Ya I never heard anything about the 1.5 gens being lower, but now that you mention it, when I look at a newer D compared to mine it just doesn't look as intimidating. They probably lowered it for better handling or something like that though.

 

I've never noticed it either, although I have seen a lifted D with what looked like 265/65/15 or something like that. It looked pretty goofy. But now that mine sits higher up I love it even more. Last night I started it up and didn't wait for the fuel pump to pressurize the lines and it idled real goofy for about 15 seconds. I even floored the gas trying to bring the rpms up but got nothing for about 5 seconds. I should probably start a thread on it snce this is technically thread jacking but I'm on my phone right now and don't have the patience for the slow browser.

 

Funny you mention thread hi-jacking especially on this one haha.

 

Yeah, i mean body style and all looks the same but i think is they lowered them to be able to say "easier to get into the vehicle" I wanna say i heard that somewhere about the durango. but yeah they're like 1.4 inches or some crap like that lower.

But all the same i suppose. my durango looks beast to me! lol

 

So all you 01+ people out there for the most part are just undoing the lowering chrysler did to catch up with us stock 00- folks haha.

Now on a side note we need to figure out if they lowered just the body or the whole frame, because then the 73mm measurement will be off on newer models if the frame is lower be default.

 

so by lifting up the suspension does that technically increase its towing capacity? Or is that determined by the stiffness of the springs and shocks?

 

the towing capacity is determined niether on these trucks, it is limited by the trucks ability to stop the loaded trailer (the weakest link seems to be the brakes)

 

i have spent some time over the last day or so with the two factory shop manuals, NOTHING in there supporst you claim, im going to have to call you out as being wrong unless you can provide SOLID proof (none of this 'i heard it from someone' crap)

nope, suspension height is the same, i just checked the shop manual for 98 and 00, this leads me to believe (correctly based on everything i can find) that the 90-03 durangos all had the SAME stock ride height, the only difference in height was made by different sized tires, i even said above that my friend has a 99 which rides at the same height as mine, and both are riding at STOCK height.



Josh, not to be a jackass or anything, but put up or shut up on this whole thing, i cannot find any evidence of the older trucks being higher.(hell they even fit into our garage at home w/ the same clearance, and let me tell you my truck is TIGHT on height to fit in)

 

So I could put on a set of 17s and upgrade my brakes and maybe to a drum to disk swap in the rear and increase my towing?

 

You're talking big $$$ for a drum to disc swap kit, this makes me wonder now how many parts I'd have to pull off an 2003 D rear end to do the conversion on my 98, if they even used the ame rear ends that is, I know they switched the fronts out.
There's something about swaping out the front calipers or something from a 2003 D as well to get a beefier brake setup in the front too I believe.