Hey Gals & Guys!
I drive 100 miles every day to and from work. That is how I have accumulated
over 1/4 million miles since April on '92. I must say that I am completely
confident in how this Dakota handles itself in snow on both the highway and
city/county roads. I have seen many people have difficulties, but no
Dakota's laying around in the ditches. I think they have perfect balance
compared to the other vehicles on the market. They are very stable and out
handle many front wheel drive cars in the snow. I know, because that's what
my wife used to drive until I proved it to her ;^P.
My '92 has seen all but the last winter (I had to replace the water pump).
My '01 was used this past winter. Both of my trucks are 4X2's. The '92 does
not have a limited-slip rear end while the '01 does. I just want to make you
aware of the differences between them. Without a LSD (limited slip
differential), only one wheel is driving. Thus, you will on occasion try to
accelerate and just sit there and spin. With a LSD, as soon as the driving
wheel starts to slip, the other one kicks in to help out (thus the name
limited slip).
Just be careful accelerating around a corner with this on any surface with
precipitation! When both wheels are driving and they both break free, Sir
Isaac Newton takes over and the rear end tried to go straight causing you to
start spinning the truck around. Once you get the feel for it, you'll be
glad you have it! You can definitely feel the difference in the snow!
Even driving this many miles, I have not had the need for a 4X4 truck. My
disclaimer is that we do not experience the massive amounts of snow like
other places such as Erie, PA, Buffalo, NY, The UP in MI, etc. However on
our bad days (6-10 inches at a time), my 4X2 pushes right through with
better capability that most people care to drive. I love these trucks!!!
It all comes down to a personal choice. I have been very satisfied with the
4X2 models and I get 21.5mpg in my '92 and 20.5mpg in my '01 on the highway.
The mileage difference alone does not justify those 5-10 days of real crappy
weather I see a year. Don't get me wrong, we do get snow, but we typically
only get 1-4 inches at a time. That is no problem for any Dak on the market!
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Sean
'92 RC Sport 3.9L 5spd - 256,000mi!
'01 CC SLT+ 4.7L 5spd 3.92 LSD Mobil-1!
http://www.twistedbits.net/WWWProfile/dakota/DnuuSncssJujU
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