So I've got a 2018 Dodge Journey SE and I have a Yakima roof rack installed on it and sometimes put a two-person ocean kayak on top of it to go paddling. The kayak is a behemoth, and I often need a way to put a strap on the nose of it to keep it straight in the wind while driving, but that requires a tie-off point on the front of the Dodge Journey, which I've yet to locate.
It occurred to me I could just put a tow hook/eyelet in the Journey such as the default MOPAR part #5116161AE or the more aesthetic but questionably strong enough for actual towing aftermarket one from Walmart (it does look nicer, and I'm using it to tie down a kayak):
https://www.walmart.com/ip/CENL-Car-Front-Bumper-Tow-Hook-Tow-Eye-Replacement-Aluminum-Bumper-Pull-Tab/9610672251
So I removed the tow hook cover to check out what I'm working with, only to find that there is nothing behind it but styrofoam from the bumper!
So what gives? Do I need to take out a cordless drill and work a hole in it to the frame to expect some threads to install one of these tow hooks? The folks here seem to think it's silly because tow trucks never use them and the Journey is not an offroad/overlanding vehicle:
but I'm just trying to strap my kayak down...
My preference is to install a tow hook, but if it's not possible to install one, is there somewhere on the frame I can easily wrap a strap for tying down the kayak?
Also if it's not possible to install one on my Journey, why is there a cover for it?
