frank b

Hi - I never said I couldn't change brakes, I never complained about the labor cost, I never went back to the dealer for THIS brake job. I went to the dealer for a brake job the first time they failed me after just a few thousand kms, about 2 years ago. This time, given the quality of the oem disks and the service I got over there I wasn't going back to the dealer so I went to my regular mechanic and installed high quality stuff instead of the oem that clearly isn't worth much. Also, I can swap brakes myself, please don't patronize me guys. I have a kid with a rare disease and have a demanding job. So I chose not to swap them myself, I don't have 3-4 hours to waste on that these days and i can afford the cost of the job. Here's my complaint : I am angry I needed to change 6 rotors in not even 3 years, not that it cost me $. I am angry that I had to change tires at 45-50000kms, not that it cost me $.

Put on 225-55-19 toyo versado cuv today, I was in dire need of swapping the kuhmos for at least 10000k now, I'm at 60000 - the toyos run better, are more responsive and although they seemed a tad noisier at lower speeds, they were quieter at highway speeds. I think the low speed thing has to do with them sounding different, not really louder. It can't be worse than the Kuhmos anyways. And they look better, if that really matters. Driving on gravel roads with an ATV on a trailer with these awful worn kuhmos was... unsettling. Terrible, terrible tires IMO.

Wow, really surreal; I had a 2300$ Dodge Journey day. Just spent 1200$ on 4 disks+pads+labor. See, the rear pads were both cracked in two places, all 4 disks were stripped to the point of no return. I only have 60000k on it, and Chrysler had already changed the front disks at no cost at 20000k. I changed to premium quality grade disks & pads, just as long as it wasn't oem. Gheez... Oh and add 1100$ Worth of toyo versado CUV's, cuz the Kuhmos were worn out. Gheez...

Happy to see some folks can now go that route - but I also recommend buying 17in wheels thus getting way more choices of tires. I got 4 toyo observe open country + 4 17in steelies for a little less. also I dont want that excess tire lube to start showing on my wheels & I dont want to mess up the wheels with salt & stuff Frequent install-disinstall messes up the inner beads of the tire Lots of snow gets stuck way too easily in mag wheels which creates excessive vibration

I think your best bet it to have it custom made with your choice of muffler. I'd go with magnaflow or dynomax, they have "quieter" alternatives, i personally dont mind a bit of grunt from the outside but i do not want drone in the cabin. The only reason why i'd be looking at an exhaust mod is for a few more hp, not sound. Getting old, and deaf.

I don't think he meant he will not buy a dodge ever again, I think he meant he would not "accept" the Kuhmos as oem. Anyhow, you can't avoid the Kumhos, they are on lots of manufacturers vehicules as oem, namely dodge, hyundai, kia, etc. The Santa Fe for example, has the kh21s. A guy I know has a 2010 limited awd and he has more kms on it than me but they are not as worn. Maybe it's a kh16 thing.

I've put K&N filters in my vehicules forever - the reason I put a filter in is strictly $. For the 3.5, a K&N is just a tad bit over the price of the regular paper filters. With that in mind, why not ? The extra hp (1-3hp ?), if any, would not be substantial enough to be noticeable, really. And once the air going in that engine gets hot enough, you're back to square one. When I want hp gain I buy a CAI, period. For hp gain, the CAI's desing and location does more for your hp than the actual filter you'll stick on it. You can't expect hp gains if you're using the restrictive oem airboxe, regadless how good your filter is.

Reckon chrysler's choice of tire size on the DJ is odd, to say the least. But I am NOT impressed with the Solus kh16 nonetheless. They have proven to be less than adequate when braking in wet conditions. I've driven these on gravel roads (I know, theyre not intended for that but there's a minimum) and they sucked. They are already way too worn for 40000 km. The Toyo Versado CUV in 235 wide are my next tires, might change them before the kumho's are due. That or I get these, hence getting more tire choices : http://www.tirerack....=All&sort=Brand

Hi, got a hidden hitch installed a few weeks ago at the dealer. There is no harness for the 4 pin connector on the hidden hitch, so they left the wires/connector inside, in the cargo's storage compartiment, much to my dismay. See, had I known I'd have to fiddle around to get the wiring through and not get a full install I would've installed the whole thing myself - :waiting: Anyheeeew - I got an aftermarket harness from Reese that attaches to the tubing of the hitch structure and already had a few feets worth of wire loom to protect the wiring and what not. Is there a very quick, efficient, clean way to get the wiring out of the cabin, underneath the truck ? I'd ultimately like to have it cleanly run underneath the cargo area to the harness. I haven't pulled the whole thing apart to see what I could do yet, I do expect (or hope) to find a plug that I could split and seal afterwards under there. Needs to be just big enough to let the 4 pin connnector through. I'd like to have your views before I start pulling everything apart (you know, thus avoiding the "why didn't I think of that" situation ? ) Thanks !!!

