well im estimating. it may not be that low. it may only be 2 in the front and 1.75 in the rear. i just measured the spring height compared to the orig suspension and measured accordingly and then made minor adjustments when the springs were installed by taking measurments from the hub to the edge of the wheel wells untill the fronts matched and the rears matched. i never scrape and there is roughly a half an inch of space from the top of my tire to the edge of the wheel well in the front and an inch in the back. i have never rubbed (tires are 185's tho) and never had the uca bump the strut towers in the front. i am going with 16's based on looks. 17's just look insanely large even with the car lowered. i went to car domain and checked some other civics with 17's and it does look stupid plus i have omni full coil over and my ride is rough already so the higher profile tire sounds like a better choice. Since i orig budgeted for 17's, now i can spend more on tires. thanks guys. i hate to say this but if it wasn't for your insight and knowledge i might have been a ricer. thanks for the guidance...