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i have read through the suspension FAQ as well as a few other posts but unfortunately i am still at a loss because my main issue is i do not know how low i should go. i don't want to "slam" my car as they say nor do i intend to camber my wheels so that they stick out awkwardly. i just want to lower my height so get the maximum amount of performance and so my question is what height would be best for handling for my vehicle. i have a 2002 em2 ex

 
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also i plan to either keep the 15'' rim size or maybe go up to 16'' but thats is as high as i iwll go

 
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The general rule of thumb for our civic is that any lower than 2" you start compromising suspension dynamic performance.


I DID say "general" tho.... There are exceptions.

 
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I'm only down about 1.2" which leaves a 1-finger gap and I had some pretty obvious clearance issues. But I'm mostly to blame because I bought huge tires (215/45/R17). I just recently rolled my rear fenders, but they occasionally still snag on the tire.

I'd say the EM2 could safely go another 1/2 inch lower assuming a reasonable tire size and offset and still be practical. As for me, i have to wait for a new pair of shoes first

 
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Psssh. I'm dropped 3+ inches with half an inch wheel gap all around. Running 215/40/17

 
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thanks for your advice. will definitely keep that in mind i am looking at these rims from enkei

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Wheel...ll&sort=Weight

and i would like to get some nitto neo gens for tires

http://www.nittotire.com/Tire/neogen#size

but it seems like there may be an issue with the size of the tire if i were to go with a 15 inch rim because the recommend tire size is 195/60-15 but the size the tire comes in is 205/50R15. will i still be able to do this combo or would something go wrong?

 
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also i am looking at these Tein coilovers and there was a version that have pillowball upper mounts.

http://www.tein.com/products/super_s...illowball.html

i am not sure if i was reading it correctly on another website but it seemed to state that if i got the coilovers with pillow ball upper mounts that i would not have to purchase a camber kit. do yall know anything about that? is it something i should bother with?

 
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those have adjustable camber in the front only you still would need a rear camber kit.

 
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The nittogen SUCK... Like really really bad.

 
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I don't quite know how much I'm lowered, prolly a good 2 inches (about 1" from the bottom-most adjustment on my coilovers) and I have zero rubbing issues running 215/45-17s. What offset are your rims?

I have those on my car right now. Love 'em. The front pillowball mounts have a camber plate, so camber is adjustable on those. The rears, I have an SPC camber kit.

They're not terrible. I quite like mine, actually. Plus, they're fairly inexpensive. I found a low price online (forgot where though..) and discount tire beat the price, so I ended up getting them for $97/ea

 
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two different venues you can go - springs and shocks/struts or coilovers.
at 1" if you looking for performance, you will he happier with camber kits (if coilovers, you might get fronts in the package, but the rear is the main issue)

eibach springs or tein/neuspeed? plus your choice of koni or KYB or tokiko shocks (adjustable if possible - tokiko is not though very good blues)

performance relies mainly on the stiffer springs and shocks that can control the springs, not the height.
205/50R15 is comparable to the 195/60R15 - check the miatanet tire calculator (you read the suspension FAQ, so you know where it is?)

 
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the issues i was referring to weren't whether they would rub or fit in the wheel well. i was wondering if the wheel would fit on the tire being that the recommend with (195) was smaller then the width of the tire (205). i don't know a lot about tire sizes so i just wanted to make sure that the tire could still fit on the rim

 
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Yes, they aren't completely crap but they suck in anything else besides summer wether.

They are not bad when they are warm or in the summer seasons... You live in a very hot area so I don't doubt they perform well.

When I had them (205/45/16) I had horrendous experience when there was ANY kind of moisture on the ground and I would constantly hydroplane in the rain at freeway speeds.

I would take the fallen 912 over the nittogen

 
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anyone know the answer to my other question by any chance?

 
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^About camber kits? If so...I'm curious too.

 
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Should fit just fine

Weird, I've had zero issues with wetness. Heavy rain, not great, but still had decent traction, no hydro planing. Had them on when I lived a winter in upstate NY, no real issues driving in snow

 
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thats the strange part! ive driven in snow with the nittogens and they were fine... just not in rain...

 
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lowlife already answered that question. With the pillow mounts in the front you wont need a front camber kit but you will still need a rear. If you don't get pillow ball mounts for the front then you may not need a front kit but you will definitely need a rear (unless you enjoy buying tires). If your less then an inch then you may not need one. I think some people with Eibach Pro kits don't use camber kits at all (don't know how their tires hold up).

 
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will they possibly have the tire stretching effect? i really dislike that look

 
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It depends on your rim size. Here are the optimal sizes of rim width (in inches) and tire width.

6" = 195
6.6" = 205
7" =215

If you got a 7" wide rim, you could get away with having a 205. The "stretching" effects are negligible.