I got universal mud flaps - the issue I experienced was flapping on the right front passenger side at +120kmh with strong winds but only because I didn't secure it in place well enough. Added a few screws closer to the bottom and it was ok afterwards. I can see how enough wind getting caught in those large molded mud flaps could generate some rattle though - the rear bumper is very loose on journeys.

I agree there is no point in having your high beams on when there is fog / heavy snow. It makes the flakes and fog seem even thicker by making it much brighter. However, I too live in a remote area and having the fog lights and high beams on is a plus to have a clearer view in regular conditions...

It would cost you less money to go with more common sized 17's tires on steel wheels. -A set of four 17in steelies with decent 225-65-17 winter tires is likely to be less expensive than a set of four 19in winter tires alone, depending what you buy and if you shop around. -You'll be able to buy better & renowned quality tires & you will have way more choice. -You will not damage your nice rims twice a year because you have to install-disinstall tires on them. That black goo they stick on there to rim the tire makes for a terrible looking wheel after a couple of times. -Your nice summer rims will not be submitted to the harsh winter conditions (ie : salt) -If you buy the 17in steelies & tires, even if you don't install them yourself, you'll save money every time you get them installed because you won't have to get the tires balanced on your wheels every time they swap them. -After a couple years, when you need new winter tires, you'll simply need to get new 225-65-17's and stick them on the winter rim again saving quite a bit of $. -With the 17's you will have as much traction/ride comfort because they are still 225 wide, you don't have to worry about the higher sidewall- it's winter, the asphalt is darn cold so it's no time to toss the truck in to the corners like you're ken block. Just my opinion...

I've owned them before. They are ok tires for the price. You can get them studded which can be a major plus. They have good highway stability in snow, ok on ice but I found that they felt short when launching whether it be in moderate/deep snow or ice. You grow weary of the sliding and TC kicking in. On asphalt, they handle fine. But hey, like any other tire they don't do everything well thus you have to choose wisely depending on the conditions they will be used in. Basically : My colleague and I had them & both noticed that they lose their bite a lot as they start to wear (which is fairly quickly). So make sure you don't put them on before temperatures are cool enough and don't leave them on too long in the spring. Ok if you don't get a lot of snow and often & don't often have to deal with it in stop-go trafic. You will improve their launching bite a lot in icy conditions by getting them studded if you can bare with the racket If you have an awd vehicule and especially if you get them studded, they won't be that bad. The added traction makes up for their low speed weaknesses of course. We have their continental counterpart on our Jeep and they're fine. Then it's a good deal IMO. If you're on a budget, they are definitely a good buy. If you have a bit more dough and especially hate dealing with winter driving, I'd look at something else.

For us Canadian folks : I'm seeing truck DEEZEE running boards at Canadian Tire - maybe they are able to get the step bars at a decent price from the supplier as well. I'll look it up when I go next time, should they be able to order them I'm hoping it will be for a tad bit less $ than what the dodge dealership will charge me for. I'd be doing the install myself, hoping there's no drilling... 2011J, reading posts, I'm assuming yours are 3in deezee bars, you mind giving us the part # you got ? thx

Just a quick heads up We were unlucky enough to get stuck behind a van on a dusty gravel road, I had a suv in front of me too. So the drive to get to the cabin was very dusty as you might expect. It's a 90min drive on that gravel road, when we came back and got on the normal roads, the engine stalled and peaked at 4500rpm and I was hearing a weird woosh. Got out of the car, took out the air filter which had collected so much dust that the engine cut the fuel @ 4500rpm because it wasn't getting enough air to go beyond that. I cleaned it as best as I could on the side of the road. I never really took notice of the airbox desing before that but where the intake opening sits right under the hood on the right, it's bound to suck in a lot of dust and even water. They should've made it end up a tad bit lower IMO. So : if you plan on doing quite a bit of driving on them gravel roads, make sure you have an extra filter just in case !