I'm a newbie to the forum, as well as a newbie to the dodge arena. I've been a chevy guy ever since I was 16, but the Dodge Ram has really started to catch my attention with it's slick and muscular body style. I've talked to a guy who is willing to make a staight trade with my vehicle (2000 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3L V6 4dr 4WD) for his vehicle (2000 Dodge Ram SL 3.9L V6 2WD). I've only test drove the vehicle once. It drove well with lots of room, but I noticed when I pushed all the way on the gas, there was no real accelleration difference. How good is the performance of this vehicle? Is it easy to mod and make extra ponies? Any info on making my purchase decision easier would be great. Thanks.

 

I'm not going to lie to you, it's underpowered. Heck, I consider the 4.7 to be underpowered as well.

A friend of mine has a 2wd Dakota with the 3.9 in it, and it goes pretty good. I'm not 100% sure what all has been done to it, but I think it's got:
JBA headers
Flowmaster muffler
MSD ignition
DIY K&N cone intake
and some sort of chip.

It's possible to make anything fast, just depends on the time and $$ you have to put into it.

 

Isn't a dakota much lighter than a ram pickup? I would think that would help a lot with the acceration.

 

I can't give you an apples to apples comparison, I have a 2004 Ram with a 3.7; a heaver truck with a little more power in the engine. Mine is regular cab and no real options. It has a 5-speed. Yesterday I had a Flowmaster put on it, and the difference was VERY noticible. The sound is not v-8 quality, buit much better than stock, Also the throttle response is much much better.

I could not be happier with my Truck. You ask are easy mods to do? Yes. Do they make a difference? Yes. However, will that make it as fast as a Hemi? No - not even an unmoded Hemi - but it is still a nice truck that sunds nice and "holds its own."

 

Sister has a V6 in her Dakota...pretty peppy...wouldnt buy a Ram right now unless you wanna join the 8 MPG club, if you enjoy bitchin and have money to make the Saudi's rich you are welcome to join....

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Yes, and yes. It's quite a bit lighter and faster. But that just adds more merit to my comment that it's underpowered. It'll get the job done, but only if you're either not in a hurry or if you have a fair bit of money to dump into it. There's always the supercharger/turbo option.

 

I wouldnt do it... get a v8 minimum... if your gonna get a dodge, expect crappy gas mileage and get one with more power...

 

I don't think I would do it. I haven't driven one but suspect it is underpowered hell my 5.9L doesn't accelerate like I would like it to it does have a lot of towing power though. It also gets crappy milage like the guys are saying which isn't good but other than the milage I love the truck I get between 8-9 mpg but I also have bigger tires and a lift so I would think 10-11 normally but I don't know.