kosirj
05-26-2004, 08:42 AM
I have a '90 Dakota with a 3.9 liter V-6 and trying to get a little more power out of it for towing. It's a real chore to get it up to highway speeds or climbing hills even with just a pop-up trailer and some beer in the back. Does anyone have any suggestions other than a motor swap?
Thanks
jandeanthony
05-28-2004, 08:21 PM
If all you are looking for is a little more power for towing, you could put lower profile tires or lower gears. The first would change the look, and not cost as much, but would make the truck more likely to hydroplane on wet roads. Both would give you lower fuel mileage. I think the best thing would be to open up the exhaust a bit. Put some headers on it. That will give you some more power in all power ranges, and could help with the fuel mileage (some people get worse, but I think that may be the lead foot). If you go with this, take the time to rework the exhaust from header to tailpipe. Just putting in the headers will only move the bottleneck. You may see an improvement, but you could see more if it is done right. What kind of trany do you got? If its an Auto, a shift kit could help with the towing as well, but might not be as big a help until you get more power out of the engine.
