In Reply to For some reason I thought that the D had a stiffer frame.....(more) posted by tomJ (yankeeD) on October 31, 1999 at 16:44:48
I doubt the extra cross braces would be effective on a Durango.
The steel used in the Durango is a higher tensile strenght steel than the Dakota.
The Durango by having a one piece body on the frame is much more solid than a Dakota. The one piece body adds to the strength of the frame/body assembly.
All pickups experience frame flex since the cab and bed are separate pieces. The rigidy of the middle of the truck comes only from the frame!
I also have a Dakota R/T and it needs some help in the rigidy of the frame. I can really feel the frame flex when I hit heavy bumps or corner hard in the truck. Kinda unnerves me sometimes. Of course I drive the Dakota harder than I do the Durango. :-)
Gene