i am currently selling my camaro so i can buy a 2nd gen dakota but i dont know what size engine to get. im gunna get a v8, no doubt about that, but i dont know which size to get. i want it to have a good amount of power, i dont want a slow truck. but i also want at least somewhat decent gas mileage as i will be driving it every day. so what kind of gas/power do these different v8s put out?and what do you guys reccommend?
thanks

 

well a 4.7 will give you a little better mileage than the 5.2/5.9 and power is about the same. however, the 5.2/5.9 have a ton of atermarket support for mods and there really isnt much you can do for the 4.7. Really, if you want fast and mileage your best bet is to get a regular cabwith either v8 and a 5 speed, the 5.9 never came with a 5 speed option.

 

thanks for the responce. i think im gunna stick with an auto because ive had a stick for so long, i just feel like buying an auto right now. how horrible is gas on a 5.2 and 5.9? or is it really not that differnt

 

i have the 4.7 and im pushing 182,000 miles adn still has alot of power even whit my twenty inch rims that weigh three times as much as stock...theres the basic mods like CAI and exhaust...but you really have to do some good searching to get anythign better then that though

 

it really depends on how you drive but from what ive heard you can get anywhere between 10-20 mpg city/highway, the 4.7 really isnt much better, and i wouldnt waste my time with a 4.7 anyway just because of the fact that it's a new engine and pretty much impossible to work on. The 5.2/5.9 have been around since the 60's and everything is pretty much right in front of you.

 

from what ive heard the v6 isnt much better on gas, is that true? and i know only certain years came with the 5.2 and some came with the 4.7, which years came with the 5.2?

 

well for the most part the v6 isnt much better on gas, however with a few mods it can improve a little. On a strait out highway run for 300 miles with cruise on 70 i got 25 mpg once. I usually average about 19-20 with city/highway mixed in my 3.9. If you really want mileage get a 5 speed/regular cab, thats all i can say. but yes 97-99 came with the 5.2, 00-present come with the 4.7. Also, 98-03 the R/T's were produced and they came with the 5.9, 3.92 axle ratio, 9.25 rear with limited slip. If you're looking for a rare, fast truck and dont care about mileage get an R/T.

 

I get about 14-15 in town with my '97 Dakota, 2WD Club Cab with 5.2L and 4-speed auto. Power is good, even at 170,000 miles. I haven't driven it on the highway for a full tank yet, so I couldn't tell you what its true highway mileage is.

 

cool thanks guys, thats pretty much everything i was looking for. i think im gunna try to find a 5.2 if i can.

 

oh last thing, whats a good place to find good mopar performance parts? alot of the places im used to looking at dont carry much mopar.