Street Performance Tips For Your Dakota

While many may lament the fact that most of the passenger cars in the present DaimlerChrysler lineup are front-wheel drive machines with less than eight cylinders, the current truck line from Dodge fills that need for speed quite well, thank you. Dakota trucks offer a great deal of opportunity for people who want traditional V8 performance, not to mention a nice comfort level and a mean look even when standing still. For those of us of the rear-wheel drive persuasion, one sure way to prove the prowess of our machines has always been in straight-line acceleration--drag racing.

In decades past, trucks would have been considered an unlikely candidate for such activities. Today, that's no longer the case. For instance, at the largest drag race of the year, NHRA's U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Dodge Dakotas scored top qualifying spots in both Stock and Super Stock--quite a feat considering that there were almost 400 other vehicles in the two categories--plus, the Dodges posted several class victories. Today's Magnum engines are far more advanced in their as-built modes when compared to the 340/360 mills of yesterday, and, as a result, will respond very well to changes for better racing and street performance.

Of the racing-oriented "truckers," few are more knowledgeable than Mopar Performance Tech Line's Jack McCormack. Jack has raced for years, fielding a wide variety of both new and old Mopar iron. His wife, Judy, driving a 2000 model Dakota, was the #1 Stock qualifier at Indy this year. Recently, we asked Jack to give us a rundown on what would be needed to get a truck ready for racing action.

While Jack runs most of his entries in Stock Eliminator competition, these tips give anybody who wants to go bracket racing some great baseline changes. Indeed, some of the changes listed here would not be legal in Stock racing. While some of the Mopar Performance parts are listed in the catalog as warranty items, that program has been discontinued (so these are not considered authorized service replacements). You might want to check with the dealer on what the changes below will do to your warranty. That said, here's what it takes to traverse the quarter-mile in your Dakota quicker than a speeding bullet...er, ticket.

Tip #1
Baseline--To establish what sort of performance you'd like to achieve with your Dakota, the best thing to do is find out where the vehicle is now. So the first time you go to the track, it's important to make as many runs as possible to find out what sort of elapsed times your truck is capable of. The benefit is that you can see what sort of additional performance gains you get from future changes. In addition to getting a baseline, buying the latest Mopar Performance catalog is a good idea at this point as well, so you can see what's available from the factory for your truck's engine package.

Tip #2 Computer swap--This is both the simplest and best change that you can make from stock. Since the computer does all of the engine's "thinking," the upgrade to one of the units in the MP catalog will do wonders for your truck. According to Jack, it will raise the rpm level to about 6,000, almost 1,000 more than the normal OEM 5,100 rpm limit. It also gives the engine additional fuel and more spark advance. "It's like putting a bigger carburetor, an electric fuel pump, and a recurved distributor in the truck, and it installs in about three minutes."

Tip #3 Ram air package--Mopar Performance offers a true cold air kit (P5007069WA) that easily installs in a matter of minutes and gives the engine cool, clean air to breathe. The cold air package uses a washable exposed conical element and comes with all the mounting hardware. Jack states that between this and the computer, two modifications that can be done in a single morning, the truck will have another 30 to 40 horsepower on tap. In Jack's case, however, the ram air is not legal in Stock Eliminator--the standard air cleaner layout must either be retained or removed entirely. But it's a nice addition on the street.

Tip #4 Exhaust system--This is the first serious change you make to increase performance. If you decide on aftermarket headers, they must have an O2 sensor mount in the collectors if you are going to race with open headers. Since the O2 sensor is critical to the computer's performance, even in competition applications like Stock Eliminator, it's mandatory. The headers for the Magnum from Mopar Performance have the O2 mount installed; for track-only applications, Hooker Super Competition headers are a better choice. In most aftermarket cases, a bung for the sensor needs to be welded into the collector. Meanwhile, MP also offers a complete catalytic-converter back-exhaust system that consists of big 3-inch mandrel-bent pipes and a high-flow muffler that bolts right up to the stock OEM mounts. Again, a dual-exhaust system can be installed in place of the stock single-pipe layout for even less restriction.