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  #1  
Old 10-31-2000, 02:10 PM
Fastdak Fastdak is offline
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In anticipation of going down to the Cecil Dragway this Saturday, I removed extra weight from my truck. Between the spare tire, rubber bed mat, jack and tools I probably lost around 175 lbs. My problem is that most of the weight came from the back of the truck. Where as before I felt the weight transfer to the back and I took off hard, my wheels just hop and spin now. I'm going to put my traction bars on and see how much difference they make. If they don't make enough difference, then is it better to add some of the extra weight back to launch harder? Any advice is appreciated.

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94 Dakota Sport 5.2L, Magnum Performance Super Karbine 250 throttle body, 3.90 auburn LSD, K+N X-stream filtercharger, MSD 6A, Blaster Coil II, Taylor wires, MP Computer, Pacesettter headers, Dynomax supercat, Flowmaster 50, Crower 1.7 rockers, Lakewood traction bars, Hellwig sway bar, Transgo shift kit, MP valve covers, Firestone Firehawks SS20
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  #2  
Old 10-31-2000, 07:13 PM
Supercharged5.9R/T Supercharged5.9R/T is offline
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I would think that you would have a harder time with all the stuff taken off. From my experiences in doing this, i took my tailgate off and my spare, and had a hard time hooking up, and because of this i was running worse, 60's went from 1.9's to 2.1's. See if your traction bars do, and if not, add a little at a time and see what happens. Guys that run hard tonnaeu covers, may add weight, but they transfer it to the back aiding in traction.

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Anthony
13.09@102.92
99 FR RC R/T
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  #3  
Old 10-31-2000, 08:34 PM
GUAM SS/T GUAM SS/T is offline
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SC5.9R/T, you ever try adding extra weight to the rear?? About 50lbs against the tailgate may give enough traction off the line to negate its negative effect on the rest of the run. The 68SS Barracudas had thicker back windows even though the rest of the car was lightened as much as possible.
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Old 10-31-2000, 10:26 PM
Supercharged5.9R/T Supercharged5.9R/T is offline
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What can i do to do that? The thing is is that i dont have a tonneau, so i cant put anything in the back of the truck, against dragstrip rules. If you have any suggestions, it would be appreciated.

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Anthony
13.09@102.92
99 FR RC R/T
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  #5  
Old 11-01-2000, 04:20 AM
Fastdak Fastdak is offline
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I put the spare back under my truck and it hooks up again. I can actually feel the weight shift from front to back. So, I decided to just put everything else back in too, tools and all. Realistically, I guess I'm not at a point where a few hundred pounds will really make a difference at the track.

5.9R/T, I won't be using my traction bars, so I can bring them along if you want to use them.


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94 Dakota Sport 5.2L, Magnum Performance Super Karbine 250 throttle body, 3.90 auburn LSD, K+N X-stream filtercharger, MSD 6A, Blaster Coil II, Taylor wires, MP Computer, Pacesettter headers, Dynomax supercat, Flowmaster 50, Crower 1.7 rockers, Lakewood traction bars, Hellwig sway bar, Transgo shift kit, MP valve covers, Firestone Firehawks SS20
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  #6  
Old 11-01-2000, 04:50 AM
Supercharged5.9R/T Supercharged5.9R/T is offline
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Fastdak i have never used traction bars before, are they that easy to install? I thought they were like an all day job.

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Anthony
13.09@102.92
99 FR RC R/T
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  #7  
Old 11-01-2000, 06:19 AM
Mopar_Maniac Mopar_Maniac is offline
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Supercharged,

If you want an easy way to add weight to the back of your Dakota, find an old tire and wheel combo that will fit in the stock area. Then fill the tire with cement and let dry. You will have to have someone help you install it under the truck as it's pretty heavy!

If you were to bolt something into the bed of your truck, that would be allowed on the track. Maybe a homemade box mounted to the rear area, filled with sandbags, weights, etc...

Later,
Jeff C.



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"There's no such thing as too much cam, just not enough motor"
-David Freiburger

00 Dakota RC 2wd, IB 4.7 V8 5spd. 3.55's. Decal free, 255/60-15 Firestone's, loud pipe's, homemade intake and traction bars, removed overloads, and more to come...
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  #8  
Old 11-01-2000, 02:32 PM
GUAM SS/T GUAM SS/T is offline
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An easier Idea is to fill the spare with water (OLD SCHOOL)Use a valve stem tool to pull the valve from the valve stem and let the air out. then either fill it with water through tiny tubing, or sink it in a large tub of water. You can fill it with air and put it back under the truck for SHORT emergency use.
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