[Fanofcaravan]

Our 2019 Grand Caravan did not come with a 17" spare donut only a pump with a flat tire fluid. Initially I did not think much of it. I thought this must be easy to pick up a donut spare. I was wrong. I do have a spare now but it was hard to find and in the end I ended up buying the wench, toolset, jack and tire cover from a salvage yard, but the really hard item to obtain was the 17" donut spare. A full size van tire will not physically fit under the van, so if you want a spare you have to purchase a donut. I live in Cornwall Ontario Canada and checked every salvage yard in southern Ontario, Quebec and upstate NY with no luck. Plenty of 16" donut spare but no 17". I finally located a new 17" spare donut at a dealer in the State of New York, I was told the item was discontinued. I had it shipped to a friend in Massena (upstate NY) and went over and picked it up. In the end including shipping and exchange the price was nearly $400 Canadian. We are glad we located one as we plan on towing a travel trailer but way harder than I first anticipated.

 

[Sienile]

I'm not certain, but I think the 16" spare may have been enough to clear the rear brakes but not the front.

Glad you found one you don't have to guess about though. I don't like all the spare deletes in these new cars. So glad mine came with one from the factory and the one I swapped brakes with had one too.

 

[Fanofcaravan]

I was told by the dealer in my city that the 16" spare would clear the calipers but he did not have one or access to one as he claimed they were discontinued. So i picked one up at a salvage yard only to discover at least in the 2019 version that it does not clear the brake calipers. the full size 17" tires only clear the calipers by .25" - That is what started the difficult adventure of finding the 17" donut. Interestingly the 17" donut fits in the same tire cover that came with the 16" as there is only so much room under the van for the spare. I not sure if they made changes to the brake systems in prior years, but for the 2019 you need the 17" donut.

 

[IAfarmer]

What about a donut from another vehicle, not a Chrysler/Dodge? The wheels on my Nissan Rouge fit the van. I should see what size the spare is.

 

[Sienile]

As long as it fits the lug pattern and center bore, and clears the brakes, any compact spare should work. I wouldn't want to run anything from a different car on a permanent wheel though, without making sure offset and width also matched (hint: they don't, 5th gens have oddball size wheels).

 

[Honeybadger]

Look for a Dodge Journey spare. My 2019 DGC and 2017 Journey have the exact same wheels so the spare should be the same too. Since all Journeys have a spare, they are more plentiful.

 

[Fanofcaravan]

What you folks are saying about other donuts fitting sounds wonderful for those still looking for a Spare, what i am a little confused about is why the salvage yards did not have these other donuts listed as items that would fit, i called close to 20 salvage yards in two provinces and one state and non of them indicated anything of the sort, but hey if someone can verify if these suggestions work then let the community know. Still a few of us around that want a spare tire even if it is a donut. Note due to physical limitations under the caravan the donut cannot be larger than 24" in total Diameter. Of course you can always carry a spare inside, but i was trying to avoid that. Hope someone can take one of these suggestions and verity the fit and size for others.

 

[Sienile]

Being you're way up north, they probably consider them all to be rusted out since they are stored under the van.

 

[Fanofcaravan]

I am just 5 min across the boarder but i guess that is still way up north for some, I had a 2013 16" donut in my possession from a local salvage yard that was in acceptable condition, i was painting it up when i realized it would not fit. (clear the calipers) It really depends on weather people undercoated their vehicle ect. Plus there is rust resistant coating on vehicles sold in the north. For example, I just sold a 2011 Santa fe with zero rust as i kept it undercoated waxed ect. Got a good price because of the condition and limited supply of used cars. The truck i bought a couple of years ago was a 2007 ranger with zero rust and low millage mind you. (40,000 miles ) Salvage yards are usually really good at crossing spare parts that fit. I would be interested to hear from someone who actually tries one of the suggestions mentioned and it works, plus to get a donut that will fit under the caravan meaning not more than 24" in Diameter. time to go and repair my igloo. ha ha

 

[Sienile]

Salt belt starts right above Tennessee, yes 5 mins even on this side of the border is "way up north" when it comes to cars.

I've not seen cars from up north the age you're talking about that weren't more rust than solid metal. I've had to tell people that their car is unsafe to drive because subframes are rusted through at that age. Taking care of your car is majorly important up north.

Did you try to 16" on the rear or the front? The rear brakes are smaller, so that'd be the best bet for it fitting if it's going to. Had a Taurus that could only mount the spare on the rear for the same reason of striking the front brakes.

 

[Fanofcaravan]

It was the back tire that I tried and the 16 would not fit on the 2019 GC but what you say is interesting, had it fit the front, then a flat tire might require a two stage tire change but that would still work in a pinch. Not ideal but would work. Side Note, in Canada there is an inspection system that prevents cars with more rust than metal being on the Road, depending on the province your in changes the frequency of inspections. Inspections prevent holes in body, frame - structure, ball joint inspection and especially brakes. most cars last 15-20+ years here in Canada. The 2001 Toyota corolla i used to drive (sold to a neighbor's son) is still on the road, with a little body work from time to time.

