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dj yoerio
Dodge Dakota
8/31/2001
18:27:17
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 Subject: 2001 dak w 2/4" drop help
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Message:
hi i just bought a 2001 sport 2wd club cab.
i just bought the 2"/4" drop for it and going to install it my self.
the kit has drop brackets for the back and new springs for the front. and of course dotch tech racing shocks (spelling is wrong i know).
my q is thus: i want to know if i can keep my existing tire/wheel setup? i have 255/65r16, i believe the rims are 8" wide. any way, the kit did not come with longer bump stops! i have 5" clearance up front and 7" in the back now.
also: do the back drop brackets throw the pinion angle off? if so how do you shim to correct to factory angle? (i am a newbie at lowering and have always lifted trucks not lowered!)
thanks in advance for any help provided :)
BYW, im a girl...so be easy on the explanations.
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dj yoerio
Dodge Dakota
8/31/2001
18:56:23
|  RE: 2001 dak w 2/4
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Message:
sorry, one other question: i want to buy a powerdyne sup for the v8. should i go with the 6 lb? or the 9-9.5 lb?
also if i go with the 9-9.5lb, can preignition be controled on this truck? i dont want to cause a nuclear war inside my truck, so has any one done this.
sincerely, gone fanatic, me xx00
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kota on 20s
Dodge Dakota
9/01/2001
03:26:36
|  RE: 2001 dak w 2/4
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Message:
you should be fine with the stock wheels/tires, the bump stops should be shorter not longer. if you find that you are bottoming out on the bumpstops you can just cut them down.
as for the SC if you have the 5.9 i heard that you might want to change the head gaskets (if you go with the 9lb pully)
Eric
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loku
Dodge Dakota
9/06/2001
13:27:12
| RE: 2001 dak w 2/4
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Message:
With the drop you're attempting, I assume the question you have is "are my wide tires going to be rubbing the fender wells with a 2,4 drop?"
Since you are only lowering the front 2" I don't think you'll have a problem. Leave the bump stops alone in front, if you cut them down your suspension will have more movement which would normally be good, but could cause the tire to hit the wheel well if you ever hit a large enough bump in the road. If you increase the size of the bump stops in front, your wheels will definately not be hitting the wheel wells, but you'll suffer a crappy ride since the stops will constantly be stopping the suspension from moving. I didn't run into the bump stop problem until I dropped my front a full 4"
As for the rear, you won't suffer any pinion angle problems as long as you install both the hanger brackets and the shackle brackets. If you install just the shackle bracket it is possible, but unlikely, that the pinion angle will be off enough to be noticeable (annoying vibration at highway speeds).
I currently am tucking 245/45/ZR17's in the rear with about a half/inch between the wheel and the wheel well. Your 255's will probably still tuck if the rims are offset correctly. If they stick out, then your problem is a little more complex. For your wide tires clearing the wheel wells in the rear, here again the factory bump stops will keep this from happening. However, I think if you are lowering the rear 4" your axle is going to be very close to the frame in the rear and suspension travel will be minimal before encountering the bump stops. This may be cured by two options. The easiest is to just shave a couple inches off the rear bump stops, but doing so may enable your wide tires to rub when carrying a load or nailing a speed bump. The other option is to install a C-section in the frame. This will give you much more suspension travel, but again you will run into the same problem having your wheels coming close to the wheel well.
My advice would be this. Before installing the rear drop kit, diconnect the leaf springs from the axles by removing the u-bolts in the rear. Put your tires back on and then use a jack to bring the axle all the way up to the bump stops on the frame. Check to see how much (if any) clearance you have before the tires are hitting the wheel wells. This will tell you about how much you can shave off your bump stops without having an interference problem. However, if you do cut any length off the bump stops, be careful not to take too much because the stops themselves will flex a bit. When I first dropped my truck 4 inches in the rear, my axle was nearly riding on the bump stops, and my tires were pretty close to the wheel wells with the factory 215/75/R15, but since they weren't as wide as yours, I never encountered the rubbing problem.
If I were in your situation, and didn't want to get new rims/tires, I would just drop the rear 3" instead of four by using just the hanger brackets and a set of 1" lowering blocks. I hope this little novel of experience helps. If you have any further questions you can e-mail me direct.
Good Luck (especially removing riveted factory brackets!)
loku
logankubik@hotmail.com
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