Went and done it

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

I finally bought that 4WD truck I had been looking for. I looked at a few, from Dakotas to Rangers, from Canyons to S10 Crews. I narrowed it down to a GMC Canyon Crew Cab 4WD to a Dakota Quad Cab 4WD. The Dakota was less money, a little more mileage than the Canyon. My wife like it better, so we went with it. Here are some pictures.

These are pictures taken from the dealer's website. It has the 4.7 L V-8, factory tow package, leather interior and I believe it's the SLT trim. I think though I will miss my little blue Dakota a little.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,114]

Wow! I can't wait to see what it looks like with the 4" lift, full skid's, 33's, rock rails and air lockers front and rear! Seriously, very nice choice it looks like a nice truck. Never understood why Dodge didn't put the 5.7L into the Dakota, that would have made a mean R/T.

Congratulations!

[Rollerman 290]

Sharp truck Terry...guy at work had one about like that & it surprised me how much it was capable of pulling.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Karl,

About the only mod's I'm really considering is dual exhaust, or at least a "Cat-back" system.

Stephen,

You be surprised how much my old V-6 Dakota would pull. I pulled a 16 foot car hauler with a Cavaliar on it before. I just think this V-8 would do better and be less strain on the engine.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Stephen,

BTW, congrats on your 600th post. You have been gaining on me a little. You just might be the second one here to get to a 1000 (after Karl). :D

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,114]

About the only mod's I'm really considering is dual exhaust, or at least a "Cat-back" system.

Oooh... That would be nice. When I got my Durango the only exhaust was still the side exit. I love the look of dual rear exit exhaust, pushed by a V8, doesn't get better than that....

My wife won't let me lift her Cherokee either I'll just have to suprise her one day

By the way, what is the tow rating for a V8 Dakota, bet it's pretty good.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

By the way, what is the tow rating for a V8 Dakota, bet it's pretty good.

If I remember correctly, around 7000 lbs max.

[kj4kicks 151]

Looks good Terry ! The Horses will be proud!

Eldon.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,114]

7000 lbs, that's like 11 horses, your wife's not going to like that... :D

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

7000 lbs, that's like 11 horses, your wife's not going to like that...

It'll be her fault as she liked this truck better than the GMC Canyon which only tows about 4000 lbs. I would of went with the Canyon, so if I bring more horses home then....she's to blame! :D

[combatmp29r 27]

It'll be her fault as she liked this truck better than the GMC Canyon which only tows about 4000 lbs. I would of went with the Canyon, so if I bring more horses home then....she's to blame!

Hmmm some how I don't think she will see it that way.

Don't worry Karl mine wont let me lift her Cherokee either. I have a 90 Chevy K1500 extended cab that I'm allowed to lift, but the lift alone is around $1200 for 3". Not worth it to me. Darn chevy and their IFS idea

[Curmudgeon 28]

Nice looking truck, too bad it's not RED!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

I put a K&N intake on my Ranger, not only more power, but upped the gas mileage. Between the mileage and never having to buy an air cleaner, it'll pay for itself!

I love those kinds of mods.

Dale

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Now, that's an idea, Dale. If it will give even marginal better mileage, I'm for it. I'm thinking this 4.7 is going to love the gas. :D

[Rollerman 290]

I'd love to get a K&N kit & dual cat backs on my big Ford.....somehow it's a tuff sell on the wife. <_<

Terry I don't think it will be to bad on fuel as long as you stay off the pedal a bit.

You can allways drive my F 250 4X4 with the Triton V10 & then go back to your Dakota...I bet it get great gas mileage then. :D

[Curmudgeon 28]

I get 20-23mpg with my 4x4, 4.0 Ranger, the K&N was good for about half a mile to the gallon. Doesn't sound like much, but in time, and 150,000 miles it'll pay for itself. I'm about half way there now, the 150,000 that is. Though my brother put close to 300,000 on his 3.0 before he traded so I may very well end up to money ahead.

WARNING: You'll have an increased level of intake noise, especially at cold start up. Sounds like a darn jet engine at first, but does quiet down some once things have warmed up. I really don't see a "cold air circuit" for start up, but I'll tell you what, the rush of air is very noticeable at first. That's the trade off, the filter is out in the open, not hidden inside a baffled box. Makes for better flow though.

Also note, the faster you go, the bigger difference. Face it, idling around town doesn't need a huge amount of air flow, but hook up a trailer, lock out over-drive, load 'er down with Horses, run 'er up to about 75, and that's when the K&N shines. And roars. LOL

Dale

[catman81056 3]

I've got a 2000 4X4 Quad cab Dakota, 68.000 miles. It had 36,000, on it when we bought it 4yrs ago. It has the 4.7. I get 15-16 mpg highway.

