Appalachian Journey

Page 406 of the 2009 owner's manual gives 95 ft lbs (130 N·m). To be safe double check your manual if you have a different model year.

Firestone's site gives 32 psi front and rear.

Go to the address below and enter your current and projected sizes. No more than a 3% increase in overall diameter is recommended. http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

I defer to the engineers and inflate to what is printed on the door placard.

I suppose there isn't a collective favorable impression of diesel cars in North America. It may also be that gasoline has long since been established here as the standard and there hasn't been a sustained negative economic influence to create enough demand. If we become taxed at a higher rate for gasoline as opposed to diesel and for the displacement of our engines I suppose you might see a shift.

What size is you caravan and how did the Journey perform with it?

If you are satisfied that's all that matters.

By super sticky summer tires I was thinking extreme performance or competition. There are several performance summer tires with respectable grip in the wet though probably none to fit your SXT. You will most likely find sport truck and all season tires. When reading tire reviews online consider at least the type of vehicle and location of the reviewer. I prefer independent instrumented testing to seat of the pants reviews but it is rarely available. The problem with user reviews is that some are influenced by unreasonable expectations, brand bias, and shills posing as the average Joe over-hyping their companies products or downplaying the merits of competitor offerings.

Is the road where you take these corners bumpy? If your tires are bouncing when you hit bumps they may be overinflated. Check the cold inflation pressure against the recommended pressure printed on the placard located on the inside of the drivers door. Sometimes well meaning but uninformed tire and oil change shops will adjust the pressure to the maximum pressure listed on the tires. If the difference is great enough this may cause the tires to bounce over bumps especially when unloaded during cornering. As to the road grip, there are certainly tires that provide more than the original equipment but not usually without compromise. Super sticky summer only treads may impress with dry grip but will likely wear fast, produce more noise, and may not inspire confidence in the rain.

I've been reading some good reviews on Frozen Rotors by Diversified Cyrogenics, about $120 each for the Journey. If they are as durable as claimed by the manufacturer it may be less expensive than replacing the seemingly low grade stock rotors every 10,000 miles or so. Google frozen rotors and see what you think.