 

[Sienile]

That's what I had to do on my Taurus when I had a front blow out. Had to move the rear tire to the front and put the spare on the back. But since you said it won't fit the back, that's not an option here.

Those rusted out cars are meant to be crushed, but it seems a good many of them get sold down south to people that don't bother checking cars they buy.

 

[Michalb]

The 16" spare will not fit the HD brakes, neither front nor rear. When I upgrade my brakes to the HD's, I removed my spare to test if it would fit. It did not fit over the rotors and calipers, I also tried just the rotors and it didn't fit either. I got mine from a salvage yard, came off of a 2014 caravan.

Dodge journey had the same brakes and bolt patters, so any 2012 or newer journey with the HD brakes (dual piston up front) would have the 17" spare. Same thing for the Dodge Caravan and T&C, 2012+ and must have dual piston front calipers.

But I'm glad you found the 17" spare you needed!

Honestly that small kit they give you is like a doctor giving a Band-Aid to a patient with a stab wound. It's only really useful for small punctures, but what do you do when you run the curb and smash the rim or puncture the sidewall? All the vehicles I drive go on long trips, ranging from a day trip to a week trip, which is why they all have good spares.

 

[Fanofcaravan]

The 16" spare will not fit the HD brakes, neither front nor rear. When I upgrade my brakes to the HD's, I removed my spare to test if it would fit. It did not fit over the rotors and calipers, I also tried just the rotors and it didn't fit either. I got mine from a salvage yard, came off of a 2014 caravan.

Dodge journey had the same brakes and bolt patters, so any 2012 or newer journey with the HD brakes (dual piston up front) would have the 17" spare. Same thing for the Dodge Caravan and T&C, 2012+ and must have dual piston front calipers.

But I'm glad you found the 17" spare you needed!

Honestly that small kit they give you is like a doctor giving a Band-Aid to a patient with a stab wound. It's only really useful for small punctures, but what do you do when you run the curb and smash the rim or puncture the sidewall? All the vehicles I drive go on long trips, ranging from a day trip to a week trip, which is why they all have good spares.

Thank you for that input, that is what i was thinking but I never had an opportunity to check it out. The 17" spare was discontinued at the start of Covid according to several sources I talked to, and as far as i know has only been installed as an option from GC 2016 and onward, making them really hard to find. But thanks for the facts. Question: When did they upgrade the brakes to HD?

 

[Sienile]

HD brakes became an option in '12, but weren't made standard equipment until 2014.

 

[Honeybadger]

Being you're way up north, they probably consider them all to be rusted out since they are stored under the van.

Good point Sienile.

 

[J Wikoff]

HD brakes became an option in '12, but weren't made standard equipment until 2014.

And all the hd brakes are the same. No change across the years of availability.

 

[Jim Slaughter]

Salt belt starts right above Tennessee, yes 5 mins even on this side of the border is "way up north" when it comes to cars.

I've not seen cars from up north the age you're talking about that weren't more rust than solid metal. I've had to tell people that their car is unsafe to drive because subframes are rusted through at that age. Taking care of your car is majorly important up north.

Did you try to 16" on the rear or the front? The rear brakes are smaller, so that'd be the best bet for it fitting if it's going to. Had a Taurus that could only mount the spare on the rear for the same reason of striking the front brakes.

Thankfully we don't have a salt belt here in florida unless you're dumb enough to drive on the beach, in the ocean .

 

[Cal T&C]

The correct spare tire kit is available from MOPAR. Some vans came equipped with the spare tire winch and no spare tire kit. My 2014 Town & Country came with the winch, but had fix a flat kit.
if you look under van near front seats you may see the upper shell that the spare would winch into.
I bought the spare tire (17”) kit for about $400 at the time. Winch and upper shell were already on van. Nothing on window sticker or documents says anything about it. I do have the 30th Anniversary edition.

 

[Doug51]

When I got my 07 T&C touring, I thought it dint have a spare, not in the place I have spare under bed of 02 Ram 4x4.
Needed new tires anyway so I got a 16" 9 spoke from locker reparts place, and kept the best old tire as spare, Si I have a full size behind back seat of van. Wasnt till I signed on here and I found out the Cheapo donut was under the cab, no crank handle , etc. I am like this is stupidest thing I have ever seen in spares. Mopar Mini vans are low enough that you would need a jack to get wheel off ground and a jack to raise van enough to get on the ground and crank down spare IF YOU KNEW HOW!!!! Talk about AAA bribing engineers, imagine if you are a mom with kids in car seats or strapped in, Later evening , winter, get a flat on a busy road, or worse in no where. Brilliant Idea, pay extra for towing and service, hopefully they get you on your way home before kids are critical