I thought the story of Jack's Black Dak BuyBack was interesting:
http://webpages.charter.net/hemi/rtgone.html, so I sent it to my brother,
and here is his response. I think he was confused about Jack's mentioning
the distinction between 5.2's and 5.9's (I know I am), but the rest is food
for thought. It kind of makes you wish DC was more forthright in the first
place: they took a reliability issue, kept it secret, and it becomes a
safety/liability urban legend!
>>
Nice try Mr. R/T but here's the real story: First of all, I'm assuming
most know this but R/T's are 5.9L, not 5.2. Secondly, the suspension has
stiffer springs (not de-arched) and also uses higher pressure in the
struts. Thirdly, towing capacity has absolutely nothing to do with rear
axle travel, which is merely a function of trailer tongue weight (typically
100-200 lbs or so). The real reason for the reduction in GCW (Gross
Combination Weight) has to do with the engine calibration. Because the R/T
package has a premium fuel calibration, combustion chamber pressures tend
to be significantly higher than a normal 5.9L cal due to the advanced spark
timing. This resulted in increased occurrence of blown out head gaskets,
especially under extended high MAP/high temp conditions (such as towing a
heavy load). Hence the change to the GCW rating.
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