Alright, here's the dealio. I have a '97 Civic lx and I just picked up some wheels and tires from a guy that my mom works with. They're 17x7 Enkei RS-6 with Falken Ziex 215/40/ZR17 tires all around. My car is stock and I really had my mind set on eventually getting some 16" Rotas, but my mom called me last Friday while I was driving and told me the guy only wanted $350 for all 4 and she'd pay for them, so I took them. I do like the design and don't really mind a little bigger.

But, I put one on today after I washed them up and it looked like it stuck out WAY too far. Granted, I only put the front right on without lug nuts (waiting for some that fit). I made sure the wheel was on all of the way, but the tire was even with the fender, if not a little further out.

I looked up the specs on the wheel and it looks like they have a +38 offset. I called the guy so he could just take them back, but he said for me just to wait for the lug nuts, and mount them all to see how it goes then. So...sorry for the novel, but I thought I'd include as much info as possible. My question is: Will these rub really bad if I hit bumps or stuff like that?? And if I lower it with Tein S-Techs (they say 1.9"-front/1.7"-back drop), will it be way worse? Or will the camber change lay them back a little so the don't rub??

 

those tires are too wide.. u should go with a 205/40/17 or like a 205/45.. not sure on the right calculations.. the offset is fine just the tires are a little too wide

 

Well that's a really good thing to hear. The tires are pretty trashed anyways. Probably from them rubbing horribly on the Del Sol he had them on. Haha.

Anybody else with experience and/or opinions? If it IS just the tires that are too wide, I'll just look into getting some new tires.

 

Any more info from anybody? If I do end up having to get new tires, what are the cheapest performance tires I can get? On Tirerack, they have both the Fuzion ZRi and the Kumho ECSTA 711 for $48 a tire or the Kumho ECSTA AST for $53 a piece. And I found some Falken Ziex on eBay for like $180 for 4 shipped. I really don't need anything great. I'm not going to be racing of any kind or anything. Just my DD. I really wish I could just find some gently used tires.

 

I have those exact same rims on my del Sol. And i lowered my del sol too, i had some rubbing next to the fender in the front on the wheel housing on both sides. But it doesnt rub anymore, cause i put a camber kit on it and tilted them a little. every once in a while the tires will rub on the wheel well on the inside. i am looking to get sell my rims and tires, so if anybody knows anybody who wants to buy mine, let me know.

 

Yes, you should be using the 205/40-17 size. Remember, not only is it narrower than 215/40, but it's also smaller in diameter, both of which help avoid rubbing.

I'm going to make a wild-*** assumption, based on your location, that you don't need to use these tires in snow or frigid cold temperatures. Therefore, you don't need to consider all-season tires like the Ziex or AST, whose performance will suck compared to comparably priced summer tires. And the 711 is just plain crap. So don't shop just by price. There are some very good, relatively inexpensive summer tires out there. Don't settle for crap.

In 205/40-17, there is an absolutely frickin' awesome deal on the Bridgestone Potenza RE750 at the Tire Rack. This is an excellent tire, with better performance than other very good, value-oriented summer tires like the Yokohama ES100, Kumho SPT, Avon Tech M500, etc. In most sizes, the RE750 costs a lot more than those other tires; in 205/40-17 it normally costs $140/tire. But the Tire Rack has them on sale in that size for $56, and that's an awesome price, significantly less than the other tires I'm mentioning. That would be my top recommendation.

The Fuzion ZRi isn't a bad choice; its performance is decent, while not quite at the ES100/SPT level. It's $48/tire, but it's on closeout, so if you trash one, you might have a problem getting a replacement. So for that reason as well as the extra performance, I recommend spending the extra $8 for the RE750, which is still a huge bargain.

Bridgestone Potenza RE750 205/40-17

 

Alright, thanks a bunch nsxtasy. Yeah, you're right. I obviously don't have to worry about any other season than summer here. Haha. My birthday is coming up in like 2 weeks, so I'll get some money there, and hopefully I can get a full time job really soon, so I'll start saving every cent I have for the Bridgestones. I was planning on getting the springs to lower it whenever I got the money, but I'll do the tires first and unfortunately ride around on the stock height for a while. But first things first, right?

I mounted all four yesterday, and the clearance is fine with these tires at the stock height, so I'll be able to drive on them until I get the new ones. I'll make sure to do some burnouts and tell my mom that they NEED to be replaced so maybe she'll help me with the cost for now.

Thanks again. Just looking around the forum, I can see that you help a hell of a lot of people.

 

Haha, okay. Another update. My mom had my car today and took it to Discount to get the wheels balanced, and aparently the tires were in worse shape then I thought. They said they couldn't put them back on my car. I guess things I hadn't seen before. But I got it all for so cheap, even the wheels themselves are worth way more than the $350 I paid.

So anyways, my mom was stuck at Discount and called me to say I needed new tires now. I'm pissed I couldn't get that great deal on the Bridgestone's. The only tire they had that I felt was worth my money was the Yokohama ES100's. So I got 4 of those at $114 a pop, which is pretty spendy compared to what Tire Rack has them listed for, but with my new job lined up and everything, I'll be fine with the money situation. So thanks for ALL of the help nsxtasy. You're advice really saved me even if I spent more than I planned on. I'm glad to have it over with. I now have some nice tires, the right size, and I shouldn't have to worry about other mods to my car working right.

 

Sounds good. The Yokohama ES100 is a very good tire, and it's really not all that different from the RE750, other than price, which you were already aware of. So no worries; sometimes it just makes sense to get everything all done on the spot, which it now is, even if you have to pay more. I assume they're not rubbing at all, either. Good job.