Re: Re: dakota HANDLING

From: GrnDak4x4@aol.com
Date: Thu Jun 17 1999 - 23:16:04 EDT


In a message dated 99-06-17 18:19:56 EDT, you write:

<< The Dakota is VERY offroad worthy from what I've heard.. (I own a 2x)...
 I've heard good things about the Rancho and the Trailmaster shocks. Kyle
 (grndak4x4 is his e-mail) has tried quite a few different shocks, so he
 may just be the dude in the know about them...
 Kyle?
 care to elaborate? =) >>

At 60,000 miles I replaced the stock shocks, both front and rear in favor of
Rancho RS5000 Series Shocks. At 80,000 miles, 20,000 miles of wear on the
Ranchos the rubber bushings/grommets were completely shot. I felt at the
time that the shocks were still good so I decided to replace the bushings
with polyurethane bushings from Rancho. I paid $35 for a kit which did four
shocks. After a couple hours of drilling the old bushing out and pressing
the new ones in the ride was much improved, firmer. Now at 105,000 miles the
shocks are shot and badly in need of replacement. I will wait until I put
Trailmasters 4inch suspension lift on before replacing them since the kit
comes with 4, which I plan to upgrade to 8. All I can really suggest is
whatever shock you decide to get, spend the extra cash and get the top of the
line, but make sure the shocks have polyurethane bushings and not rubber. My
polyurethane bushings on my Ranchos are still in great condition, I would
suggest to stay away from Rancho shocks as well, since I was not truly
impressed with the quality/performance of their shock. Try companies such as
Warn, Procomp, Dick Cepek, and Trailmaster. Hope this helps somewhat.
Kyle
93 Dakota 4x4 V6



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