This is a very good question which i will be finding out soon.
my wheels are 7.5 + 43 and 7.5 + 48 (a pair each obviously). i saw in HyperRev that +48 should fit alright. and i'd imagine +50 should be ok too.
but not 100% sure.
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As far as i know +50 offset will fit ok into EP3 however Personally for me, i still prefer +42 offset if i am goin to buy a new set of rims
In terms of the look, +42 will place the rims just nice under the fender whereas +50 will push the rims further inside the fender. Well, Unless you are goin to lower the car, +50 is a better choice. :)
how will lowering affect it? I am going to lower it soon by about 20-25mm front and rear.
I believe part of your question has been answered by "chi" in the previous post.
Anyway, when you lower a honda car, the rear camber will adjust by a certain degrees depending how low your car is.
when you have lower offset there will be more risk your tyres/rims will rub the inner fender guards. but i think 20-25mm will not cause any problem assuming you are using >+42 offset for the wheels and also considering the stiffness of the stock suspension EP3 has
if you have a lower + offset number, the chance of rubbing fender is higher.
if you have a higher + offset number, the chance of rubbing from the inside is higher.
to reduce the chance of rubbing fender, put more -ve camber on but the inside of the tyre wears out faster (depending on how you drive).
ps. typercivic, what sort of wheels are you looking at buying??
typercivic what springs did you get for your EP3???
speaking of springs...has anybody gotten coilovers for their EP3 yet?
my EP3 came over with buddy club racing spec's on it :)
just some tin s-techs through w.a suspensions, known the guys there for years so they look after me except they have to come ex japan so it will take a while. if your interested I can pass you their details and who to speak to when your ready.
I wanted to get coilovers but not enough money at the moment so will wear out stock shocks first a bit more then replace the lot.
I heard that H&R or Eibach springs (pro kit) on EP3 go very nice, when combaind with some swaybars, very good combo for street and some track work, does simular work to mugen suspension for EP3 (mugen suspension is around $1600 and those springs around $500), lots of guys in europe use those sort of combos and feedback is pretty good
I wouldnt be able to compare how the handling is compared to the standard suspension as ive never driven with it stock but from what i can feel the car sits perfectly flat (im sure there wouldnt be much roll with standard too) and just because they are fully adjustable (height, damper etc.) i can change the settings in very little time to suit how i drive.