Background: I own a '95 Club Cab SLT with the 2000# rating.
> >1. Do I understand correctly that the larger rear brakes
> and tires
> >come *only* with the 2600 lb option?
I don't know the '97/'98 option package.
> >2. Does either option compromise handling of the vehicle
> compared to
> >the standard 1250 lb rating? It doesn't bother me at all
> if it rides
> >like a truck, but I would like it to handle well.
I've ridden in a couple of buddies' 1450# Club Cab Dakotas, and
I didn't think my truck rode much stiffer than theirs.
My truck (when unloaded) rides a lot better than the older
('50s-early '70s) pickups I've ridden in, FWIW. I attribute that
to variable rate springs, which get stiffer as you compress them.
These are judgement calls (I don't know for sure whether Chrysler
is really using variable rate springs, for instance), but my kidneys
don't jump out of my hips when driving my Dakota.
> >3. Do any of the payload options include heavy duty
> shocks, rear sway
> >bar, etc?
Mine came with the HD suspension package, but no rear sway bar was
included. Thinking about a retrofit.
> >We do mostly freeway driving, with light loads, but
> occasionally need
> >to haul a load of dirt or rocks big enough to severely
> over-strain my
> >current truck
Been there, done that. I have only come close to loading the
Dakota to the limit maybe once or twice, but it managed it like
a champ. I have overloaded other trucks on occasion, and driving
them was pure hell. I will always choose the highest payload option.
> > What I can't live
> with is a
> >vehicle that's not going to handle predictably in an
> emergency,
> >especially when nearly empty.
Well, I don't care what you do to a truck, it's not going to handle
like an RX-7. I don't think the difference between the 2000# payload
and 1450# payload (springs, shocks, tires) is going to make a difference
as far as emergency handling is concerned. I think the 2600# payload
is only available on the standard cab longbed, which I didn't want.
Ron
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