FROGBOX

You do not need 19" wheels for winters. 17 or 18 inch will also fit and tires will be much cheaper. Any tire installer can get the steel rims for you at around $60-$70 each. You can also get the TPMS yourself and save some money. I got mine on E-bay. Under $70 for 4 shipped to my house (Dealer wanted $110 each!!!). I just installed 4 winters and I found a set of 4 Journey wheels on Kijiji for $200. I had to look for a while, but they do pop up. TPMS: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161175334142

I am a member on another forum for my daily driver (the Journey is the wife's). My car is a VW Jetta TDI. The site is www.tdiclub.com and I have been a member there for over 10 years. In that time, I have posted dozens of 'How to' tutorials on things like brake replacements, axle swaps, wiper transmission repairs, etc. We have a very large database of procedures for many generations of cars. I think it would be a good idea to have one here too. Like you suggested....a DIY section. Here is the thread I started on TDIClub: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=60705 I haven't updated the thread in a few years, but there is a lot of great info with contributions from hundreds of members.

Our Journey has almost 40,000km on it and the original tires are almost done. No grip at all. Last winter, my wife got stuck 5 times trying to get home from work, and she is only 5km away. After that day, I was told to get better tires!!! I now have a set of snows for her . Put me in the camp that is not impressed with the Kumhos.

If you don't mind a drive to Whitby, I can help you. Buy the parts and I can help you install them. I have the brake piston rewind tool. There is more to replacing rear pads than just changing parts. You also need to lube the sliders and clean & lube the guides that the pads sit in. Otherwise, they will stick and drag on the rotors, causing premature wear.

I gave up on the spacer idea. Don't like the thought of using the bolt on type spacers as they have been outlawed in many states. And the thinner ones that bolt through are not hubcentric, so the wheel may not be perfectly centred, causing possible high speed vibration issues. The Journey is my wifes daily and nothing is more important than safety. I found a set of 19" OEM Journey wheels on Kijiji for $200 and will be putting some dedicated winter tires and swapping every fall/spring. I really liked the look of the 18" wrangler wheels, but am not too disappointed with the 19's I found either. At least I don't have to worry about clearance issues with them. Thanks for trying out the wrangler wheels for me. It is much appreciated. It saved me from having to dismount a tire to test it myself. Now I can sell the set of Wrangler wheels as a complete set.

Thanks very much for taking the time to check that for me Mike. Now I have to decide if i want to run spacers, or sell these wheels and look for a different set with more negative offset. If I go with spacers, I will try to find hub centric spacers. I don't like the thought of running wheel centric as it can cause too many driveability problems if its not perfectly centred and can put additional stress on the wheel studs. If I go with a flat spacer, do you think 3mm will give enough clearance? I can get a set for $30 and hopefully that will still leave enough of the hub poking through the spacer to centre the wheel? If not, then I will have to spend extra $$$ and get some hub centric spacers.

Perhaps you didn't understand my post. I was not talking about TPMS transmitters. I was talking about ABS sensors. My 'back in the day' reference was to the original tire monitoring systems that did not use pressure sensors inside the wheels. They used speed information from the ABS sensors to determine if a tire was low. There are 2 types of monitoring. Direct & Indirect. Direct is where there is a sensor inside the wheel itself that sends information to a receiver indicating the tire pressure of each wheel. This system is a stand alone system that only reports air pressures and has nothing to do with any other systems. So not having sensors will not affect the ABS, traction control, or AWD systems of our vehicles. No sensors = no problem. Indirect monitoring does not use individual wheel sensors and does not report the actual pressure in each tire. It simply works by taking data from the ABS wheel sensors. When traveling in a straight line, all wheels should be rotating at the same speed. If one wheel has low air pressure, it will rotate at a different speed. So the ABS system detects the speed difference in that wheel and triggers the low tire light on the dash. No sensor = problem. I was simply stating that perhaps the sales advisor was confusing the 2 systems? Because he seemed to think that no TPMS wheel sensors would cause the same problems as a bad ABS sensor (lights on dash, ABS and traction control issues). The bottom line is, the advisor was wrong.

Tires can go bad. I have seen it many times as a kid working as a tire installer when I was doing my apprenticeship. The rubber layers can separate and a bulge could develop in the tread, causing a high spot on the tire which would be felt at high speeds. It doesn't take much to have a significant effect . There is also a phenomenon called belt shift where the steel belts embedded in the rubber separate from the rubber and can cause the tire to become uneven all the way around the tire, not just a single bulge. Rubber does not adhere to steel very well, so it happens more than we know. It can be caused by hitting a curb, a big pothole or raised manhole cover, or could just be a manufacturing defect.

Yep, you are being screwed. Back in the day when tire monitoring first popped up, some tire monitoring systems used to use the ABS sensor to determine if you had a low tire. The low one would rotate at a different speed, so the ABS system would detect that and trigger the low tire light on the dash. So a bad ABS sensor would give you a Christmas tree of lights (low tire, ABS, Traction control, etc). But now the technology is more sophisticated and each wheel has a sensor that sends a signal to a receiver to tell the pressure. It has NOTHING to do with traction control, etc. Perhaps the service guy got his systems confused as a bad ABS sensor would possibly affect traction control. Secondly, as mentioned above, the system will detect the absence of the sensors and will turn the light off on its own. It may take a few minutes of driving, but it will go out eventually. In the spring when you put the original wheels back on, it will pick them up again and continue working as if nothing happened. Complain about the experience and look for another dealer for tires.

