Rim & tyre help for 1999 Civic Coupe

[Alpine]

I am looking for some new mag wheels and tyres for my 1999 Honda Civic Coupe. I currently have 15" mags on there running 195/50/15 tyres. I want to upgrade to something bigger.

I thought of getting 17" mags and wider tyres but a shop I spoke to said 16" fitted with 205/45/16 tyres is a better overall compromise for looks and ride comfort and he thinks 17" is too big for a small car.

Are there any Civic Coupe owners here who have done a rim and tyre upgrade? Which rim and tyre size did you go for and why? Did you have to lower the suspension to make it sit nicer on the bigger rims? If so how much did you have to lower by?

Some links to pictures to help me decide would also be great. Thanks heaps!

[Mitch M]

you could get 17x7's for sure

ride comfort won't be as good as on 16's as you will have a lower profile tyre, you will feel the road alot more.

you will have to worry about scratching the rims on gutters etc.

buckling them in big pot holes lol

and with lowering ... you could probably lower 2" on a 205/40 tyre ... anything more and you will probably achieve scrub without a camber kit

another thing, you turning circle will be a fair bit worse on the larger wheel track

rubber becomes more expensive

those are the cost of putting nice rims on your car ...

i am probably going back to ricer rims :P so i like it ... others dont'

[A'PEXi]

replied on boostcruising mate :D

[TOYOL]

you could get 17x7's for sure

ride comfort won't be as good as on 16's as you will have a lower profile tyre, you will feel the road alot more.



If you get 17 inch silica tires the ride would be softer. Michelin Pilot Sports are great.

[SCRAPN]

check out this link, http://www.streetsourcemag.com/Profile.aspx?Profileid=25401 shows my car on 18x 7.5 alba battles with 215 by 35 falken tyres.... ive got coilovers but if your just gonna lower it on normal springs n shocks id suggest gettin 17s less police attention if you get pulled over.... oh and a tip, pull out your tyre placard, if you get pulled over and asked where it is just say you had a smash and the car was painted and your waiting on a new one from honda.... most cops will let you go on tyre size... had a hiway patrol officer say what car is this? i said "honda civic" he goes "oh these come with 17s dont they?" lol... yeah maybe in japan buddy http://www.streetsourcemag.com/Profile.aspx?Profileid=25401

[luzinit]

hey dude, i have a civic vtir, essentially the same thing..

my rims are 16x7 and tyres are 205/45/16.. imo it is a good compromise between looks as well as comfort..

originally i lowered my car 1.3", however there was still a 2-3finger gap!!

so on 205/45/16, i'd recommend lowering it 2" and it will be perfect!

[Alpine]

my rims are 16x7 and tyres are 205/45/16.. imo it is a good compromise between looks as well as comfort..

Any pics of your car?

[luzinit]

gimme ur email dude, i'll send some pics of the wheel and wheel gap....
going to be lowering it another 1" soon.. cant wait. hehe

[skoota]

I've got 17's on my EK - they look great but the handling is not as good. Make sure you get the best tyres possible - the tyres that Donnellans in Vic gave me were Falkens - they claimed it was their best at the time to fit my car but they suck - they simply cannot grip. Plus the fact that you will have a much bumpier ride, they are also heavier. The biggest pain in the arse is the $$$ when you gotta replace your tyres... I'd go 16's if I has my time again. Better yet I'd stick to the stockies - they're light weight and look good IMO.

[Alpine]

the tyres that Donnellans in Vic gave me were Falkens - they claimed it was their best at the time to fit my car but they suck - they simply cannot grip.

Oooh...the tyres the shop was going to supply were Falkens too! I can't remember the exact model name but I think they were ZE326 or something close to that. So those tyres suck, eh? No wonder the quote was so cheap...

[Alpine]

215 by 35 falken tyres

How do you find your Falken tyres? Do they "suck" like the previous poster mentioned?

[ian]

18' for sure!.................hehehehe............pure show..............great grip on the corners too!

[skoota]

OK, this is what I've found with my Falkens - they cannot grip in the wt AT ALL! No matter how slow or low your revs are - I have to go around roundabouts doing about 15km - and that's on the big ones that ain't sharp! And don't even get me started on stationary starts and hill starts for that matter in the wet! :x Changing gears at times - especially 1st - 2nd and 2nd-3rd, and around corners. I actually cannot wait till they go bald so I can by some Michellins, Bridgestones, Yokohamas or Kuhmos - however you spell them. FALKENS SUCK!

