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Dakota Performance
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blackice
Dodge Dakota
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2/10/2002
12:20:36

Subject: RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Well, read this whole discussion from both sides, 5.9 R/T and Lightning sites. Mostly what you hear is opinions of what some thinks thier brand of truck will do. Both trucks are nice trucks. True a stock R/T will out run a stock F150, but the truck was designed to be a better truck performance truck and cost more than a F150 with the same options installed. Then you take the Lightning, it was designed to be a real performance truck from the factory and the price reflects it. I keep seeing everyone compare prices and mods available and which would come out on top. But they are strictly talking about straight line performance..1/4..1/8..0-60. No one has mentioned that the lightning turns a .85g on the 100 ft skid pad and 63.6 in the slalom. It will brake (very important!) from 60-0 in 137ft and 100-0 in 238ft. Anyone seen the stats on a R/T for this and what it would cost to get it to stick out on a back road with a Lightning? Yeah, stoplight to stoplight is fun. But I travel alot, not just in town. When it comes time pass out on a back road with a curve just ahead, for the money, I know I want the to be in the Lightning. I know a guy can through a bunch of money into a R/T and make it hang in a curve, but when it comes out and that straigh away is there again did he spend the money on the engine to make it hang there to? The point is for the money the Lightning is a better truck and until Dodge decides to produce something compareable, it will be. These trucks are mass produced (in limited quanties of about 4000 to 6000 depending on year) and you can't buy enough aftermarket parts to make the R/T compareable in a respects to overall design. Unless maybe you can get all to parts a below dealer cost (including suspension, braking and drivetrain). Yeah, I know it's a ford! and you won't be caught dead in one! But facts are still facts. People have said it before, this could go on forever. You could what-if this subject to death. Someone take the time to go out buy a new 2002 R/T buy and install the parts to make it stay with a 2002 Lightning in acceleration, skidpad, slalom, and braking and let us know how much you ended spending on it. Just for fun everyone who thinks you can do, just go out get a list of parts, price and reference to this and put it together to post here and let's see what you come up with. Maybe that will keep you busy enough that you won't have to come here and guess at would might happen for a while. It's been fun reading though!



kota on 20s
GenIII
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2/10/2002
12:42:57

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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motortrend T.V. did a test on a stock 98 regular cab R/T in 1998 and it pulled .89 g's on the skid pad.

also remember the R/T's have a 255/55/17 H-ratted tire, while the lightnings have a 295/40/18 Z-ratted tire. and in that test the dakota still came out on top

a guy that works for hochkis suspencion has a v6 dakota (its the one in the hochkis adds) and it out runs corvetts on the road tracks, with the hochkis suspencion. (coils, leafsprings, shocks, and swaybars)

Eric



dak59
Dodge Dakota
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2/10/2002
14:13:12

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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for younger guys who don't have much money to buy a 40000 dollar truck the r/t is perfect...just wait until the 5.7 hemi is introduced...ahem 357hp



BobRoss
Dodge Dakota
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2/10/2002
18:18:24

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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dak59, the way dodge sounds right now, unless they come out with a dakota SRT that would probably have a good chance of having the 5.7, I think the 5.7 hemi dak is just going to have to be something we only experience in our wet dreams :(

On the another note blackice this is just my opinion but the thing about it is. Is that the R/T suspension already handles decently enough for a stock truck suspension, esspecially someone who just plans on doing alot of street racing or running the 1/4. I would understand buying a nice set of bilstiens for it but as far as a hotchkis package goes I dont see it totally necisary unless ,like you said, you were running slalom courses. Some guys are into lowering not only for effect but also for handling and more power to them. But, the reality of it is... You really dont need that handling package if you plan to do any racing on the streets. I mean the only times I can think of where I might encouter someone willing to race on the street is at the light or taking off from someone on the interstate. Unless running road courses is your thing than there is really no reason to worry about spending money on handling packages. Unless maybe you think you may benifit from it as far as traction goes, but i would probably rather just ditch the stock Goodyears and slap a set of nitto's on it. My point is that if you pump thousands of dollars into your suspension thats your choice but the bottom line is, if you can get an modded R/T engine to out run a Lightening for less than 32 grand in the 1/4,Congradulations! Your R/T is now faster than a Lightening.



