Hey Gus! Welcome to the list!
I have 2 Dakota's, 1 with the V6 (3.9L) and the other with the new V8
(4.7L). Both are currently bone stock. No mod's except for using Mobil 1 in
the V8 and a tonneau cover for the bed. There is 750lbs difference between
the trucks with the V8 being heavier due to the engine and the club cab. I
am only seeing 1mpg difference with the V6 having the advantage. 21.5 vs.
20.5. This is 80% highway traveling at 72mph with the manual trannys.
Engine availability: before 2000; 3.9L (238), 5.2L (318), and 5.9L (360).
Starting in 2000 3.9L, 4.7L (287), and 5.9L.
It all comes down to what your uses are for the truck. If you will
occasionally be pulling a trailer, the V6 might get you by. If you do mainly
city driving, the V6 will definitely get better mileage (17 vs. 14 for me).
The 4.7L is an incredibly smooth engine with a wide power band. As long as
you are above 2750rpm's, you can accelerate long and hard all the way to
5250rpms when needed (or wanted ;) ). The V6 requires you to shift at
4800rpms to keep you in the max torque of 3200rpm's. Most people (not
necessarily the one's on this list) do not like to rev their engines that
close to the redline. However, if you are pulling anything with the V6, you
need to in order to keep your momentum going forward. Redline is 4800rpms on
the 3.9L and 5.2L. The 4.7L is 5250 (this is where the torque and HP are the
same - after this, the torque falls off too far to be worth anything). I do
not know on the 5.9L. Don't get me wrong, the V6 is a solid engine. I have
260,000 miles on mine now and still put around 250 miles per week on her. If
you need to get into the V8's, I would opt for the newer 4.7L simply from
the larger power band and better fuel economy. There is nothing wrong with
either design of the 318 or 360. I simply prefer the 4.7L for my
uses/requirements. Unless you are pulling a large trailer, I would not look
at a 360 to be your daily driver unless you simply need all that torque ;)
You will not be disappointed with the power, but it will use more gas than
the 318/287.
Let us know what else you need to help you with your decision making!
Sean
'92 RC Sport 3.9L 5spd - 250,000mi!
'01 CC SLT+ 4.7L 5spd 3.92 LSD Mobil-1!
http://www.twistedbits.net/WWWProfile/dakota/DnuuSncssJujU
-----Original Message-----
From: fbaker [mailto:fbaker@vt.edu]
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 12:52 PM
<snip> I want a 2X4 Auto with a V8, but I am not sure whether I want the
4.7 or 5.9L. Is there a year that is generally better in quality and
reliability than another? Or is there a specific year to stay away from? For
instance I have heard that there is a shortage of '97 Ram computers... I
would
imagine that the shortage applies to the Dakota's but probably not a reason
to
pass up a good deal on a used Dakota.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, is there any advantage to the
V6?
I have not heard of great mileage savings? </snip>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:02:04 EDT