Don't fall into the trap like I did, where they actually convinced me that they were good tyres before I bought the rims!!!1

[Mitch M]

check out this link, http://www.streetsourcemag.com/Profile.aspx?Profileid=25401 shows my car on 18x 7.5 alba battles with 215 by 35 falken tyres.... ive got coilovers but if your just gonna lower it on normal springs n shocks id suggest gettin 17s less police attention if you get pulled over.... oh and a tip, pull out your tyre placard, if you get pulled over and asked where it is just say you had a smash and the car was painted and your waiting on a new one from honda.... most cops will let you go on tyre size... had a hiway patrol officer say what car is this? i said "honda civic" he goes "oh these come with 17s dont they?" lol... yeah maybe in japan buddy http://www.streetsourcemag.com/Profile.aspx?Profileid=25401

errmmm ... nice ...

n e ways, you got lucky, i got pulled over with 17's on and the officer said "this is a Honda civic isn't it ... what year model?" and i said "92" and he goes "... hmmm ... stock 14's .... but you have 17's"

he gave me a warning for:
- Sports Steering Wheel
- Exhaust non-standard
- Exhaust not comply with ADR
- Exhaust far above 90DB
- Wheel track too large for car [14 >> 17]
- Ride height less than 100mm
- No 'H' Pattern
- Tint too dark
- Tint too damaged

He went through and wrote them on a sheet of paper, and then simply said "I'm not going to defect you, but if i was you these are the things that need to be brought to you attention" lol

*edit*
oh and incase you want to know, none of them have been fixed lol, except the 17's coz i sold em lol

[skoota]

Ooooooh those rims on that white Civic are ugly. Just my opinion - not trying to start any shit!

[Kit]

The main problem with going anything over 16" on a civic is that it just upsets the balance of the car, it won't longer handle and accelerate very well.
add to that you will most probably have significantly wider tyres on a 17" rim, you'll have aqua planing problems if you're tyres aren't the best

Go with the 16" if you want performance. but if you only care about looks then go with whatever you want.

[toE]

do any of you ever notice dat most tyre shops will recommend Falkens as their first choice of tyres when u get rims?? Dat is why I sometimes squirm when Falken tyres are mentioned as their "choice".

The old saying "you get what you pay for" rings quite true in this case.

My suggestion to you Alpine, is get 16s with better tyres, other than Falkens ('cept for the higher performance ones). As Kit and maybe a few others have mentioned, 16s provide better looks, handling and performance overall for a civic. :)

[Alpine]

Thanks for all the great advice so far, folks, it's really helpful. Keep the posts coming.

The shop gave me an alternative to Falkens. They recommend BFGoodrich. I don't know anything about BFGoodrich tyres, are they any good in the way of low noise and performance? The overall price between the rims with Falkens and rims with BFGoodrich is quite different (BFGoodrich package being alot more).

[LatinoHatchCrap]

what bfgoodrich tyre is it?
17's is not my style but then again 16's on a coupe would not as bad as an EG since its bigger. I suggest 17's though. For the other reasons above+ if your in any way serious about handling you'll stay away from heavy ass 17's.

[Civic Si]

I've got 7x17 rims wit 205/40R17 Continentals tyres.

My wheels are heavy as and my turning circle is reduced! My coupe's way too low and I have scrubing issues front and rear even after getting camber kits! So if u opt for da larger rims just don't lower it too much as u may experience wat I'm goin through.

Continental tyres aren't cheap either! $230 per tyre is wat I pay for and that's not retail price either. German technology is not cheap like Falkens! When it comes to tyres I don't go for da cheaper option. Alot of ppl don't c tyres as important changes for their car, they just get da cheapest tyre they can find and Falken's are one of them.Tyres help u handle and brake ur car so that's very important!

It's a big difference from rolling from Silvertones to Continentals. ;)

:(

[skoota]

Tyres are one of the most important things for your car IMO. I wanted Yoko's, Kuhmos, or Bridgestones but the best Donnellans could give me was Falkens. So dude, when you get your rims, and I suggest 16's at this point, pay an extra couple of 100 and get sick arse tyres that will grip on anything and don't be one of those fags who constantley does burnouts or circle work - that's just dumb. It looks gay and cost $$$ for new tyres that you would not have needed - I hate those ppl!