1FLAMED92DAK
Dodge Dakota
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2/10/2002
23:27:22

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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I you guys have heard DODGE is doing 4 SRT models 1 Viper 2 SRT Ram 3 Neon 4 HMMMMMM MAYBE DAKOTA it is one of their best Sellers GUYS



jason
Dodge Dakota
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2/12/2002
18:29:27

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning black ice
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blackice last time i looked the lightning ran .85 on the skidpad and a slalom of 59mph. And last time i checked the quad cab dakota ran 60mph on the slalom. they didnt list the skidpad but ill just let you think about that one when you say the lightning will take a r/t on the back road{i dont think so if it cant take a 4-door dakota in the slalom. So i guess that means you wouldnt have to spend a dime in handling, but ill agree on the drag strip it will cost some money, but i dont drag and i have a r/t and theres nothing out here but twisted roads. so im not worried about the speed. my cousins have lightnings my nephew just bought a 2002 midnight blue lightning, its a sharp truck. and they cant touch me on the back road, maybe its the driver cause i run tracks all day long, or maybe its the truck



i beat all
Dodge Dakota
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9/11/2002
23:39:25

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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ok why dont all of you just put a ls1 with a 6speed in a s10 extreme and intake and headers and you will beat all easily : - ) p.s. just built one about a month ago none of you all acan keep up



Duner
Dodge Dakota
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9/11/2002
23:49:23

Bring It, Don't Sing It!
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Umm Kay. You had to dig pretty hard to find a thread that was 7 months old to start out with!

I wanna see pictures and timeslips please.

Where are you located at?

I'd be happy to race you!

Meet me at the Truckin' Nationals.
Firebird Raceway
Phoenix, Arizona
October 19-20



dweishaar
GenIII
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9/12/2002
00:14:32

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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and so......the punk card has been drawn...
dakotas-1
misc trucks-0

One Eyed Fox
The Baja Dak

Michael
DakotaEnthusiast
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9/12/2002
01:06:43

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Hey, why don't I just put a V10 w/ tranny in my dakota then I'll smoke you a$$ like a cheap cigar.

Z-Tube, R/T Rims, SSB Rear Disc Conversion, Alpine Head-Unit, Infinity Kappa Speakers, SilverStar Headlights, HO Cams & Intake installed.

Got H.O. ?

xplikt
GenIII
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9/12/2002
01:20:40

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Actually Duner, Mark does an awesome job at getting this site's forum indexed. In fact, I am very impressed by it. Everyone is moving to VBulletins and UBBs, but their indexing goes to sh!t (most of them anyways ;).

For an example, do a search on Lycos for "xplikt", you will find almost everypost that's a couple months old+ getting listed.

The great thing about indexing a forum is the amount of keywords and priority listings you get. It's a real easy, cheap, and honest way of getting good placement.

He probably did a search on the web and it came up and came straight to this page from there.

BTW, how do you get tested on a skidpad anyhow?

2002 2WD RC SLT 4.7L 5spd 3.92 LSD
MBRP Single in/out, straight piped 3rd cat, turndown tip
Hotchkis swaybars and springs
Bilstein custom tuned shocks
Roadmaster Active Suspension
Shaved emblems and antennae

kota on 20s
GenIII
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9/12/2002
02:17:59

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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LS1 boy, when duner gets done handing your ass to you, come down to so.cal, and ill show you a few RT's that will hand out another can of woop ass!

time slips please

-Eric
Injection is nice, but i'd rather be blown.
5.2L, 5speed. Powerdyne SC, 50mm TB, 2bbl M-1, 1.7RR's, MSD 6BTM, ciramic JBA headers, carsound cat, dumped gibson

frog
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2002
11:33:05

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Why is the R/T such the talk for the lightning race.
I own a RC 5.2, and R/T can hang and lightning's don't have what it takes to walk away either.
I have a total $27,000 wrapped up in my truck.
Suspension, tires, wheels, motor, trans, and interior/exterior things as well.

So, tell me why this is a R/T to lighting instead of Dodge Dakota to lightning?

Just a few thoughts.



Big59er
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2002
15:13:40

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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It all depends how your vehicle is set up... The only reason its always the R/T vs the Lightening is because at the moment the R/T is still Dodges premier sport truck (not for long though obviously).

You could switch it around even more and ask why isnt it all Dakota's VS all F150's? Im sure there is someone somewhere saying his modded 351 can hang with the Supercharged 5.4...




jason
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2002
18:32:06

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH! wayne
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first of all wayne, if your son ran 15.35 in the 1/4, he sucks, and his trophy should be taken away from him. I have never seen a r/t run over 15 in the 1/4. my stock 2001 r/t runs 13.7 in the 1/4 mile. and 0-62mph 6 seconds flat. and thats stock. And somebody made a comment about a lightning having better handling. not in its dreams. in the slalom the r/t ran 63.5 and the lightning ran 60.0mph. and on the back road i have smoked the camaros ss and lightnings behind. my cousin has a 2003 midnight blue lightning with 22's on it and he cant catch me around turns for nothing even when he had the stock rimms. when i run the lightning he gets me in the 1/4 but in the eighth i can sometimes beat him. but when my truck hits 2nd and 3rd gear, it boggs down, unlike the lightning keeps on truckin and dosent stop.



