so ever since I bought my 97 its has had 17's on it. I don't mind the ride of them that much, I like the look more than anything, some may argue, but this is my preference. Well I like to push my cars a little more than the average Joe. so some time last month I was taking a right hand corner and heard a scraping/grinding sound coming from the drivers side rear of the car and I was wondering what it might be. also I would like to put some stiffer and lower springs on the car and was wondering what parts should be replaced at the same time for the best performance and least wear and tear on the car, so far Ive looked at some skunk2's some tein's and 2 pairs of eibach's all help is appreciated thank you

 

That grinding would be your tires that are too wide with an imperfect rim offset causing your tire to rub the outer fender lip.

Tein springs are not going to be stiff.
Skunk2 is overrated IMO.
Eibach makes pretty nice springs.
H&R is good too. I can't really think of anything else off the top of my head.

 

thanks, between the eibach sportline kit and the eibach pro-kit which one would be better and should I replace any other components at the same time?

 

the pro's are going to be lower and stiffer than the sportline kit. I'm not exactly sure by how much and what the ride height is for either.

However, either way, you should look into also replacing the shocks/struts. I really like my KYB AGX shocks, and they're a pretty good value (~$350). They're 4 way adjustable (in dampening force, not height). You can set them to 1 or 2 for daily driving and if you ever decide for some reason to take it autocrossing or to the drag strip, you'd adjust them as necessary. Another good set of shocks are the Koni Yellows. They're a little better than the KYB's. Another set is the Tokico Illuminas, but the adjustment ***** on them are known to break off easily. Other than that, they're also good shocks. All 3 of these shocks/struts are adjustable in dampening force.

 

With 17s your not going to be able to get much of a drop without rubbing. Even the Teins will most likely rub and they are the smallest drop of the springs mentioned. As for comfort, the TEINS and Eibach Sportlines will be the best. I have H&R race springs and they re pretty stiff, and I rubbed with 17s. I also recommend Tokico HP shocks, I have them and enjoy them.