hey guys. i just bought a set of used 17" Motegi MR7 rims with 215/45/17 tires on them. I was wondering, would they fit on my stock 96 civic EX with no rubbing or any other problem except ride quality? what about 215/50/17 would they fit? if anyone has something like this on, let me know so i can go ahead and put them on for summer. thanks

 

ok if its stock height then i believe the 215/45-17 will work. if you can get a 205/40-17 then that would be the proper size.

with 215/45 the ride quality will actually have a little more cushion but the only thing is your car will be running about 5% to slow.

so when your speedometer reads 60 mph you will actually be going 63 mph

 

Keep in mind putting on any 16inch+ rim will hurt your mpg. I tested my buddies rota slips w/ 205/40/16 tires for 2 days and i didn't like it all (i drive a stock 99 civic EX with suspension mods). The bigger rims made the car feel heavy and i felt like i was lacking handling performance with these bigger rims on. IMO, 15inch rims are the best for any 92-00 civic. EG's can get away with 14inch rims but EJ's should run only 15inch rims IMO. When it comes down to it, the D-series insuffecient power is to blame for this.

 

There's no advantage to getting tires that are too big, only disadvantages - they will slow down your acceleration, they will throw off the accuracy of your speedometer and odometer, the tires are more expensive, and there's a good chance they will rub in the wheel wells. Stick with the proper size for your car - and on a '96 Civic EX with 17" wheels, that's 205/40-17.

 

the thing is they came with those tires and i dont want to pay to buy another set of tires. i just want to use them for one season before i sell my car :D. as long as there is no rubbing i can live with the rest of the disadv :D. thanks for the info i appreciate it

 

one more thing what if i install 205/40/17 on the front and keep the 215/45/17 in the back, would that solve the speedometer problem?

 

In that case, yes, just keep using them. But if and when they wear out before you sell the car, buy 205/40-17.

Yes, but you're better off using the same tires all around. Put the ones with more tread on the front if you want to make them all wear out at the same time.

But to answer your question, the speedometer and odometer are both driven from the drive wheels - on a Civic, that means the front wheels. So while I don't advise putting different tires on the front, the answer to your question is yes.

 

I run 215/45/17 on my accord no problem. and it is pretty much slammed. I have no gap between tire and fender.

Check fit the back ones first because if you have fitment issues that is where it will be. As far as a tall tire is concerned.

If you are selling your car rock em.

Just install 1 side and put it on the ground and play with it and see if everything clears.

 

Remember, different cars use different tire sizes. An Accord has a lot more room in the wheel wells than a Civic. And the Accord has larger stock tires, so a given tire size may work fine on an Accord, but on an older Civic it will throw off the speedometer/odometer and slow the acceleration and maybe rub.

 

won't that make your car understeer even worse?

also, i had 215's on my lowered 96 civic a few years ago and they rubbed when i'd hit a bump in the road while turning. it was pretty annoying.

 

nsx, yeah I completely understand that. I tried a bigger tire than 215/45 and it rubbed the rear link and wouldn't spin.

I know the civics are a littler tighter and would personally never run over a 16" rim/tire combo.

15's are the new 22"s for civics. I thought everyone knew that?