Got another question... I'm on suspensionconnection.com and they got two kits listed for the tuff country lift. One with the rear leaves and one without? Is it worth it to spend the extra $400 for the leaves or are they not needed? What are the new rear leaves for, extra lift?

NM, stupid me... didnt read close enough. the ones with springs are for the 98-99 durango not the dakota... well that saves me $400. I'm glad i didnt get the rancho since for $300 more I'm geting 2.5" of more lift. Has anyone used Tuff Country? A lot of the reviews i see are good. The other thing is it says it will fit 33's. But i have a chart from petersons off road mag that says you can fit 33's with a 3" lift. Do you think the TC means with the factory 16" wheels instead of 15's like im gonna go with?

 

I've never had any experience with them but I know a lot of the guys on a couple of the other forums I'm on say, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM TUFF COUNTRY KITS! They might look good but they're crap as far as functionality. When you get them out on the trails they suck. Just a little heads up. I'd hate to see you waste the money. The Rancho might be a little more expensive but its a quality brand. If you can wait a little while. I've read in this past months Petersons 4wheel mag that there are some other companies with some lifts in the works for the Daks. I'm waiting to see whats new thats coming out before I get one. It might make the prices a lil lower too if there is more competition.

 

If you have the option of springs or blocks in the back, get the springs.

And usually if somebody is quoting a 33" tire, it's going to be a 15" or 17" wheel. I'd go with the 15 (I did). Tires are considerably cheaper in 15, and 16's are usually marked in metric form instead.