To anybody wondering whether they should put the RS5757's and RS5315's on their 3rd Gen Dakota...HELL YES!
I have a 2006 4x4 Dakota that I love, but the shocks were crap and have been crap for the 2+ years that I have owned the truck.
After lurking around this board for the past couple of years and reading everyone's opinions, I decided to do the shocks. Then, it was a decision between the Monroe Sensa-trac on the front with the Reflex on the rear or the Rancho's all the way around. The Reflex is a great shock and I wish they had them for the fronts, but they don't make them. The Sensa-Trac is "ok" and is mainly for street use. I was worried that the Rancho's would catapult me into the "bouncy, stiff world of off-road shocks", but that didn't happen. I didn't have time to do all four shocks at once, so I did the rears in an evening. After taking a test drive, I had to get the wife to ride with me and confirm that I wasn't over-exaggerating the difference. She was impressed. By the way, I did the rears with standard tools. The only issue I had was on the passenger side, upper shock mount bolt/nut. Mine still have the "holding tabs" used in manufacturing, and I used them. I had to get a third hand to hold the nut in place so I could get the bolt started. Other than that, I don't know what some of you guys are doing that required special tools on the rears. I sure didn't.
For the fronts, it took me a little more time. Specifically, it took me 2 1/2 hours on the driver side (first one) and 38 minutes on the passenger side (learned what I was doing). After jacking up the front and removing the wheels, unscrew the upper ball joint nut and the stabilizer bar bushing nut. Smack the upper ball joint spindle mount with a hammer a few times and it should pop out. The lower control arm should be hanging by the shock, itself. Then, unscrew the bottom shock mount bolt and remove it while paying attention to what direction it is facing. Remove the three top mount bolts and then remove the shock/spring assembly. Use a spring compressor to take the pressure off the spring before trying to remove the mount cap/top of the assembly. I used Freeze-off on the top shock mount nut prior to trying to remove both, and it worked well. Yes, I had to hold the center with an 8mm (maybe a 9mm? I can't remember) wrench while using a box end on the main nut. It can be done. That is also how I reassembled them, too. I didn't use any special tools to do any of the work. I didn't need them, nor did I have them. The ride difference from stock to these was dramatic. These ride the way the truck should have from the beginning.
Now, my big question is whether I should install the 1.5" spacers I bought that mount on the top of the shock to level it out. I have read a lot of people's opinions that love them and just as many people that say the upper control arm ball joints will wear prematurely and your ride will suck after installing. To be fair, I don't NEED the spacers on the truck for clearance or anything, I thought it would improve the look and level it from front to rear. But, I am not willing to destroy the front end components just to make it look better. Just to know what they would cost to replace them, I tried finding replacement upper ball joints or upper control arms assemblies with ball joints, but couldn't find them anywhere on the net. I didn't try the dealer.
That is my opinion on the Rancho RS5000 series shocks on the 3rd gen Dakota. Do it.
If anyone would like to give me their opinion on the spacers, I'd love to hear it.
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2006 Dakota 4x4, 4.7L, Remote Start using original keyfob added, 2" leveling spacers in the front, K&N drop-in filter, SilverStar bulbs all around, Rancho shocks on all 4 corners, Bridgestone Dueler A/T 695 265/70R16. Best mod is the rear window defogger I installed on the canopy.
Last edited by wobly; 09-13-2009 at 11:00 AM.
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