6 replies to this topic

[imaso001]

I have a 2009 Journey R/T FWD with the 19 in wheels. The Journey came stock with 225/55/19 Kuhmo KH16 tires. After 25K, two tires are at the wear line and the other two aren't far behind. Unfortunately, no other manufacturer makes a tire in this size and the Kumho's have been on a nation wide back order for the past year so I can't buy them even if I wanted to. I have absolutely no intention of buying these tires again because they have poor traction in wet conditions, wore too fast, and wore unevenly. I spoke to a representative for tirerack and he told me I could change sizes to a 235/55/19 and have no issues at all with the speedo or tire pressure system. I'm looking at purchasing Yokohama Parada Spec X tires.

Does anyone know if this is a smart move? Will I have problems by making a minor change in tire size?

[Doug D]

You can usually go up or down one tire size without any serious issues so 235/55/19  should be okay.  Fortunately the '09 we had and the '10 we now have had the 17" tires.   I was not impressed with the Kumho's.  After 47K on the '09 they were basically worn out (down to 3/32).  By comparison the Michelins that came on my Ram (also 17" - 245/17/70) lasted 111K miles.  I now have Destination LE's on the Ram.  Michelins were just too rich for my wallet.

[Windancer]

imaso001, on March 27, 2011 at 09:21 am, said:

Unfortunately, no other manufacturer makes a tire in this size and the Kumho's have been on a nation wide back order for the past year

I think for the most part the unique 19" tire size issue is pretty much resolved. Around here (Regina) at least, that tire size is becoming a lot more common. Thankfully.

Terry

[imaso001]

Well I broke down and did it. After a lot of research and consulting with "tire experts", I bought a set of 235/55/19 Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires this past week. Some tire experts claimed the 235/55 wouldn't fit on the Journey, but the dealer explained that size was authorized as an alternative due to the unavailability of the OE tire size. My speedo will be slightly off. When it reads 60, I will really be going 60.9 MPH. This tire has great reviews on tire rack, much better than the Kumho OE tire. I will post an update in a few months and let everyone know how this works out.

[videomagician]

My 2009 Journey has the spare on it right now since there aren't any of the OE tires anywhere.  Local tire dealer can get two P245/50R19 PIRELLI PZERO NERO ALL SEASON 104W XL BSW and order two more - but I haven't seen anyone else going to that tire size.  We bought the Journey used with 30K on it and I have already replaced three of the Kuhmos because of screws, nails, staples, etc. getting in the soft tires.  I am almost to the point of trying to find a set of the 17" rims.

David

[imaso001]

A few months later, the Yokohama's are working great. These fit perfect and I have had no issues. The tires provide much better traction as well as a much more smooth and quiet ride compared to the Kumho's. I highly recommend everyone purchase these tires instead of the OE Kumho's. They are also cheaper!

[Jaime]

Thank you for the update, now I have choices when I go tire shopping.