R/TBlues
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2002
22:18:55

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Hi everybody, I'm new to this here. I admit the Lightning has by far a better engine than the Dodge. But you are way wrong on the suspension Blackice. The R/T has a superior suspension to the Lightning. In my town Lightnings rule. Red light to red light they beat everything out here. Go out to the country roads of Arkansas where the highway department was drunk when they laid the payment and the Dakota shines. There is a good reason for this. The Dakota Reg Cab weighs a thousand pounds less than the Lightning. It has a lower center of gravity than the Lightning. It has stiffer springs than the Lightning. Best of all, the Dakota has RACK-N-PINION steering. I've had the pleasure of driving the Lightning and nothing compares to the feeling you get when you punch it. It has no feed back through the steering. It feels like Ford wanted to keep things on the soft side so it would be comfortable to drive and it is. The R/T has almost no body role through the turns. It will also jar the fillings out of your teeth when you his a pot hole. I paid only $14,000 for my 1998 Dakota R/T in 2000. It had only 28,000 miles on it. The cheapest I could find a 2 year old Lighting with under 30,000 miles on it was $26,000. I could have put a supercharger on my R/T with evrything from the pulleys to the exhaust tips for $5,000.00. I'm still under $20,000. Add a 40% increase (100hp) to the 250hp the R/T already has and you have 350hp. Thats 30hp less than a Lightning, but the weight to power ratio for the R/T @ 350hp and 3600lbs is almost 10 to 1 (3600#/350hp). The Lightning weighing in at 4600 lbs has a ratio of 12 to 1 (4600#/380hp). What's gonna happen when or if Dodge decides to put the HEMI in the Dakato R/T?



AlmightyDart
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2002
01:33:41

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Well blackice just remember one thing... ITS MOPAR OR NO CAR!



AlmightyDart
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2002
01:51:49

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Wayne, sorry to burst your bubbles on your kids nice toys, but my bro has the best toy of them all. 69 Plymouth Barracuda 440 with a six pack. It will take on anything you have... not to brag... but its the sweetest ride in our town *grins*




Big59er
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2002
15:41:40

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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Ya know something I dont get about people on this board. They all hate fords. They hate F-150's and Mustangs. Here is the funny part about it I noticed though... When SVT supercharged the Lightening, it became gods gift to sport trucking, but when they supercharged the Cobra, it was concidered to be (by you people) on the total opposite end of the spectrum.

I dont understand the reasoning here. You ford haters will talk about how much F-150's suck and the 5.4's arent worth jack... but the minute they put a supercharger on it like I said before jesus christ himself blessed it. I dont get it.

So I take some riced out 2.2 liter and put a super charger on it... does that mean its ok??



paysonbadboy
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2002
18:45:54

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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I don't think the F150 sucks either. One reason I am considering a MOPAR is bacause it is thousands less than a 4 door F150.

And even though F150's cost thousands more, they still somehow out sell Dakota's and Ram's combined.

That 4.6 liter and 5.4 liter must be a damn good engine. I see people throw a supercharger on a 5.4 F 150 and get close to 400HP. And there are superchargers that don't even void Ford's waranty. I have seen them displayed at the track. A supercharger is always the best bang for the buck, period!





99rt
Dodge Dakota
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9/24/2002
17:11:14

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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jason, there is NO dakota r/t that runs a 13.7 1/4 STOCK! I have never even seen one lower the 15's. Mine was 15.7 stock (club cab). I have 5 friends that all have R/T's, the quickest stock was 15.3(regular cab). I know a lot of people that have these trucks, and to get to 13's you have to spend some $$$$. and about putting up with the lightning owners, if ford owners were smart enough to start a web page like this we wouldn't have to put up with their stupid comments.



big_torque
Dodge Dakota
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9/24/2002
17:57:39

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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I agree , there is NO way a stock R/T is even near the 13s. Hell , I have over $2000 of stuff on my R/T and I`m still in the 15s. But that will change. Either blown 360 or a heavy breathing 408 is goin in. I`m gonna tear a$$ on some lightings and lead us all to victory. LOL



MikeD
*R/T*
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9/24/2002
20:16:45

RE: 5.9 r/t vs lightning YAH!
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I've spent 19,500 for my '01 R/T and I've put about 6000 in my truck and thats still less that a new lightning and I beat a Lightning at the track he ran a 14.4 and I ran a 14.1 in the 1/4, I talked to him afterwards his was bonestock and he said he wasn't slipping or anything down the track. Oh and by the way...I'm all motor. No power adders. ;)

Point proven Blakice, you can mod an R/T for cheaper than buying a Lightning.

~Mike~

Get In...Sit Down...Shutup...& Hangon

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