First off let say hey to everyone, and thanks for all the info ive learned so far. I have a 2wd V6 '05 and cant decide what to do, should i lower it or raise it, i know it 2wd but a nice raised stance would look good. Also where are some good website to look for aftermarket parts. Thanks for all the info.

 

Well since you have a V6 as do I ...you won't find too much in the category of performance parts, Personally I don't think you should raise it...not too crazy about lowering it either... if you do lower it don't lower it too much. as far as finding some aftermarket parts, check out www.autoanything.com, I believe the guys on here use www.summitracing.com alot and www.makeitmopar.com. BTW welcome to forum, so what are the stats besides V6 and 2wd?

 

Hey there. I have a 06, V6 ST club cab, 6-spd 4x2. I raised it 2" in front and rear, and put 265/75 tires on it. It came out pretty nice. It doesnt matter if its a 4x2 with these trucks, both the 4x4 and 4x2 models share the exact same suspension components, so everything is pretty much shared between the two. 2" is the most suspension lift you can do with these trucks right now. If you have an automatic, you can do a 3" body lift kit they make for our trucks, but I would recommend the suspension rt instead.

heres the pics of the raise:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e...al/liftpic2.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e...zal/liftpic.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e...al/liftpic3.jpg

Here is a comparison of a side by side stock dakota and the lifted dakota.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e...htdifftruck.jpg

This was done with the trailmaster leveling kit in the front, which is 89.95 and best had at performancelifts.com

And the rear was done with universal,(non-angle corrected) lift blocks. They are aluminum and came with longer U-bolts. These were $24.00 at AutoZone. Block kits are pretty much the same for all midsized trucks with 2.5" leaf springs, so the block kit fits like it was made for the truck.

Nothing else was tweaked or added. Still original shocks/struts, and they are a tad stiffer but still ride very well.

The tires I changed to, the 265/75-r16, are about 0.7" taller on the sidewall then the original 245/70r-16 that I had on the truck from dodge. In total I achieved about a 2.5" lift. For very little $$.

If you are looking to lower the vehicle, there is really only one option which is rear lowering shackles, which I have no experience with, but "Frenchy" among others on this site have them installed.

Things i would not invest in with the V6, is a CAI, or any type of Jet chip, its really not worth the money at all, and you dont really enjoy it to much.

 

MonkeyWrench, do you notice a difference in engine performance with those bigger tires? I was wondering if the V6 got any noticeably slower with larger wheels...

 

No, not at all. Seems exatly the same.

 

I wouldn't invest in a jet chip, but performance wise I would get a Cold Air Intake and a cat back exhaust, I did and I have noticed an increase in horse power, but you may not notice it as much with an automatic.

 

thanks for all the imput guys, i'll look into everthing

 

it looks great with the lift Monk!

 

i looked into the 2" leveling kit from Trailmaster and there was a warning that they could damage your struts, has anyone had this happen or that just a legal thing?

 

Well Shaney, theres always a chance. Spacers like these have been used for quite some time, but alot of the time its not with a strut setup. Fro personal experience I'm going to say that you wont increase your chance at all. You could as easily damage your strut off-road without the spacer. (among other things) And on road I would say theres hardly a chance of damaging your strut with a leveling kit. No one on this site has had a strut failure due to the kit.