Currently I am running Falken Azenis(the newest one) 215/45/17 on my CCW Classics 17x7.5 +33 while dropped on BC Racing Coilovers. I used them today for the first time to drive to work and here are a couple things I have seen: the front tires look be hitting the fender itself along with the fender wall, the rears obviously need to have the fenders rolled along with negative camber, and I also need to heighten the car a little in the front. To me it looks like the tires are bulging out further than the rim itself which looks to be my problem. The fronts currently have a 1 1/2 finger gap (def needs to go up) and a 2 finger gap in the rear. In the past I was able to completely clear with no problem with my 17x7.5 +42 while being on 205/40/17. So I need some help with this if you guys could.

ALSO, this is my daily driver on NJ roads (mainly the Parkway and the f'ed up Rt 78). I wouldnt have a problem if I was bottoming out on huge bumps but im hitting the fenders with small ones. I'll be taking pics tonight when I get home from work before I roll the fenders.

 

215/45-17 should work okay IF your wheels have the proper offset. It sounds to me like your offset may not be the best for your car with wheels that wide. IOW you have plenty of clearance behind the wheels, but they are getting pushed out too far, and thus rubbing on the fenders.

You could also try 205/45-17 tires (but 205/40-17 is MUCH too small for a 2002 Civic!). If you're looking for very sticky tires, the Azenis doesn't come in 205/45, but you can get the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 or Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 in those sizes. Yes, they're more expensive than the Azenis ($160ish vs $110ish) but you need a size that won't rub.

FWIW, here's how these various sizes compare in diameter with 185/65-15, the stock size for a 2002 Civic EX:

185/65-15: 24.47" (stock)
205/45-17: 24.26" (-0.8 percent)
215/45-17: 24.62" (+0.6 percent)
205/40-17: 23.46" (-4.1 percent)

 

thanks a lot. i bottom'd out completely in the rear on my way home from work. it took a nice chunk of paint off the rear. +42 is the recommended offset for the EM2. People said they have gone with the +33 with no problems even without a pull or even rolling the rear fenders.

 

Maybe with camber, but not in stock trim.

 

Keep in mind that in terms of clearance, offset works along with the wheel width. A given number offset may be fine for wheels that are 6.5 inches wide (say 16x6.5) but may cause problems for wheels like yours that are 7.5 inches wide.

I don't know which specific offset figures work best for 7.5 inch wide wheels on your car, though.

 

i played the experiment game with the em2. currently I have -3 degree's of camber in the rear and it clears. i see if i go to a smaller tire like 205/40 i can drop that to 1.5 or 2, possibly lower with the fender lips cut. i need the tread to last longer than what I think they are going to last now with the 215/45 still on, maybe a month and a half if I'm lucky. if i really want them to sit flush i could pull the fender out a lil with the smaller tire. i'm going to see how much its gonna cost me to get the lips cut since i feel it is the easiest way to do it.