How big should i go?

i want to get 17 inch rims for my 90 hb and i want to know how big of a tire and how wide of a rim i can go with without rubbing

As a general rule, Honda's don't do well with anything wider than 215, and I would say to even stay at 205. Anything larger, especially with 17" rims, and you'll rub your tires to death every time you turn. I would even say that you'll be happier with 16" wheels than 17s, since they would be lighter, letting you accelerate better, and giving less rotational inertia. If you have ever taken a physics class, you'll know that this plays a huge part in getting off the line. A civic just has a hard time turning all that metal. The best size wheel, in my opinion, for a civic is a 15", since you get the look of a larger wheel, you can still use a low profile tire, and you have a light wheel for that engine to turn. If you want to go bigger, I would say to go 16" with a 205/45/16 tire. I think you'll be happiest at that size.

Its not so much how big you go, but how right the rims are for your car. I've had 15" rims with 195s that have rubbed, and 16s with 215 with no rubbing at all. Its the offset of the rim that is most important on a Honda. Look for something with a 42-45mm offset when you're buying rims.

I'm gonna agree with the above though with saying that 15" is ideal, while 16" is as big as I'd go.. As long as they're light, 16s are justifyable to me.. I like the short 40 profile moreso than most 15" rims where you have a 55 or if you get the right tire, a 50. Plus, 16" tires are so common that they're really not much more if at all for the 16.

i have 205/40/16's on my ride, never rubbed or scrapped.

i have 205/40/17 and i only had to trim the rear arches, and the front were fine, i like the look of big wheels too

My biggest concern with wheels was the weight, but then I discovered some dope looking 17s that only weigh 10 pounds each, and I can get them for 150 a wheel, so that is what I am going to do.

I think 17s look huge on a civic, but I like that look when the car is lowered nicely over them.

If i didn't find these light ass 17s I would have done some 15" rotas...