Wheels

[GMONEY__23]

Hey, how's it going people? I am trying to put some 17" rims on my 04 civic lx and I was wondering if there are any modifications I have to do before I put them on.

[MBZ KleemanBSTD]

Originally Posted by GMONEY__23

Hey, how's it going people? I am trying to put some 17" rims on my 04 civic lx and I was wondering if there are any modifications I have to do before I put them on.

Slightly longer version, because I have to guess at the remaining 2/3 of information I sort of need, but no big deal...I'll cover the 3 most common scenerios you will encounter based on the changes you may make to 1 of the other two measurements.

16" would be easy, unless you are greater than a 4" drop, blanket answer: no extra mods.

you let me know if you are lowered more than 2.5"

**this is based on the assumption that clost to half is around 3, close to the other half is at 1.5"...and the rest fall @ either stock, 2.5" actual, or on coilovers/bags dropped**

Ok the other two measurments, width, and rim stagger.....on a guestimaverage again, 17" rim will be assumed to be commonly 7.0" - 7.5" - and rarely an 8.0" but eh can be more trouble than it's worth (both install, and tires, wheel wells, whatever)

7.0" rims you'll be fine probably down to 4"...maybe 3.5-3.75ish and you could even vary the stagger +/- 2-3mm

SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO VERIFY IF THAT YEAR WAS AN ET32MM OR ET38MM

7.5" rim maybe some mods maybe none....and could rarely be some extra removal of rain guards....if you keep your stagger stock or go 31-30ish (or if its an et38mm 37-36ish) the difference if you can use one or two MM relief would depend on ride height.

Oh, sorry almost forgot, offset....moving down in numbers brings the rim out closer to the outer wheel well (wider stance) and vice versa obviously


I might have forgot something, but in the spirit of short and sweet, I couldn't have forgotten anything that important you got the meat and potatoes.

HTH

Oops I almost forgot to add in what you may have to do at a 7.5" rime, generally after a 17x7" rim, meaning 17x7.5 and up or 18x7 and up you will have to at a minimum roll the outter fender or trim it back witha dremel.

Now two things to pay careful attention to when trimming honda fenders, well the first is for any metal trimming, immediately after spray the fresh cut with welder's galvanized spray paint....you can use whatever primer/protectant you want. I prefer the welders galvanized version myself for technical reasons. Plus when it dries it's really thick and hard, almost can't chip it witha hammer....makes a great primer for places rocks hit constantly at 45-90mph. After all this stuff is designed to protect structural welds @ kings studs in doorways windows and corners, and by code has to maintain the same protection rating for a min of 30 years. It can be obtained at any welding supply store, or your local muffler shop is more than happy to kick a can your way if yo ask nice.

(My company is a Metal Stud framing company, we build buildings and houses out of....yes metal 2x4's. So you can stop scratching your head about the welding studs thing ha ha ha)

Second thing to be aware of, you just trimmed or rolled your mounting points for your wheel well liner, which most people will say "eh you don't need it, I took mine out" Well let me save you their misery....it's like oxygen...just because you can't see what it does...doesn't mean it doesn do anything. you'll find if you remove it, you will have alllllll kinds of rocks, leaves, and water along your entire door sills.....those aren't sealed from the wheel wells, the weatherstripping arond the door keeps water from coming in the car. Water passes down your sills constantly...and it can find it's way into the carpet. I've seen tis happen typicall with 92-95's So all this means is rivet in some little clips, JB weld the liner in...and pray you never have to remove it...but try to retain your wheel wells.

Best bet, buy the rims you want...making special care to explain your concerns to the tire store....remember these guys are professionals...they've dealt with this problem more times than you've sneezed. And since not all variables can be properly evaluated and predicted, if some rubbing does occur...my suggestion is always this: get all the ideas out of your head, and replace them with just one...go call a body shop, make and appointment. They will cure all the problems and make it look and function properly.

BTW if you are buying these rims from a legitimate store front...most places will happily mount at least the front rims/tires and put them on before ballancing them so that you can do u turns on the parking lot, and you can test the up down at full lock too. Go up to a speed bump, and go over the bump at about a 35 degree angle with the wheels at almost full lock in the same direction. I.E. - if u approach the speed bump straight, and turn right to achieve the angle...turn the wheel almost full lock to the left. This is the closest you can get without going and finding a real pot hole or bump in real conditions.

[FerioES1]

^^^ a simple no would have been good. make sure you get the right size tire is basically the biggest concern there

[GreenDrifter]

I work at Discount Tire, and we put 17's on Civics all the time. Even 18's aren't that uncommon. Like MBZ KleemanBSTD said, it depends on the amount of drop you have. You can run a 205/45-17, a slightly taller 205/50-17. You could also run a slightly wider 215/45-17 or 215/50-17. Either way, you're looking at a 42 mm positive offset.

You can go to Discount Tire, Custom Wheels, Truck & Car Rims | Discount Tire Co. and find all the info you need. Keep in mind, though, that all this info is based on a stock ride height. Once you alter the ride height, you could definitely run into some rubbing issues. Discount Tire tests fit anything and will talk with you about any rubbing issues.

Any more questions?

--Spencer M. Mankin
spencermankin@hotmail.com
smmcustoms@hotmail.com