[02SilverRT]

I lowered my 02 Dakota R/T about a month ago and it looks great. I was wondering what the best way to cure the bumpy ride in the truck would be. It has 2in. coils in the front and 3in. blocks in the back. I heard spindles help out alot, but i was wondering if there is anything else out there i can put on it to help the truck ride more like it did factory.

 

[QuaTscH94]

Blocks are the reason the ride is getting nasty on ya. I went with the same ammount of drop but with leafsprings instead of blocks. I kept a decent ride but no matter what, you're gonna feel them bumps alittle more with a dropped truck.

 

[N56629]

Check your front bump stops for clearance. You need at least one inch of clearance for fair to good roads and more for bumpy roads. The rear should be ok if you don't tow anything.

I have no idea why spindles would do anything for you unless you want to lower it some more.

 

[suffolk_mopar]

Blocks are the reason the ride is getting nasty on ya. I went with the same ammount of drop but with leafsprings instead of blocks. I kept a decent ride but no matter what, you're gonna feel them bumps alittle more with a dropped truck.

amen to that. the drop takes away some cushion for the bumps. the price ya have to pay for looks and handling. changing the shocks out would help too.

 

[MoPaR DaK]

Check your front bump stops for clearance. You need at least one inch of clearance for fair to good roads and more for bumpy roads. The rear should be ok if you don't tow anything.

Yea I agree with him :biggthump

I have no idea why spindles would do anything for you unless you want to lower it some more.

From what I can tell, the lowering spindles keep the suspension in the stock "posistion" per say and just mounts the wheel higher up if that makes any sense so clearance doesnt really change I dont think. I could be wrong on that but am pretty sure thats why spindles seem to be a better choice. Also, there are no lowering spindles for Gen III's.

On a side note here... My Gen II is lowered 2/4 using 2" spindles in the front and 4" hangers out back and it actually has the same ride quality as it did stock (but does handle alot better) assuming I do not get on a really bumpy road and it bottom out on something because it is all the closer to the bump stops. I really don't recommend using over a 2" block, but the block itself wont make the ride shitty... it's just probably just seeming to ride bad because its hitting the bumpstops on every bump it finds.

 

[N56629]

The lower spindles may have been a better choice but it sounded like he is looking to add something not change it. Seeing as it's an 02, that's not an option anyhow. The bad thing about lowering blocks is that they induce more axle twist because of the increased leverage.

I would like to stiffen the rear suspension a bit. I was thinking about making some wedges to fill the space between the overload spring and the other leaf spring. I'm surprised that no one seems to make such a thing. I think I see an opportunity for a little experimentation here.

 

[suffolk_mopar]

The lower spindles may have been a better choice but it sounded like he is looking to add something not change it. Seeing as it's an 02, that's not an option anyhow. The bad thing about lowering blocks is that they induce more axle twist because of the increased leverage.

I would like to stiffen the rear suspension a bit. I was thinking about making some wedges to fill the space between the overload spring and the other leaf spring. I'm surprised that no one seems to make such a thing. I think I see an opportunity for a little experimentation here.

wouldn`t traction bars do the same thing?

 

[N56629]

wouldn`t traction bars do the same thing?

No, they are primarily intended to prevent axle twist. Some of them do stiffen the ride a bit. I want the springs to act naturally but contact more of the overload spring. It would do the same thing as adding more weight. As you add weight the ride becomes stiffer because less of the mainspring has room to flex.

 

[suffolk_mopar]

No, they are primarily intended to prevent axle twist. Some of them do stiffen the ride a bit. I want the springs to act naturally but contact more of the overload spring. It would do the same thing as adding more weight. As you add weight the ride becomes stiffer because less of the mainspring has room to flex.

a while back i some some helper springs which pretty much acted as a add a leaf system with rubber stops to keep the leaf springs from flexin so much. is this the general idea?

 

[N56629]

Well that's the general idea but I don't really need helper springs since I'm not bottoming out on the existing overload spring. If you look at your springs you will see a gap on either end. This gap starts to close as you add more weight. I simply need something to close that gap which in turn will stiffen the ride without any added weight or additional springs.

I'm thinking hard rubber spacers or something like that. If I figure something out this weekend I'll post some pics.

 

[WicKed R/T]

I'm not sure if you guys know this but no one makes drop spindles for the genIII dakotas. They only make them for the genII, i believe. 02silverR/T, are you still riding on the stock shocks? If so then that's probably where your problem lies. You need to get some shocks made for a lowered application.

 

[R/TPARATROOPER]

I Just Put A Set Of DJM 2" C-Arms And 3" Lowering Blocks On My '02 R/T. The Axle Tubes Were Sitting on The Stock Bumpstops In The Rear. So Unless You Put A Shorter Bumpstop On The Rear Then That Could Be Your Problem. If You Still Have The Stock Bumpstops Then Not Even Stiffer Shocks Are Going To Fix Your Rough Ride Problem. I Am Actually Seriously Considering A C-Notch In The Rear. Just To Get A Few More Inches Of Clearence And Maybe Take Another Inch Out Of The Ride Height All The Way Around.

 

[N56629]

02silverR/T, are you still riding on the stock shocks? If so then that's probably where your problem lies. You need to get some shocks made for a lowered application.

I have a 2/4 drop and stock shocks. Other than shorter travel, what do the so called lowering shocks have to offer? I figure if you are not close to bottoming out the stock shocks should be good enough. The only thing I don't like is the change in the angle of the rear shocks. Does anyone offer a kit for remounting them at a different angle/location?