Newbie Here That Needs Some Advice...

[LordVader]

Hey guys. My son (soon to be 16) has a 92 Civic hatchback that's completely stock. For obvious reasons he wants to go with aftermarket wheels and tires. After doing a visual check of possibly how big he go with out creating any problems, it appeared to me that he doesn't have too many options. I'm sure someone on the forum has gone through this and I was looking for some advice on what will/will not work as far as size goes/recommended backspacing, etc.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[MaaseyRacer]

You can probably fit 18 inch wheels under that car, but it is not worth it. As the tires will rub the fender wells. I say get some nice 15 inch wheels, as they will be cheaper than 17s or 18s, get a good tire set up like the Yokohama AVS ES 100, or the Kumho MX. The reason I say 15 inch wheels, is that they are light, and come in much better sizes for a honda than say 16s or 17s. The only reason I can think of to get 16s or 17s is if you have an upgraded brake kit that a 15 inch wheel will not clear.

 

[LordVader]

Originally posted by MaaseyRacer@Sep 7 2004, 12:20 PM
You can probably fit 18 inch wheels under that car, but it is not worth it. As the tires will rub the fender wells. I say get some nice 15 inch wheels, as they will be cheaper than 17s or 18s, get a good tire set up like the Yokohama AVS ES 100, or the Kumho MX. The reason I say 15 inch wheels, is that they are light, and come in much better sizes for a honda than say 16s or 17s. The only reason I can think of to get 16s or 17s is if you have an upgraded brake kit that a 15 inch wheel will not clear.

[post=386930]Quoted post[/post]​

Thanks, Massey. My main concern is clearance (the money is HIS problem lol) He said something about 17"s but I just don't see that happening. Any opions about 17's? What width would you recommend?

 

[92civicb18b1]

If he really wants 17's, let him get them. Tell him he should and would be better off with 15s for many different reasons. Lighter, cheaper, more tire choices and cheaper tires, better acceleration and his speedometer won't be off if he gets the correct tire size.

But like you said he wants 17s, then I dunno a 7-8" width is normal I suppose. He needs to know it does nothing performance oriented to the car, it will actually decrease performance.

 

[posol]

18s suck
17s suck a little less
16s are good, but tire selection sucks
15x7 is where its at.

 

[BodyDroppedNikes]

17" wheels IMHO, are the best looking wheels,sizewise, for a Honda Civic. i had some on my 1997 Honda Civic EX coupe. heres a pic of the wheel on my car with a slight lowering job, this is a closeup of the wheel:

heres another pic of my car, same wheels, dropped really low:

in the first pic, with the slight drop, it didnt rub at all when i turned and was a nice ride. in the second ride, with my car dropped all the way, my turning radius wasnt as good because the tires rubbed the fender. i dont know if your son plans on lowering his car some after he gets his wheels, it would make the car look real nice and not like a 4x4 with huge fender gap.

i have seen 19" rims on a Civic hatchback like your sons, but IMHO they are just too big of a wheel to be on a Honda Civic. i am not sure if the owner had problems with it rubbing or the wheel issue width.

as far as tires go, i had 205/40/ZR17 tires in the pictures of my car above.

 

[LordVader]

Thanks for all the input guys. I need to get on the net with him and check out whats available in 15. I don't think he's too concerned about performance right now and I'm trying to steer him towards not doing too much to it appearance wise as it is a really nice, 1 owner car that litterally was purchased from a 65 year old woman and was always serviced at the dealer. Beleive it or not, we got it for $800. He really wanted an Integra but they were just too rich for his blood. I told him to keep it serviced, keep it clean (as well as saving his money) sell it a year from now (assuming he can make a few bucks doing so) then buy the Itegra but we shall see what he does

Again, thanks for all the input and advice. This "old man" and his Impala SS really appreciate it.

 

[Battle Pope]

I have a 1995 Coupe and I run 17x7.5" wheels, with 2 205/40/17s and 2 215/40/17s. IMO, 17" wheels are a good balance between looks and performance. 16" are probably better, though, but if his goal is just to use the car as a driver and then re-sell it later, go with 17s, they will fetch a better resale with the car. Hell, if the miles are low, he could probably resell it as-is for close to 3 grand if he found the right buyer!

 

[phunky.buddha]

Definitely go with 17s if he just wants to go for looks- I'm sure you don't want him getting into trouble with light wheels that will just make him accelerate faster.



If he wants to go the 17 inch route, you could just give TireRack.com a call- they can tell you what offsets will work properly on a 92 Civic. I would recommend a 17x7.5 or 17x7 wheel with a 205/40/17 tire.

You could always redrill your stock Impala SS 17s for his bolt pattern and get yourself an upgrade.

 

[posol]

Originally posted by LordVader@Sep 7 2004, 12:59 PM
This "old man" and his Impala SS really appreciate it.

[post=386951]Quoted post[/post]​

you wouldn't happen to be the man and son who were looking at Noah's civic at bristol dyno a couple weeks back, would you?

 

[BodyDroppedNikes]

i wanna see pics of the Impala

btw...what year is it and whats done to it?

 

[LordVader]

Hilarious Calesta I'm trying to envision his Civic with the SS wheels on it and I'm LMAO!!!

TrailerParkPimp: I've got pics but no way to host them. It's a black '95 that has a Flow Master American Thunder cat back (sounds REALLY nice) and your basic K&N drop in filter. It also has Bridgestone Potenza RE730's @285-40-ZR17's on stock wheels. It'll outrun Mustang GT's all day long not to mention the Mercury Marauder. I've had it to 137mph but ran out of straight hiway and had to let off. It's goverend at 154mph. All this and it gets 24-26 mpg on the interstate! It's not my daily driver (thank goodness) but I drive it every chance I get. (in nice weather of course) The kids said it was a "grandpa car" until I laid a couple 30ft of black marks with it Now their like :eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

pissedoffsol: Nope. sorry man. Not me...

Anywoo, I'm really trying to guide him towards NOT ricing this thing out. I realize it's his car and all, I just dont want to see him LOOSE money because of making bad choices when fixing it up and you guys are really helping me out. Again, I really appreciate all of your help.

 

[posol]

Originally posted by LordVader@Sep 8 2004, 09:12 AM

TrailerParkPimp: I've got pics but no way to host them.

pissedoffsol: Nope. sorry man. Not me...

[post=387385]Quoted post[/post]​

50 posts here, and you will become a "gallery user" which will give you rights to use the gallery here for free hosting

and cool- it just sounded like a guy i met a couple weeks back.

 

[LordVader]

Originally posted by pissedoffsol+Sep 8 2004, 09:23 AM-->

LordVader

@Sep 8 2004, 09:12 AM

TrailerParkPimp: I've got pics but no way to host them.

pissedoffsol: Nope. sorry man. Not me...

[post=387385]Quoted post[/post]​

50 posts here, and you will become a "gallery user" which will give you rights to use the gallery here for free hosting

and cool- it just sounded like a guy i met a couple weeks back.

[post=387389]Quoted post[/post]​

Thanks, sol. I'll remember that!