Hey everyone,

I have a 1991 Civic Si HB. I live in IL and it is my daily driver, except I put it away in the winter. I just changed over my suspension from adjustable coilovers to Eibach Sportline Springs with Koni Yellow struts and an Energy Suspension bushing kit.

Right now I have white 17" Motegi MR-7 rims with 205/40/ZR17 Yokohama Parada Spec-2 tires.

I am looking for a change since I changed my suspension.

I want something that will give me a smoother ride but not sacrifice handling.

I was thinking of buying 16" rims; however, they don't make the rims I have now which is what I want. So I need some help. I want to get white, 16" rims with a similar design. Also I need some help on the tire size and brand. I was thinking 205/45/ZR16 Bridgestone Potenza RE01R tires. Not gonna be doing track racing or anything.

Any suggestions?

 

Since its a small car, I would look at 15's. There are tons of good tires in 205/50/15, ride is good bc they still have a bit of sidewall and prices are good too bc they are small. Most 15" Rotas are light, Enkei RPF1 are very light too. Some good 15" summer tires in 205 are Yoko Advan Neova AD08, Bridgestone RE11, Kumho XS, Dunlop Star Spec, Falken Azenis RT615K, among others. The lighter the wheels and sticker tires the better .

 

These are the best tire sizes for your car:

205/40-16 or 195/45-16 on 16" rims
195/50-15 on 15" rims

The RE01R has been discontinued and replaced by the RE-11. These, and also the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec mentioned above, are available in 195/50-15; the Azenis RT-615K is available in 205/40-16. However, while all three of these tires are very sticky, they are fairly expensive and won't last all that long (maybe 15-20K miles). Since you're not doing any tracking, you might be better off with a slightly less sticky summer tire that will last longer and cost less. A good choice for the latter would be the Yokohama S.drive, which should last 25-40K miles and is available in 195/45-16 and 195/50-15. While the S.drive isn't quite as sticky as the RE-11, Star Spec, or RT-615K, it's a whole lot stickier than the crappy Parada Spec you're using now.

 

I know a smaller rim would be better like a 15". But it is a little bit of a show car so I didn't really think of downsizing that much from the 17s. Also, I wanted to get a little bit more cushion on the tires which is why I wanted to get the 45 instead of the 40. How much of a problem would it pose if I got the 205 45 as apposed to the 205 40 or 195 40?

 

If you want a taller sidewall (for better ride comfort), do it by getting smaller diameter wheels. That way you don't need to get oversized tires, which might rub in your wheel wells.

 

17's always seem to big IMO on any civic 2,3,or 4 door. I have 14's and 15's in my collection of wheels and think they look great. Look for a set of 14 or 15 Mugen MR5'S classic wheel on a 4g hatch always looks good.