Hi all,
My name is Karl, and 2 weeks ago I purchased a '96 Dakota Club Cab Sport
4x4, V6, auto, 3.9 gears, cruise, etc., etc. This truck replaced my '95
Sport 4x4, V8, 5 spd, 3.55 gears. After having the old truck for 18 months,
I realized I should have gotten a club cab, and maybe the V8 was a bit
much, and wouldn't cruise be nice..... Since the left over '96's were about
$3k off MSRP, I was able to swap trucks without loosing my shirt.
The '95 was a pretty trouble-free truck, with the exception of a pesky body
seam leak that flooded the passenger floor board last winter. The dealer
attributed this to a factory defect when they applied the seam sealant. The
problem was fixed by them. I have a 2700# boat/trailer, and this truck
would pull it up almost any grade at 60 in 4th. I think once I had to go
down to 3rd, but needless to say, the power wasn't lacking. I had a
cab-level shell on it, a K&N filter (the big one that replaces the stock
airbox), and synthetic lube everywhere (Mobil 1 & Redline products). With
this stuff, I averaged 15-16mpg in normal driving, and got 20 on trips
(14-15 while towing).
I liked my old truck, but I love the new one (so far, at least). The club
cab is very nice, and I've carried 4 people in reasonable comfort. The
power is adequate; not as good as the V8, but good enough for my sedate
driving style. The tow rating of my new truck is 5200#, vs 5700# for the
old one. I doubt the new one will rocket up hills with my boat behind it,
but I don't mind going a little slower. The shell, Alpine CD player, bed
mat, and K&N all came off the '95 before I got rid of it. I haven't put the
K&N on the V6 yet (same filter fits both engines) but everything else has
gone over. Sometimes I miss having a 5 spd, while other times I'm glad I
have the auto (like next time I can back my boat into the driveway without
having a clutch to burn up). The turning radius sucks, but I expected that.
The only part I don't like is the mileage: I get worse mpg than with the
V8! So far (<1000 miles) I've been getting between 14-15 in 60/40 city/hwy
driving. The club cab weighs a little more, but I suspect this is solely
due to the nature of an automatic's torque converter, and the lower
gearing. I expect that I'll get 21 or 22 on trips, when the torque
converter is locked up. This isn't really a big deal, since I ride a
motorcycle most of the time, but I'm a mechanical engineer who gets
bothered by little things. So, after I get over 1000 miles, I'm going to
try the K&N and see if that makes a difference. At 3k, I'll go all
synthetic like the old truck, and see what that does.
-Karl
-------
Karl Kromer
karlk@ssl.berkeley.edu
Assistant Development Engineer
Space Sciences Laboratory
http://ozma.ssl.berkeley.edu/~karlk
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