Unomyname

I dont know if i want to go with 17s or 18s...i want to get some chrome wheels...the niche shoks, kmc units, or the niche orcas...not sure yet but what size should i get? I think with 18s i will ding them all up cause wont i have to get the 35 tires...cause the 40s will be too big...with 17s there is alot of fender gap and when i lower it ill barely have room for a ground kit...what should i go with...I HAVE THIS MONEY BURNIN A HOLE IN MY POCKET...i need to make my mind up..18 inch niche prices are WOW..

JoeB16

both are too large for your car, however 18" is redicilous for any civic. Not only is the power robbing diameter of the 18" counterproductive to a very measurable degree, its just a plain pain in the *** considering the thin rubberbands that would would HAVE to put on them, not to mention the price increases exponentially for 18" tires over 17s. If i were you id go for some very nice and ultra light 15-16" forged rims such as Volks so some such thing. Trust me, people who actually know cars will be 100X more impressed with some 15" volks or mugens over 19" whaevers from the tire rack.

BTW, chrome rims looke good on only a few select cars in this world. the civic isnt one of them.

NeoMagus

205/40/17. Thats what I got, probably a bunch of other people as well.

avenger

i run ground controls at stock height with rsf-2's and p205/55r16's because i need the traction and ground clearance. go with 17's if you just wanna run lo-pros, or a 16 if you run anything else

antidote11

Get 17's....with a 205/40 or a 215/40 and if you are worried about potholes and road hazard, go with 205/45 or a 215/45.

Don't get 16's, because if you do, you will see others with 17's and wish you got the 17" rims...16's still look a little small...
and if you are interested in suppurb handling and traction, a plus 2 size is the way to go.

JoeB16

*coughcoughbullshit*. larger rim diameter does NOT always mean better grip or even better turn in. However a rule of thumb for performance gains is that the lighter the rim and the smaller the diameter diameter the more power you get to the ground. This is why drag racers use ultra light 13" rims to mount their slicks on (well that and they need the extra clearence for the slick). Also unsprung weight (ie the rims and tires) are worth 1.5X the weight anywhere else. So say you have stock steel rims that weigh 30Lbs and you buy some 13Lb volks. Thats a 17 lb difference. now multiply that by 4 and u get 68 lbs. now multiply that by 1.5 and you get 102. And for every 100Lbs you remove from your car you shave a 10th off your ET in the 1/4 mile. Now if you want to talk about auto cross, just look at the integra type R's in the speedvision touring cup championships. they routinly beat the M3s in track events and they use ultra light weight 16" rims with 50 series tires. Trust me, there is going to be a much greater difference in cornering ability and skid pad results if you get light 16" rims with sticky 50 series tires over say, your average weight 17 or 18" with low peofile rubberbands. Now before anyone starts citing "well ferrari and blahblahblah use such and such a size, guess what, you own a civic, and if you want to argue that point, ill be more then happy to get into suspension dynamics with you.

hondaroadracerusa

I have 215/40/17 on my 2002 Civic Ex. No noticable difference actually a possible increase due to smaller diameter and lower weight than OEM. Hope it helps but remember the weight depends on the wheel and tire combo.

JoeB16

a dyno will show a marked decrease in WHP when going from 15 to 17 and 18" (more the 18s) rims and tires (this is assuming you are plus sizing).

antidote11

I have 15" rims, Konig, and they weigh 20 lbs.....the 17" rims I want to get (Motegi MR7s) weigh 23.5 lbs. The tires are apporox. 3 lbs heavier as well.

So going up to a 17" rim for me adds approimately 6.5 lbs per wheel...a grand total of 26 pounds extra...I seriously doubt that will affect my performance....

JoeB16

its not just weight. its rolling diameter that you have to take into consideration. your also not looking into tire weight either. dont believe me? do a dyno pull before and after the rim install and tell me im wrong. BTW, you should REALLY lok into getting some light weight rims instead of something that just looks cool.

rhyno

I'm not sure I understand. I understand about the weight but not about the wheel diameter. Don't you have to take into consideration the diameter of the wheel including the tire vs. the weight? i.e. you can have a stock 15" wheel w/tires with the same diameter as a set of 17 or 18"rims with low profile. 215/40/18 for example, is almost the exast same diameter as factory. I believe its .189% off.

JoeB16

Well, its complacated if i go into detail. You can use some math equations or what not but basically you are pushing the weight farther out from center. The farther out the weight, the more force it takes to spin it.

Todd1

go 18s if u want the look !!!!!! go 17s if u want a smoother ride!!!!