C-BAY

My grandpa just gave me a 2008 civic hybrid. Its certainly not the high performance vehicle i wanted but i still want to make it look better. The flower power rims reduce drag but they are screaming 17 year old girl and the body too. the whole care is raging with estrogen. does anyone know of any body kits or wheels i could get to increase the virility of my new civic?

MindBomber

Any 5x100 set of wheels that appeal to you will fit, the RSX-S wheels are very nice and affordable. Body kits NEVER look good, lip kits however look great.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

You might (not sure) be able to do any body/suspension mods for the 8thgen civic sedans, not to mention rims are fairly universal.. Just gotta make sure you get the right bolt pattern and an offset that works.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

make sure you stick with a light forged rim and try not to go bigger than 15 inch if you care about gas mileage.

devcivic87

Searched for Hybrid rim mods, and stumbled upon this thread. Did you ever swap the rims? I have an 06, and I HATE the rims. They look like "pogs" from back in the day; I call them my shredder wheels! I dont want anything large or too modified-looking; just some OEM Civic LX wheels would work for me... can something like this be done with out affecting the MPG?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the main benefit of the 06+ hybrid rims are the smooth/closed design which improves aerodynamics. the rims are lighter than steelies, but not by much. if you only drive in the city below 40mph, i doubt you would see the full aero benefit of the factory closed rims. if you do mostly highway driving, switching to an open rim style will be a noticable difference in mileage. one other thing to consider, the tires. i believe all hybrids come with LRR (low rolling resistance) tires that are not as grippy but give better mileage because there is less road friction. i have seen as much as a 10mpg decline switching to a non LRR tire. so if you do go with a different rim, try to keep the same diameter and same or similar tire.

devcivic87

I definitely decided its not worth it. Sure theyre pretty horrendous but I am not willing to risk that much mpg for looks thats not why I bought the car anyway

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

also i forgot to mention, the closed design prevents brake dust from flying out and getting stuck to the paint, so you dont have to wash the car as often. and it reduces brake system noise. aftermarket rims (esp light weight) look nice and can help with handling, but oem is more purpose built.

devcivic87

good to know! yay for ugly pog wheels!