I have a '00 4x4 4.7 Auto QC and love it. I wouldn't go back to a 2wd truck
for anything in the world, except maybe to make it a pro street. 4.7/auto
combo is great, shifting is a little slushy, but I don't really want tire
chirping shifts in my 4wd. Hard shifts are fine for street/strip, but when
you need to maintain traction, the smoother your transition in gears the
better. Especially off road!! I went through my first winter here in
Kansas City w/ my QC. I didn't bother w/ sandbags, just relied on 4wd if I
started to slip. Worked out fine for me, plus I didn't feel like adding
more weight to my truck (gas prices...). IMO, once you have a 4wd truck,
you will find a ton more uses for it than a 2wd.
Just my $0.02.
Tanner
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET
[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@BUFFNET.NET]On Behalf Of Davidson, Kevin
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 6:22 PM
To: 'dakota-truck@buffnet.net'
Subject: DML: New truck questions - 4x4, trannies, etc (long one)
Hey all,
I've been considering getting a new dak (currently have a 97 V6), and I
might
have to do it sooner than originally planned due to reasons beyond my
control.
Anyways... I test drove a 5.9L 4x4 QC this evening, and while I wipe the
drool
off my face, I want to toss a couple questions out there and see what you
all
have to say. I apologize if I am rehashing things that have already been
overdiscussed in here, but I haven't had the time to stay current with every
post...
(1) For you 4x4 owners out there - do any of you wish you had opted for the
4x2
instead? If so - why? I am concerned about a couple things - namely, the
added effort for maintenance such as fluid changes, clutch replacement, oil
pan gasket, CV boots & joints (I assume the 4x4 dak has these?), stuff like
that.
How much extra maintenance work is necessary with 4x4? And does this affect
the
procedure for replacing front brake discs?
My other concern is whether or not I can even justify having 4 wheel drive.
Any
time it rains out, all I do is sit and spin in my current dak (2 wheel), and
for the entire winter I haul around close to 500lbs of sand. This becomes a
very
tedious thing to deal with. I won't be doing any hardcore offroading, but I
will
be driving in people's wet soggy backyards (got stuck once...) occasionally
and
also towing a 14' boat. I know that whenever I have to do something extra
(like
dealing with sandbags all winter... or getting stuck in a FLAT yard!!!)
because I
have 2 wheel drive, I end up cussing myself for not getting 4x4 when I
bought my 97.
Any input?
(2) Is the 5sp that comes with the 4.7 a decent unit? The tranny in my V6
shifts
beautifully; the shifter and gate feels good and solid. However, I test
drove
a Ram with the manual tranny (can't remember which engine, it was a V8
though) and
I was extremely dissappointed with the way the tranny felt. The shifter
felt real
cheap and rough, like I was going to break something just putting it in
gear. I
am just wondering how the dakota's 4.7L manual tranny compares (and if it's
a
different unit or not). Unfortunately, my local dealer doesn't have a 4.7L
5sp on
his lot, so I couldn't test drive one. Are the 4.7L manual owners
satisfied?
(3) If I end up disliking the 4.7L manual tranny, then I'm looking at either
a 5.9L
auto or a 4.7L auto. Which is recommended? (based primarily on
transmissions...)
I've heard a variety of stories about chrysler automatic transmissions,
ranging
anywhere from good and trouble-free, to horrible and beyond.
Thanks in advance for any input you can provide, and I apologize for the
long post.
(...and for potentially rehashing any recent discussions!)
-kevin d
97 cc V6 5sp
homebrew k&n, 3923's, superconductor 8.5mm, 180tstat
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