I have been searching high and low for a tuner for my truck. I need one that will correct my speedo and odometer for larger tires and a new gear ratio. Chysler cant do it and hypertech will only work if i had 4 wheel abs, which i dont. Am i just out of luck? Does anyone know for sure if a gear change changes the speedo in a 97 dakota? Im pretty sure its more off since the change.

 

superchips 3715 if you want something for cheap (you can prolly find them for $100-135 now-a-days) it will let you set your tire size to the correct one (measure the actual tire form ground to top of it not what it states as the size, they are not always exact) and it will give you a decent boost in performance...love mine!

****...just realized it says 98-03...not sure why the 97 isn't included maybe look into that deeper and see if you could get it to work...

 

Yeah in 98 they did something different with the speed sensors. Im pretty sure this hypertech will work but i havent found one yet that will correct for gear changes. A 98 and newer dak is not affected by a gear change but pre 98 are. Its some **** engineering by dodge.

 

just fold the gear change into the change in tire size. If you geared down (numerically up) then you're going a shorter distance per driveshaft rotation, so you'll put in a shorter tire size. IE for mine, I found out that if I go from 3.55 to 3.92, it will put me damn near calibration because i've gone up on tire size. But I plan to go to 4.10's, and that will put me slightly under calibration.

 

well i went from 3.55 to 4.56 and am running a 33.5 in tire. So what would be ball park as far as tire size to plug into it?

 

Just to be arbitrary:

2500 RPM, 1:1, 3.55:1, 15.25" radius = 63.9 MPH ("stock" w/ 31" tire)
2500 RPM, 1:1, 4.56:1, 15.25" radius = 50 MPH
2500 RPM, 1:1, 4.56:1, 16.25" radius = 53 MPH (What you have now)
2500 RPM, 1:1, 4.56:1, 19.60" radius = 63.9 MPH (What to tell the computer you have)

 

Your going to have to change the speedo pinion gear to get the mph readout right , and from what i have been able to find you`ll need to have the abs computer re-flashed for the bigger tire size if it starts acting up and the dealership is " supposed " to be able to do it for a small fee , or disable it all else fails , you`ll need a 36 or 37 tooth speedo pinion gear , depending on which calculator site you use , i used Speedometer Calibration Program - Method 1 which works pretty good , you`ll have to change 2 inputs to these , your drive gear will be 13 and the speedo revs per mile will be 970 , and of course add in your tire and axel gear size , and that will get the size gear you need and this site you can order it from Speedometer Gear, Speedometer Gears, Ford, GM, Dodge 700R4 i ordered my gear from them and they were fast in delivery and best i found on price .

 

Thank you for the reply you seem very informative. Where is the speedo pinion gear and how much will all this set me back. As of now my ABS and brake light will come on and stay on but this has just happened. Today i replaced the speed sensor in the transfer case and the abs sensor in the rear end. How hard is the pinion gear to change and if i do what you say that will take care of the abs light and the incorrect speedo reading?

 

It's a little plastic or bronze gear in the tailhousing of the transmission or transfer case usually.

 

Hey , thanks for the compliment , truth is , i have already been where your trying to go , sort of ,, i have a `97 Dakota also but only a 2 wheel drive , and i recently upped the tire/rim size to a 255/65-16 combo and started experiencing a few problems like the speedo being way off , trans shift points different , and when i would brake to stop the truck would sorta pulse/jerk like a rotor was warped ( which turns out was the abs thinking i was skidding ) , but the abs/brake never threw up a light or code . I researched alot of truck and jeep sites and found the info i previously gave to you . I changed my pinion gear from a 35 tooth to a 33 tooth and that solved my problems for the most part , i still get a little re-action sometimes from the abs when i apply the brakes to slowly slow down ( like trying not to come to a complete stop before i can get a green light ) but nothing like it used to be and not even noticable to try and do more about it for the time being . It is a plastic gear behind the speed sensor that fits into the housing that is bolted to the tail shaft of the trans on 2 wd`s , im not exactly sure where it is on a 4 wd , but if the speed sensor you replaced was bolted to a housing that was in turn bolted to the transfer case , then that is probably where yours is located , if not then look for that assembly on the tailshaft of the trans ,, anyways , mine cost like $47 shipped to my door ,$39 for the gear and $8 s&h . It will take care of the mph readings for sure but im not sure on the abs/brake light . you could go to a junk yard and look for the 97 and older dakota`s and jeep Cherokees with the electric speedo sensors (no cable to speedo ) and pull those to find a 37 tooth , i found a few 37 tooth pinions that way from 4wd cherokee`s while trying to find a 33 tooth pinion (which i didnt find) , so they are out there . When you change out yours pay attention that the housing is " clocked " for the tooth count of the gear and it is marked on the outside of the housing . Hope that helps !