Hello all... New member with some questions.

I just purchased an 02 EX sedan. I will be having all of the dings removed and the windows tinted this coming week.

I am a professional high end detailer in Tampa, FL so I definitely can get the detail/polishing work straightened out. She needs a little work, but I got a good deal.

My plan is to go with 18" wheels. I am looking at 18x7.5 and 18x8 in size and plan on going with 215/40/18 for tires.

My question is, will this wheel and tire combo rub? I also plan to drop it a bit depending on the fender gap when I get the wheels on. I am sure the Eibach pro kit is all I will need. Does this setup sound realistic to retain good regular driveability?

Your thoughts are welcome.

BTW, I did use the search and it didnt give me the answers Im looking for.

Thanks in advance.

With 18's you could use a little more of a drop. But shocks/springs is better than nothing I guess. Drop before wheels though man, everyone will tell you that, and you'll thank us later for it.

cleansleeper said:

With 18's you could use a little more of a drop. But shocks/springs is better than nothing I guess. Drop before wheels though man, everyone will tell you that, and you'll thank us later for it.

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Thanks for the reply. How will I know what wheels and tires to go with if I drop first? I dont want to give up all comfort. For me, the purpose of dropping at all is to take care of fender gap, not to enhance cornering performance.

That tire size would be fine. Worry about your suspension first. Your options are near endless, your budget will tell you where to go.

Garry Dean said:

Thanks for the reply. How will I know what wheels and tires to go with if I drop first? I dont want to give up all comfort. For me, the purpose of dropping at all is to take care of fender gap, not to enhance cornering performance.

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Eibach pro kit will do very well with the drop on 18's. Just look at Chris (RedRyder), with his 18's his car looked very well done.

Garry Dean said:

Thanks for the reply. How will I know what wheels and tires to go with if I drop first? I dont want to give up all comfort. For me, the purpose of dropping at all is to take care of fender gap, not to enhance cornering performance.

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Unless you are slamming the car to the ground, you won't have issues finding wheels/tires to fit. The reason many say lower it first is simply as with 18s it'll look like a truck.

Picture of another member who did 18s



after he lowered it

Thanks for the replies, guys.

So is it safe to say that Eibach Pros are the way to go for me or is there another, maybe better option with 18's and 215/40/18?

Will the Sportlines be too much? Make me rub?

Also, Should I be looking at narrower or will the 18x8's be sufficient?

One more q... Will I be able to have the car aligned properly without any additional modifications with the Eibach Pros?

These are some real facepalm questions.

What's your budget?

You won't need anything for proper alignment.

If anything go wider than 8"

cleansleeper said:

These are some real facepalm questions.

What's your budget?

You won't need anything for proper alignment.

If anything go wider than 8"

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In my internet travels, I figured Id be in the $1300-1500 range for the wheels and tires at Tire Rack and Amazon has the Eibach Pro kit with struts for $457 shipped. So Im staying inside 2k.

Sounds like you know what you're going to do then.