Thanks Mike, I did buy a set, but would rather not pay to peel off the skins on a wheel just to find out it doesn't fit. It would make trying to resell them more difficult. I only paid $250 for the set, so not too worried. Appreciate your help. And yes, FROGBOX was on Dragons' Den a few years ago. Not myself personally, but the company. We did very well getting 2 Dragons to invest.

I did try installing one, but it still had the huge jeep tire on it, so it didn't clear the strut. I could not get the wheel to sit flat against the hub to tell if the spokes would clear the caliper. However, I did try to take some measurements while I had both wheels off in front of me. Based on my measurements, the spokes would be VERY CLOSE to rubbing the caliper. Too close to tell either way. I did not have precise measuring tools, so it is still possible they may fit. I would like to encourage you to try your wheel just in case it does fit. I bought a set hoping they would fit, so I am now stuck with some Jeep Wrangler wheels. If you can post your experience, I would be grateful. I may have to try to resell the wheels I bought .

Just to update this thread, the Wrangler wheels may not fit if you have bigger brakes (late 2012-2014). The offset is different. My 19" Journey wheels have an offset of +40 and the Wrangler wheels are +45. You may have to use spacers to bring the wheel out more from the hub. I was bummed as I really like the looks of the Wrangler wheels and they are cheap to find on Craigslist since so many Jeep owners like to upgrade to bigger wheels.

Tires wear at different rates front to back. Fronts typically wear faster as they rub more when turning, or if you loose grip & spin the tires occasionally. That is why it is recommended to rotate the tires every 10k. Your new fronts will wear faster that the rears and will eventually 'catch up' to the wear on the rears. Just skip the next scheduled rotation to help them catch up. The only reason to be upset about not getting 4 tires is if they replaced the fronts with a different brand or tread pattern. I would definitely want 4 matching tires on there. If they are the same tire, don't worry about it.

I was looking for this information today and found this old thread. I just thought I would update it with the correct information for anyone else who may also be looking for this info. The bolt pattern is indeed 5 x 127mm (or 5 x 5") The offset on my 19" wheels are +40. The extra 5mm is probably to clear the brakes. The centre bore is 71.5mm.

Yep, usually the bushings. Why new struts so soon?

To the OP, this one is in Alberta, so they may ship? Its black and for a 5 seater. Not sure if the CVP has the 7 seater option or not??? http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-auto-parts-tires-other-parts-accessories-New-Authentic-2009-2014-Dodge-Journey-Retractable-Cargo-Cover-W0QQAdIdZ541753327

You could always try the dealer. I know typically, they are way more expensive, but if you can save the shipping by buying locally, it might be worth it. I did some searching and found a whole bunch of part numbers with prices ranging from $56 to over $206. Not sure what the differences are, but maybe the material & size? The 7 passenger would be smaller, so probably the cheaper one. Here is the list for 2010 R/T showing 4 different part numbers: http://www.factorychryslerparts.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=568715&ukey_make=1062&ukey_model=15496&modelYear=2010&ukey_category=20313&ukey_driveLine=7805&ukey_trimLevel=18652 Plug the part numbers into Google to get more options of places to purchase.

The $20 one above is an amazing deal. Super nice of DTSGUY to offer to grab it for you. Shipping will probably be around $40-50, so still not a bad price. If that falls through, check out E-bay: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/171177819734

Sure they do. H&R make a set of lowering springs for the Journey: 2WD part number: 50861 4WD part number: 50861-2 Google search shows they are available for just over $200. Here is a set on E-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/141103559835

My Journey has only 40k km on it and the tires are pretty much done. They are too soft and wear out too fast IMO. This is not a sports car, so no need for super soft tires. Considering how expensive 19" replacement tires are in the OEM size, I am very disappointed with them. I will be replacing them with a different size (cheaper) and a harder compound (longer lasting) tire next summer. Probably the Yokohama YK580 255-50/19. They are rated for 60,000 miles and are a lot cheaper than 225-55/19 tires. When I was searching for tires, only 4 models came up in the 225-55 size versus 55 models in the 255-50 size. A lot more options means lower prices. Only 1% variation in the circumference, so no worries about throwing off my speedo.

Can you explain what you mean by 'Dealer tuned the spark plug' at 20,000 km? That is not normal. Spark plugs should last well over 100,000 km. If you had a shop do the oil change, take it back and have them take a look/listen and take it for a test drive. It could be something as simple as the oil cap was not replaced after the oil change. Crank case pressure may resonate as it comes out of the hole causing that 'hong, hong, hong' sound you mentioned??? If you only hear the noise when you accelerate (load on engine) and is not speed related, it probably is not your tires. The tires would make the same noise regardless if you are stepping on the gas or not. Tires get louder the faster you go, but the noise would be constant with the speed of the vehicle, not the load on the engine. let us know what you find out.

You can buy them on E-bay for around $200 shipped, but no clue on the quality: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/151087495288 It is not difficult to install. The units should come with instructions. Here is another option with lots more choices starting from $229 and free shipping: http://www.partsengine.ca/buy/shop/discount/dodge%20journey%20stainless%20black%20side%20step%20bars/Default.aspx

I have not tried it, but the specs are the same...same bolt pattern and same center bore, so they should work. I really like the look of the Wrangler wheels, so I will be getting a set myself next spring.

OK. Good to know. The description certainly wasn't clear about that. I didn't dig deep, I just saw the picture. Thanks for clarifying for us.

$80 + shipping on E-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/171145090189 Its made in China, but a lot cheaper than OEM, even with your discount. I would never put a cheap mechanical or structural part on my car, but cosmetics is fine and won't affect the safety of the vehicle.