1 reply to this topic

[Bob Riebe]

I am not a truck person but if I decided I needed one, this is what I would go looking for.

 

 

https://www.motortre...=emaileditorial

 

Carroll Shelby has gone truckin' and, in typical Shelby fashion, he's delivered a winning combination right out of the box. The new V8-powered Shelby Dakota is Shelby's first-ever production pickup truck, and it displays all of the familiar elements that have made Shelby automobiles the best all-around performance values year after year. It also represents another significant departure because it is Shelby's first new application of a V8 engine after a long and successful program with 4-cylinder Chryslers. Dakota's successful midsize chassis offers truck enthusiasts greater comfort and utility in a mini-truck world, and now Shelby offers even more performance value in a midsize tire-burner that rewrites the definition of haulin'.

 

Standard Dakota pickups are offered with either a 100-hp, 2.5L Chrysler 4-cylinder engine or a 125-hp, 3.9L V6. In contrast, Shelby's new tarmac terror sports a 175-hp, 318-cubic-inch, throttle-body-injected V8 that effortlessly trots out 270 Ibs.-ft. of torque at only 2000 rpm. That much torque in a pickup truck yields a thoroughly enjoyable part-throttle tire chirp on each upshift of the 4-speed automatic transmission, and it never lets you forget that your foot is connected to a genuine American-style V8 engine. No four-wheel drive here; just two rear tires in search of a good grip on the road. Naturally, a limited-slip axle and rear-wheel antilock brakes are part of the package. The Shelby Dakota sprints from zero to 60 a half-second quicker than the 4.3L V6-powered Chevy S10 and maintains that lead through the quarter-mile. The top speed is well in excess of 100 mph, more than enough to leave most mini-trucks with their tongues hanging out.

 

The Shelby Dakota carries high-level credentials as one of America's first muscletrucks, and its $16,000 price tag assures it a strong position in the performance market. Shelby plans to build 1500 V8 Dakotas, the largest production run from Shelby since the days of the GT350. As a performance vehicle the Shelby Dakota delivers everything it promises, as long as you remember that it is, after all, a pickup truck. It excels at hauling cargo, going fast, and looking tough. For pickup owners in the real world, what else is there? High-g cornering, a smooth ride, and sportscar seats are not included, but the Shelby Dakota has everything else that it needs to meet the hot rodder's basic requirements: a V8 engine with electronic management, front disc brakes, antilock rear brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and performance tires in a reasonably priced package.

 

This is the street fighter of the truck world and, surprisingly, it has only one irritating habit. The high-speed cooling fans are louder than the big V8 that they're designed to cool. It doesn't take long for them to get on your nerves, but Shelby representatives have indicated that the problem will be corrected shortly. Aside from this, the Shelby Dakota is a piece of work cut from the original Shelby mold—affordable, no-frills performance that's almost as hot as ol' Shel'S famous cookin',

 

SPEC SHEET: '89 SHELBY DAKOTA

RETAIL:

• Base Price .......................... $15,813
• Price As Tested ................. $16,498

ENGINE:

• Bore & Stroke ..... .............. 3.91x3.31 inches
• Displacement .................... 5.3L, 318 cid
• Compression Ratio ........... 9.2:1
• HP, SAE Net @ rpm ......... 175 @ 4000
• Torque, SAE Net@ rpm .. 270@ 2000
• Induction System ............. Chrysler electronic engine management with 1 x2-barrel throttle-body fuel injection
• Redline .............................. 4750 rpm

DRIVETRAIN:

• Transmission ...... .. ..... .. ...... .4-speed automatic with lock-up torque converter
• Axle Ratio ......................... 3.90:1 with limited slip

CHASSIS:

• Front Suspension .............. lndependent unequal-length control arms with coil springs and stabilizer bar
• Rear Suspension .... ..... .. .... Rigid axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs
• Steering .................... ..... .... Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
• Brakes ............. ............ ....... Power-assisted disc/drums with rear antilock
• Front: 11 .4x0.9-inch vented disc
• Rear: 1 0.0x2.0-inch cast-iron drum
• Wheels .. ......................... .. .. 15x6-inch cast aluminum
• Tires ................................... Goodyear Eagle GT + 4M+ S, P225/70HR15

GENERAL:

• Curb Weight ...................... 3625 pounds
• Wheelbase .............. ........... 112 inches
• Fuel Capacity .................... 22 gallons

PERFORMANCE:

• Power to Weight ............... 20.7 lbs./hp
• 0 to 60 mph ...................... 8. 7 seconds
• Quarter-Mile ................ ...... 16.4@ 82.6 mph
• Top Speed .. ...................... 112 mph
• Skidpad .......... ..... ....... ........ 75g

 

[Greg Locock]

0.75g is pretty good, better than a Bronco. The diameter of the skidpan is important, as is the decision whether to do it the fun way (tail out) or not. Hmm, when they test modern vehicles do they switch all the nannies off? What do they do with cars where the nanny doesn't switch off, ever? There are some cars reputedly that allow you to disable ESC etc, but all that does is affect the point at which it intercedes. It's  a bit like with ABS, before we had it there was some skill in choosing the brake proportioning valve and the brake sizes front to rear. Now it seems we don't bother with a BPV, and just fit the same brakes all round.

Edited by Greg Locock, 04 December 2023 - 21:22.