i have a 2wd dakota that I've been using to carry upwards of 1100 pounds. i do that almost daily, and the rear sags pretty badly. i want to lower it anyway, and i want to do it in a way that doesnt hurt the load capacity. what do you guys think? can it be done? what parts should i look into? i would like to bring it down about 2/3.

pics for views:





can you guess what my favorite color for a car is?




this is the racecar without numbers or decals

thanks guys,

kevin

 

For starters, lowering a truck will actually lower the amount of weight you can both haul and pull with your truck. This is a result of you reducing the amount of space available for the truck to absorb the weight. The reason trucks are designed to slightly ride higher in the rear is so that when you do put weight in them, it balances out and the truck rides flat. This also allows you to visibly see that the truck when/if the truck is overloaded.

Secondly, if you are concerned about how much weight you are placing in your truck, I suggest you look at purchasing a trailer perhaps? Home Depot and Lowes both sell these $400-600 trailers that will haul roughly 500-1000lbs of material.

You could also look into some heavier duty shocks but I will tell you that you will not get a better hauling truck by lowering it.

I used to have a 2000 RC Dakota Sport that was identical in color and body style as yours, great color I might add!

One last thing, you may want to double check the hauling capacity of your truck...if its sagging as bad as you are describing, you may possibly be overloading the truck. That's why I suggested the trailer

I had an 01 Dakota before I traded it in on my Stratus, and it was a V8 Clubcab that hauled upwards of 1400-1700lbs of material at a time....and I rarely had an issue with it..... I would seriously look into either some better shocks or maybe a different truck!

 

I tow my Formula Vee with my lowered Dak to and from Solo II events and have had no trouble.


BTW is that a TIRERACK decal on your wind shield??? If so is it from Nationals or from a Divisional??

 

what suspension do you have on yours? and what if i put something like the hotchkis tvs. anyone have any experience towing or hauling with that?


yeah, that's the tirerack.. i've raced divisionals. i still haven't had to tow it to a race though. so, i'm just getting in to it.

kevin

 

The biggest factor will be a combination of power, gearing, and suspension. Some trucks have different setups and have a better ability to perform.

Also, towing takes more power then actual suspension. Hauling dirt/drywall/rocks in the bed of your truck will require a sturdier suspension and more space to work in.

I wouldnt recommend lowering your truck to haul stuff in it. Honestly, I'd look at a p.o.s. fullsize truck or either a clubcab v8/reg. cab with the long bed and a v8 with a good gearing on it.

 

Its posible to tow a Miata on a single axel with a lowered suspension and a V6. Trust me I've been there. I used to race a friends spec Mia at Hallett a few years back after he got hurt and could not finish the season. I use a dual axel trailor for the Formula car because it tow easier than a single and it has more space. I used a ground force econo kit but the Hotchkis has a stiff enough setup that you could tow and haul with it if you had to. But I'm will reject on this one, you really don't want to put you daily through the hazards of towing. One of the guys at nationals this year had just bought a new Durango w/ the Hemi in it and litterally every option you could get from the factory and was ran off the road by a stupid biker merging into him. The trailer jack knifed and caused about 9k in damages to the durango and he had to buy a new trailer in Topeka. I would buy a beater but I already have to many toy according to the wife and I don't "need" another truck when the R/T tows "just fine." I would suggest something with a diesel because of the greater towing load it can handle and the ride is usually confortable enough to take on long trips. The ride was enough to keep me from attending any national tour events and only the divisional events within a days trek from my home in Oklahoma City.

 

Maybe I wasn't to clear about my towing, hauling or car situation.

Let me start off by saying that I own 3 vehicles including the race miata and the dakota (the other is a 300+hp AWD station wagon). So, this truck sometimes serves as a daily driver, but not 100% of the time. to be honest the wagon is a lot more fun (horsepower) and right now the truck rides like anus and doesn't corner at all.

As far as hauling, I haul about 3-4 pounds (for an hour) 6 days a week.. the other day I can see loads like 900+ but it's only for like 45 minutes (11 miles, in the city). So, it's not like a work truck. But I do use the bed for stuff. and, if the thing handled better I could probably save myself some time when I'm doing my runs.

I haven't towed anything with it yet (has towing package), and about the only thing I would like to tow is my car on an open trailer... and i don't see any reason why this couldn't do that even with suspension. you just need to load the trailer properly and LD hitch is probably a good idea.

aside from stuff like the hotchkis tvs and standard spring suspensions... what about air spring suspensions? like air ride and 4 linking the rear? how does that affect the load/towing capacities??

kevin