I liked it so much(but alas, the wife considers its hers) that I looked for another. I wanted 4 doors because I think they are alot roomier. I ended up with a 2003 Durango SXT, 4.7 48,000. I get around 17-18 all around with it. I used Mobile1 oil, I put a K&N filter in it, and a set of champion truck plugs in it. It has some getup and go but not as much as the Dakota. I think its the different trannys. 4spd in the Dakota, 5spd in the durango. I love them both and wouldn't think of switching.

You wouldnt belive the dif those plugs made, might give them a try.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Thanks, guys, for the suggestions and the compliments. If I get 15-16, that would be good. I actually got about 20 with my 3.9 Dakota, but it dropped down to about 14 pulling my 14 foot single axle trailer with the 5 foot ramp gate (man that thing catches the wind).

You're about the first one that I've known who actually recommended Champion plugs. :D

[Curmudgeon 28]

catman, did you go with the full intake kit or just a replacement K&N filter? I have a Series uh... something or other kit, all new from the throttle body out. Costs a bit more, but sure seemed like the way to go to me.

Dale

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,444]

Real nice lookin truck! 7000#s of towin?? Thats awsome. My "02" GMC full size with the tow and Z-71 package is only rated to tow 7700#s. And I know what ya mean about the trailer gate messin up gas mileage. Mine is 6' wide and mesh but its like draggin a parachute.

Mike..........

[CasualObserver 3,406]

I'll echo here... Nice Ride Terry! Good choice with the Dakota over the Canyon in my opinion. I'm typically a GM guy... but when you're looking at a "hauler" you have to take into consideration that the Dakota has a full four feet between the wheel wells in the bed... i think the canyon (like my old s-10) only had like 40 or 42 inches. I could barely get a tractor and 36 inch deck in there.

Oh, and I dare you to try to tell you're wife it's her fault! :D

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Mike,

My gate is also 6 foot wide and it's 5 foot tall. I could have went with the standard 4 foot tall one, but I wanted to be sure the mower decks clear when loading and unloading. With the 5 foot one, it's no problem. I'm not sure how much that extra foot adds to the air drag, but it still would be a lot of air drag even with the 4 foot.

Jason,

That Canyon really rode nice and for a 5 cylinder, it has lots of power - really gets down the rode fast. We just felt that the Dakota was more of a truck and would be a better towing vehicle. I probably lost a little in mileage with the Dakota but it is more truck.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,114]

I'm more of a Mopar kind of guy anyway so I think you've made the right choice. My Durango has an 8900# tow rating and gets about 19 MPG with the 5.7L except when pulling the trailer then drops to about 9. You did good, you're gonna love the Dodge V8, they're legendary.

[catman81056 3]

Terry when I first got my truck I did alot of cruising on the Dodge Talk site and the most knowledgable person there brought up a very valid point. The 4.7 and the 5.7 were developed using copper core Champion plugs. One of his main quotes was, You don't use a foreign plug in an American made engine and you don't use a Platinum plug in an engine developed with copper core plugs.

I found this to be true, the first set of plugs I put in the Dakota were Bosch Platinums. It seemed to run ok but when first started it did stumble now and then. I went to the Champion truck plug and the stumble was gone and I could feel a difference in acceleration. At least that was my expierence, so thats the only plug I'll use in either vehicle.

Dale, I just changed the filter element. I really believe in the K&N products and I've used the filters in most of the vehicles I've owned. Initial cost is 2-3 x's the OEM filter but the lifetime guarentee makes up fot that.

Of course these are just my personal expierence's but Hey, live and learn. You can't find anything out if you don't try something different.

[Curmudgeon 28]

OH, I'm a firm believer in K&N too. Used them for YEARS on the motorcycles. I wanted more than just a permanent filter, so I went with the complete intake kit. Now you wanna talk PRICEY!!!!!!!!!!! But, I love it, so it was worth it.

Dale

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Thanks, again, guys for all this info. I'll have to look for those Champion plugs. The K&N filter is also a good suggestion that I want to explore more.

As for being a Mopar, Chevy, or Ford guy, I'm what I'm driving, though I tend to drift towards either GM or Mopar stuff. And though I have nothing against foreign vehicles, I try to buy Big 3 so in my mind I think I'm keeping the bucks here in corporate America. Don't know if it's a valid reason or not, but at least it works for me.