It's amazing what good tyres can do - you will notice the difference straight away.

[LatinoHatchCrap]

I dunt think civics with n/a make enough power to make burnouts LOL :D

[Taxi-R]

on the civic coupe, 16's look a tad bit small. 17's is good. if u aint gonna lower it, then get 215/40 or 215/45. if u r gonna lower iteven by an inch, stay with 205/40. i say 17's cos the rear half (side-on view) is chunky hence need bigger rims to match.

weight-wise, 17" buddy club p1's are pretty much the same weight as stock 15's. abt 15pounds.

[SCRAPN]

215 by 35 falken tyres

How do you find your Falken tyres? Do they "suck" like the previous poster mentioned?

not bad i dont have a problem with grip, i have a friend with a n15 sss with 17x7.5 40 series and he doesnt have a problem either, i think you guys just need to realise that you aint supposed to go around roundabouts doing more then 20 kms... thats why they r there.... but yeah i havent had a problem at all and neither has anyone i know who has falkens...

[SCRAPN]

Ooooooh those rims on that white Civic are ugly. Just my opinion - not trying to start any shit! thanks for the comments...but 15 inch wheels dont do it for me they belong on moped's not cars... bigger wheels = safety, thats why all new cars are coming out with larger wheels... even civic's.... us si comes with 17's.

[skoota]

Hey SCRAPN - did you see my other complaints. I am comparing these Falkens to my other tyres I've had - Bridgestone and Yokohama. They are useless around any corner and stop-start in the wet. Even my mechanic said they sucked on his VS Clubsport, and on mine when he took it for a drive before getting serviced.

And the roundabout I referred to is so big and wide that I used to do it doing 45-50km/h. Does anyone live in Doncaster/Templestowe/Eltham area in Melbourne? If so, I'm talking about the Williamson Rd and Porter St. roundabout with the green squiggly thingy in the middle next to Shell that is supposed to be art - that rounabout should be taken doing 40 easily.

[SCRAPN]

yeah i read that skoota, and i wrote my reply, i or anyone else i know who has falken hasnt had a problem, and as for your mechanic friend with the rear wheel drive 250kw clubsport of course your gonna have a different situation with traction tottally different setup... just sayin i have found falkens to be good value for the price.... continentials would be ideal but a big budget isnt always an option for most people... and can you stay in your own lane while doin 50 kms through a roundabout? you shouldnt really have the need to go that fast through a roundabout , they are put there to slow the traffic down on purpose not built as a cicane on a racecourse....

[ian]

my 2000 civic vtir coupe rolls on 18' rims with falken rubber..........no problems at all. apart from slower acceleration.
i've taken it hard down the RNP, great traction i thought.

ps. you comin to the all civic coupe cruise alpine?

[skoota]

Meh - yeh, but i dont tend to do 50km through a roundbaout that often. What actually happens is say I'm doing about 20km through it i slip, lose control go into the next lane and almost hit a traffice island and fish tail etc... And hill starts are the worst. I'm not a dickhead driver who hoons all the time, although you may have got that impression. Even if i was i can't in a GLi can I? And my mechanic did drive mine as well and hated them. I was driving through Burke Rd. Kew/Hawthorn area and it was really wet and my tyres had minimal traction. It actually, scares me a little sometimes to be honest but i cannot afford to trade these almost brand new tyres in to get others - I just wont buy them again. But i saw good for you guys if you have had no probs with them. As for me... :(

[Alpine]

ps. you comin to the all civic coupe cruise alpine?

Sorry dude I must have missed the thread about the All Civic Coupe Cruise...but I notice you're in Sydney - is this where it's taking place? Coz I'm in Brisbane...

[ian]

ps. you comin to the all civic coupe cruise alpine?

Sorry dude I must have missed the thread about the All Civic Coupe Cruise...but I notice you're in Sydney - is this where it's taking place? Coz I'm in Brisbane...

well, are you up for a cruise down to syd for the all civic coupe cruise?.............hehehehe..........just kidding.

[Alpine]

Does anyone have pics of a Coupe with 16" rims but NOT lowered? Or any pics at all with 16", pls post them. Thanks.