great tow vehicle - your quad. :-)
Ducks come back 11/15 though. Canada geese also.
Might do better then.
http://www.intenseperformance.com/products/Stage/stage.html
I have not installed an intake yet, as I just spent 'my' $300 bankroll on my wifes replacement
honda exhaust ! Ger.
Scott
Some folks... such as myself, have been following up to 5 different Dakota websites and researching this stuff for many years.
I am willing to answer SPECIFIC questions but what you ask has taken me 2 years to summarize for you here. I suggest you read EVERY WORD from here (edmunds) as well as the DML (Dakota Mailing List)
, dodgedakotas.com, moparchat, and deja.com.
If you still have questions then... I will be glad to enlighten you.
Are you looking for PERFORMANCE, LOOKS, SOUND...other?
one of the coolest widgets i have is home-made. took a length of 2x8 lumber, cut it to the inside width of the bed above the wheel wells. wrapped the two ends in rubber sheeting and bolted three bike fork clamps in place. the sneaky part is that, perpendicular to the sides of the bed, the wood won't come out -- it hits the underside of the bed rails. so it doesn't need to be anchored permanently. total materials cost was a few dollars, plus way too much for the overpriced Yakima bike fork clamps.
twj
Bookitty
They are the inside the window track type.
Didn't want the tape stick-on's. I like them
and will put up with the noise, just turn the
radio up (and to cover up the front end popping
noise).
I added a bed mat and tail gate mate.
Thought about the spray in liner, but I like
to see the paint not the liner (kinda of a catch-22, cover up the paint to protect it????)
I'm looking at the two panel hard tonneau cover?
I use Mobil 1 oil/filter.
mm
I originally got them to satisfy my wife so she could get in/out of my new truck. Since then, I have grown to REALLY like them for the following reasons;
1) They are bolted to the FRAME so they are solid and will not distort / damage the body
2)They are Hi-tech plastic over steel and match the body-color EXACTLY. (WILL NEVER RUST!!)
3) They make my truck look more sporty by "filling in" that HUGE space between the ground and the body.
4) They act as "bumpers" against car doors... virtually ALL car doors will safely hit these step-bars instead of chipping my paint.
5)I stand on them to wash/wax the roof and access top of cap.
6) They are covered by the full manufacturers warantee since they were dealer-installed at time of purchase. (this holds true for ALL MOPAR accessarries)
Before purchasing any "Step bars" for the Dakota, check out the factory offerings...Some lesser step-bars actually clamp on to your truck body and will not hold any weight.
There is only ONE choice for a true "cold air intake" and it is not on the market yet.
The z-tube is the coolest-looking intake available and sounds great too.
Voliant is another choice for an intake. Their products are molded from plastic-composite which allows them to be lighter than the z-tube while also insulating the intake charge from engine heat.
Bottom line... you need to decide what your personal goals are and choose an intake that suits. Often, more POWER will not come from the best LOOKING option. Even then... many choices offer high-RPM power at the sacrafice of low-end grunt(torque)
Exhaust systems also fit into this category.... large-diamator tubing will absolutely KILL your low-end grunt. If you like to go to the DRAG STRIP... then get tubing over 2.5" for your 4.7L V8 hemi. If you want real-world, usable pulling power... stay with high-velocity exhaust gasses in smaller-diamator tubing. (<=2.5")
I have been chanting this for years right here in edmunds... one persons "BEST" may be your "WORST"
Educate yourself, then make an informed choice.
state laws. When I ordered back in September, the dealer that I bought from guaranteed the price
and would either give me the rebate available when I ordered, or the rebate available at delivery, whichever was better. They indicated that NY state law required them to do this. You may want to check with your state Attorney General's office (?) to see what the laws are governing automobile contracts on ordered vehicles. Also, the current "rebates" are really factory to dealer incentives. I don't know if the dealer is under any obligation to pass this onto the buyer. Some, less than ethical dealers may tell you that there is a $500 rebate, but the manufacturer is giving the dealer $1000. Sometimes the Dodge website will show you the available incentives as a function of your ZIP code. It may pay to double check. Concerning price, I found the dealers in my area (central NY) very willing to negotiate on price, even though I was ordering. I ended up paying $100 below the dealer invoice. Again, the price you pay will vary by region. Good luck in your shopping.
Interesting side note: apparently there is very limited clearance at the front end for shocks on the QC; the Rancho unit had to be specially designed to fit within the limited diameter openings available.
twj
Bookitty
Regarding the heater: When I put the vent control on floor position or floor/vent, most of the air still seems to come out of the vent. Is this normal. I remember way back when people thought this was.
Note: consumer's report tests the Dakota along with all of the other small 4-door trucks in their August 2001 ed.
Please explain why I should avoid the new 3.7 engine. I know that if it were a choice between the 3.9 vs. the 4.7, the V8 won hands down because of power and fuel economy. Are you saying that the 3.7 is no improvement over the 3.9? Is the 3.9 unreliable?
