Rep Power: 0

Hi everybody.

I recently discovered these forums and I like what I see. This is my first real internet post on any forum EVER. Please, widthhold your applase.

I need your expertise. I drive a 2002 LX 4 door with no mods.

I want to pick up some Tein ss with a camber kit. I also am shopping for Enkeis ZR2 17". I want to install either Yokohama Parada Spec-2 or the AVS ES100.

Attached is a pic of a Civic the bulked up in Car and Driver mag a while back. I like the stance and the drop on this car a lot. I know those are 17" rims but I don't know anything else.

I don't want the overall diameter to be smaller than OEM so that rules out 205/40/17 according to the tire calculator on 101 tires.com.

Questions:
Using the picture as a guide, how low did they drop the car? What size tires do those look like?
I was thinking about getting either 205/45/17 or 215/40/17. If I get the 215, how low can I drop the car without rubbing problems? I don't want to go any lower than the picture anyway.

Thanks for helping the 7thgen virgin.

 
Rep Power: 424

If I had to guess, thats about an inch and a half. But the joy of coilovers is the ability to play with it. If you get yourself a camber gauge (its a 3 point jig that you place on the rim... there's a level bubble with a scale so you can determine the camber angle when the car is on the ground. You can then adjust the camber to about -0.5 degrees which is about spec and determine if the height and clearance is ok). while you're messing with it, you should be able to sufficiently set the rear camber to a point where you can determine if its too low and will rub. When you got it where it appears to work, take it in and get an actual alignment done.
You will have less of a rubbing/clearance issue with a 205 than with a 215 cuz of the width difference, but it may not matter, I think a 215/40 is still smaller than a 205/45, and both are still smaller than a stock diameter. 215/45 is about .8% larger than stock, but if you go to low with those you will rub.