So my name is Matt, from the Central Valley of CA, have a baby on the way and all that.

In short I'm taking my fiances 02 Cavalier as a commuter car since I just bought a brand new family car for important trips, etcetc.
I'm looking to do some quick fixes to make it look a little better.

I did some searching, but I still need some help, for specific advice as I am new to all of this.
I had a few bagged trucks in the past and stuff like that. This is my first ever car.

Anyway, I came across some pretty simple rims, 16x7, 5x100 bolt pattern, +40mm offset.
Will these work, and look like they will tuck? I don't want them sticking outside of the fender.

Secondly I just recently had a massive tune up done, and now I'm looking toward the drop. Money isn't a big issues, but I'd like to go with something quality. I want a nice ride since I will be driving it approx 40 miles a day. I want to do something mild, couple inches maybe. I want to basically close the gap between the fenderwell and the tire, and for it to sit even, no rake.

With those size rims and whatever drop is suggested what would be the best tire size to run, something a little smaller than stock but nothing too low pro. a 45 series maybe?

Just trying to figure out all in all what would look best to give it a super clean look.

Again, thanks for the help in advance, I really appreciate it.

the 16's would look ok for a daily driver IMO. probably isnt going to look near as good as 17's or the best-18's for 'tucking' as you put it.. but i think they should do nicely. the ones you mentioned will work, also. it all depends on what kind of rims and the way they look as for if your going to get that 'clean' look from them. personally, if you want 16's i suggest the stock 95-99 z24 rims as they look good in any color for any year cav.

if money is no object and you want basically a 2 inch drop, go either tokico d-spec struts or koni yellow struts (will give you a decent ride and not kill your back and will be ok for the baby to ride in) and eibach sportline springs. they provide a 1.7" drop in the front and a 2.3" in the rear (which will provide the nice even stance you want). if you want to go any lower than that, your going to need to get some coilovers, i would suggest ground control's. and if laying out and draggin is what you want, then obviously bags are where its at for you.

dropping the tire size from stock is going to give you more wheel gap, harsher ride, and your speedo is going to be off some. i would just stick with stock sized 16" tires.

Thanks for the reply.

The rims I found are brand new and extremely cheap as they are the last a local area wheel/tire shop has in stock that they want to get rid of. They are just a big 6 spoke rim that are machined with black accents. They are a silverish, and so is the cav. Plus I really like bigger solid spoked rims, so it's going to go well with the car. The silver and black look.

As for the lowering aspect, with the Eibach Sportlines, are new struts necessary? From what I've read, yes. Just to improve overall ride quality. I want it to be smooth since I will be driving it a lot for a commuter. Recommend any good sites I can get everything I need from?

So the 16's with a stock tire size, springs/struts, will that reduce the current gap I have between the tire and fenderwell and even out the stance? That's basically all I'm looking to do. Give it a little cleaner and nicer look.

I'm also going to black out the windows, and put a small system in it after I get the exterior squared away.

Curious question, anyone know where I can get the black windows pieces that are on the edge of the door sills that seperate the windows when the doors are closed? They are normally black and shiny, but mine are kind of weather worn and I'd like to put some new black ones on it.

Oh, and where can I get the stock Z24 rims?
I started originally looking for those, and couldn't really find any.

Thanks again for the help.

car-part.com or the classifieds on here....

and yes, you DO need the struts that can handle the drop, otherwise youll just be replacing the stockers over and over from them blowing. and yes, the ride does suck balls to boot.

and 4 options to fix the outside pillar cover deals for the doors... wax the sh!t out of what you got, paint what you got, or go to gm and buy brand new, or find a good set in a junk yard.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, July 14, 2008 6:58 PM