I assume that you are wondering about the v-6 for economy reasons. The funny thing is that the 4.7 gets the same mileage as the v-6 or it would even get better mileage than the v-6 if the truck were under a load or traveling in the mountains.
You quoted the 210 hp of the v-6 as being a possible good fit for the Dakota. The truth is that torque is what really matters in a truck. Horsepower is a function of torque at a given rpm so what I am trying to say is that basing a decision on hp can be a mistake. The 4.7 v-8 has a non-flat torque curve that peaks at 295 ft-lb. and this is just about right balancing economy and performance.
Bottom line. In the real world, the 4.7 v-8 achieves virtually the same mileage as the v-6. The v-8 is far better in the performance department and resale is higher with the v-8 if you ever decide to trade it in or sell it. There is no reason to get the v-6 unless you are just trying to get a truck at the rock bottom price but it will not pay in the long run. Hope this helps.
I believe that the new Jeep Liberty uses the 3.7 v-6 which is derived from the 4.7 v-8. I have read reviews of this engine in magazines and have talked with a couple of people that own a Liberty with the 3.7 v-6. They liked the vehicle except for the fact that it was a little under-powered.
My decision was the 4.7 vs. the 5.9 and I ended up with the 4.7 as a balance between economy and performance.
I just checked my mileage. I drove 381 miles on 20.974 gallons of gas which computes to 18.2 mpg.
I would estimate that 5/8 of the miles were highway miles and 3/8 of the miles are in the city. I have 9200 miles on the truck. 18.2 seems pretty good considering it is a 4wd truck with large wide tires, 3.92 gears and the 4.7 liter v-8. I wouldn't think the new v-6 would do much better than that. Hope this helps and Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Just thought I'd pass this on.
I have never bought a dodge truck until now. I just got 2002 q/c 4.7 ,4x2, auto trans., pwr lck, pwr windows,...drive out 21k
good deal ? or did I get reamed. Im kind of nervous about quality problems with dodge. But the 7yr 100,000 miles warranty kinda helped me...
drives great so far...very smooth ride for a truck
The main thing which will more than likely go are the brakes. I should know, I have had 4 sets of drum/rotors replaced since new and I only have 23K now.
However, I have researched other postings all over the interent regarding dodge brakes and it appears the solution is to move to aftermarket raybestors or bendix brakes as replacements. Most other postings indicate good results.
Yet, maybe DC decided to go away from NAFTA crap and get them from an American supplier for 2002 model year?
Naaaaaaaa..............
Anyway good luck!
No, I do not have a photo of the MOPAR dakota runningBoards/nerfBars but your local dealer has photos in the "accessories" book in the showroom.
Grand Cherokee 4WD (Quadra-Drive) with the 4.7L V8 and we've been very happy with the engine's performance, so I was figuring the 4.7 in the Dakota would serve me well.
But after using the Grand Cherokee w/4.7 to tow the travel trailer (about 5,000 lbs.) from Texas to Tennessee and back, I'm wondering if the 4.7 Dakota will do the trick. The GC is rated to tow 6,500 pounds and while we didn't have any serious problems, I'd call the vehicle's power marginal to pull that kind of weight. We drove at 65 mph with the overdrive off, and RPMs were about 2750. With no wind the engine performed well on all but the steepest hills on I-40 in TN, but with a 20 mph head wind it really struggled to maintain 65 MPH even on a flat highway. Our gas mileage ranged from about 8 MPG (with the head wind) to 10 MPG, and given the 21 gallon tank and not wanting to need gasoline where there was none we were having to stop every two and a half hours or so to refuel. I know you can get the QC with the 5.9L, but the specs don't look like you get much more bang for the buck power wise, and since this is going to be my daily commuter I'd sure like all the gas mileage I can get.
My questions are:
- Does anyone here have experience towing 5K pounds with the 4.7L and 3.92 axle ratios?
- Would the 3.92 axle ratio allow me to tow and still use the overdrive?
- What kind of range should I expect given the 24 gallon fuel tank with a 4.7L/3.92:1 combo while pulling a 5000 pound camper shaped like a giant brick?
- Is it realistic to tow 5000 pounds at 70 MPH in a 4.7L/3.92 Dakota QC? I think the RPMs would be around 3K with the OD off, and that sure seems like a high RPM to be driving at for hours and hours on end.
Also, even though we used a sway bar on the weight distribution hitch we still got a good amount of sway when we'd be passed by a full sized vehicle or semi. I'm assuming that the longer wheelbase of the Dakota would help this problem, but I don't know for sure. Any comments?
So what it boils down to is...
Should I continue my quest for a midsized 4 door pickup that will actually fit inside my garage, or should I get a bigger pickup and resign myself to parking outside forever? TIA.
Merl, Tejas