This info must be here somewhere but I couldn't find it.

On the TireRack website, when I stipulate the vehicle I have and it lists 15", 16", 17" etc wheels, can I guarantee they will fit my car? In other words, if I mate it with the correct tires, can I potentially fit 17" wheels? What is the widest wheel / tire that can fit inside the arches of my unmodified vehicle? My vehicle isn't lowered but I want it to look like the wheel arches are just a little fuller. Any tips on sizing greatly appreciated. I am thinking of going from 14" to 16" but all the NA's for sale with aftermarket alloys have 15", is there a reason for this? Do 16's spoil the handling?

Thanks for any tips or links to tips?

 

What year/model do you have?

There are a lot of factors that determine what wheels will fit.
Width, diameter, offset, and tire size are all very important things. These also complement each other because width and offset go hand in hand... what offset you can use relies on how wide the wheel is and vice versa.


Your wheel wells won't look any fuller with larger wheels because you have to get tires that fit the car. You want the overall diameter of the new tires to be extremely close to the overall diameter of the stock tires. When you put your car in on tire rack and it lists the 15", 16", and 17" tire sizes, it tells you which specific size is best.


Many people who do autocross pick 15" rims because they are lighter. I prefer 15" rims because you can have more meat on your tires, giving you a better ride, plus I like the look. 16" will ride just a little bit harsher (little less tire sidewall) but that's pretty much the only difference in functionality.
15" and 16" are pretty much the standard sizes for getting aftermarket wheels on Civics (pre-2001).