First of all,
To James Sanders, that's a real eye-turner of a Lightning. To the original questions: Dodges have larger displacement engines, lighter weiht frames and body. That's what they need to keep up with all other brands. I heard recently that the new Dodge race truck had topped the new lightnings by a few miles per hour. But look at it this way, they needed a V-10 to match the Lightning. The rest of those "hemi's" aren't what they're said to be. At Brainerd International Raceway,Brainerd, Mn, Spring of 2003, they had races with each brand of truck. The Hemi did not do very well. From what I remember, Ford and chevrolet beat them on most runs. Being in the automotive repair industry, Dodges are a regular in the service bays. As far as your neighbor, if you can see him as he's so far behind you on the road, you can remember that he's the proud owner of "mostly oil paint and rust." The Lightning has been out for many years, with the exception of '96-98. Starting in 93, which is the year of mine, they've been a cut above the rest. As far as the tires and getting them to hook up, well, I don't know what to say. The tires on mine are too busy outrunning all the other hotrods. They never get time to hook up, just burn up. So, to put a long story short. You've made the correct purchase and I hope you enjoy the TRUE "world's fastest production pickup."