Hi guys. New member, new 2003 Dakota ext cab owner. Question, has anyone been able to improve the horrible turn radius these trucks have? I love the truck, it's exactly what I needed, but trying to back it into a parking space (I'm currently having to drive it to work and park in an underground lot) is murder. Anyone else have an issue and/or solution?

 

Is yours a quad cab? Mine is ext cab and I rarely have issues in a parking lot.

My quad cab ram, just today took a 7 point maneuver to get out of my parking spot at work. It makes the dakota feel tiny.

 

2003 Dakota SXT ext cab 2WD. It's just a basic truck with the 6cyl. The turning radius on the truck is worse than any of my other vehicles, including a schoolbus-like SUV. I can turn any of my vehicles around in my driveway by just swinging right then making a hard left, but the Dakota requires that I back up and make a second try at it. As short and narrow as it is (relatively speaking) it should turn better than it does.

According to Edmunds:
2003 Dakota ext cab 2WD 41.2 ft.
2015 Tahoe 2WD 39.0 ft.

 

Must be your tire size I love how much my Dakota can make a U turn very tight turning radius.

 

https://www.allpar.com/trucks/dakota-tech.html

"Three-section side rail construction, first used on the Ram pickup, is common to both 2WD and 4WD frames. Both frames provided tire clearance to assure a tight turning circle."

"To reduce turning circle, the stabilizer bar was mounted forward of the lower control arms."

"The 2WD Dakota club cab had a tighter turning circle than any competitive long wheelbase pickup. For 1997, the turning circle was reduced on 2WD models by up to 4.7 feet (14 m) and on 4WD models by up to 3.7 feet (1.1 m). Turning circles were reduced by a complete redesign of both 2WD and 4WD front suspension systems to allow larger steering angles as described elsewhere"

 

Thanks, I'll investigate whether my truck has some sort of mechanical problem causing a turn problem. No idea if the tires are it, they seem a bit big on the truck but then they look like a factory size in relation to the wheelwell opening. I've had the truck less than 2 weeks and I've either been working or it's been raining out. The steering also seems a bit stiff at times. Of course, I didn't buy a 15 year old truck expecting it to be brand new. This is going to be a project for me as soon as I wrap up a few more things.

 

While I will still see if there is a problem, I may have located a solution. I planned on a small static drop anyway.

http://www.stylintrucks.com/articles...ge_dakota.aspx

 

Tires on the truck are 265/70R16. I should be able to start working on this sometime next summer.