I'm looking at dropping my car somewhere between 1.5" and 2.25" (trying to decide which springs to get) and am on 17x7's (going into winter, it'll be all-season 15's) and next summer, looking to go up to 18".

At what point is it worth getting a camber kit?

 

if your camber is out of spec, and the alignment place can't correct it... then you need a camber kit.

 

You can do the washer trick on the rear since you have a 97. Search for the info.

The more drop you get, the more correction you'll need. With a 1.5, might not any...2.25, count on it.

For the front, see what people have good luck with. My 6th gen has pretty high tolerances up front...I have about 1.75-2.0 up front, and it's still in the specs. Not sure how 5th gens differ.

 

i have no gap on 18s and i sure as hell needed and got one. ingalls extreme is the stuff

 

You can put the camber kit on when you install the springs jut set the camber to a nominal setting. Like someone said you can save some money and do the washer trick on the rear. Just wait like 2 or 3 weeks before getting an alignment. You need to allow the springs to completely settle before adjusting the alignment.

 

At the same time that you do suspension mods. Otherwise your tires will suffer some uneven wear.