I have a few questions about getting the best handeling out of my 93 civic dx hatch. I was thinking about getting some 15's with performance tires, and lowering with coilovers and gas shocks. But my friend was telling me that if I get 17's and still lower it but not as much than it will handle better, because 17's have a lower sidewall and don't flex in turns like 15's. Is this true? How many inches should I lower my car eather way?I want the best handeling posible for my car, and I would appreciate any advise that you can give me. Thanks..

 

There are some tests out there that show that a 15 inch wheel and tire combo will out handel bigger wheels, plus 15's are a lot cheaper than 17's.

 

werd, 15"s + 205/50/15's + GC Coilovers + KYB's

 

omni coilovers + 15inchers + kumho mx = thumbs up

 

205 is 205 no matter if it's 205/50x15" or 205/40x17", but the bigger question is which weighs more?

Usually 17" tires and wheels weigh more than 15" tires and wheels. And the heavier the wheel/tire the more power it takes to turn it. I think Sport Compact Car said that for every pound of wheel/tire weight that equals 9-10lbs static body weight.

I had a 17" wheel package back in the day and it was 45lbs. I have a 15x7" Enkei RPF1 with Azenis that weighs in at 32lbs. So right there that's 13lbs I lost of wheel/tire.

this would be 13*10=130lbs and that's just for one CORNER! 130*4=520lbs.

Pretty significant. And actually tire flex is good on front wheel drive cars. Too stiff a sidewall can make the tire skip across the road while cornering.

 

The larger the sidewall, the greater the flex but comparing 15" and 17", that difference is minimal. The weight of the 17" rim would make any gains obsolete.

 

agreed 100 percent. sure the intitial stiffness of the 17s would be ideal...but that is just the begining of the turn-in. the 15s would flex and you do want a tire to flex in order to grip better.