tire rims lowering questions???????

i'm just stepping into the world of tuner cars and have a few questions.
i bought a 97 accord lx and want to customize it a little. i'm thinking just lowering it some and putting some nice rims on it. here are my questions.

should i get coilovers or lowering springs?
what is a camber kit and would i need one?
what size rim would you suggest? i'm thinkin either 17 or 18
how do you read a tire size? what do the three diff. numbers mean?
would 17 or 18 fit if i lowered it?

any help is greatly appreciated.

i prefer coilovers, because if you get lower springs you will be bunching every little bump on the road.
i prefer 17's because if you get 18's you will have a smaller tire wall and if you hit a pothole it will either crack your tires wall or bend you rims,
it depends how much you want to lower your car, you can get a body kit so you dont have to lower is so much that your tires is scrapping your fender,