r/DodgeDakota • u/smokeyranger86 • Nov 21 '24

Suspension upgrade Seeking Opinions

I know a Dakota won't ever drive like a sport sedan, but I'm curious to get people's opinions on handling upgrades. Especially to reduce wheel hop during initial acceleration. I've got the 2008 quad cab 4x4.

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u/3Blindz Nov 21 '24

First step is if it needs anything, buy good quality replacements. If it needs shocks, upgrade them. If it needs new sway bar bushings, upgrade them. Any sort of seals, bearings or gaskets.

Next step should always be poly bushings in my opinion, they are a regular maintenance item. Dont forget the power train bushings so power gets to the wheels efficiently. Replace them once and you should be good for the life of the vehicle. You can upgrade the sway bars but my understanding is you need to alter the mounting points. This is why I’m not doing the bar on mine, just the bushings.

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u/smokeyranger86 Nov 21 '24

Do you think it would be cheaper to buy a complete control arm set than to have a shop replace only the bushings? The front sags, so I know the shocks need replacement but bushings are priority.

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u/3Blindz Nov 22 '24

First off tooling is a consideration, if you don’t have access to a press getting just the control arm bushing would be a nightmare to find someone else to do I’m sure. So if that’s a route you’d have to take I’d rather spend the money on a new arm then pay someone to press out bushings and install them for the OEM.

It probably wouldn’t be cheaper. Just for parts, but factoring in the above I’d imagine it would be close enough to break even to just upgrade the entire arm.

Do not prioritize bushings over shocks. Shocks are the absolute biggest factor in ride quality. Droop means the shocks likely leaked the fluid out and you’re riding on mostly spring tension. You’re stressing every part of the suspension more with bad shocks because there’s no dampening of suspension travel, meaning all your bushings are working double time to stop the bouncing.

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u/smokeyranger86 Nov 22 '24

I hadn't thought the body level was that bad, but you make a good point. Again, lack of specific tooling means I'd probably end up going to a shop or buying the complete springs and struts since I don't want to mess with death coils without proper tools to compress them. The complete set still might be cheaper than parts and labor though.