14" rims on 2002 Honda Civic EX?

Question

I recently bought a used 2002 Honda Civic EX, and just found out that I have 14" wheels on it, where the manufacturer calls for 15" (it's written on the inside of the front door). I want to find out if having smaller rims than what the car is built for is dangerous or can cause damage, or is it common pracitice to have 14" rims on a car that call for 15" (the car dealer said that it is common to have smaller rims, which I find hard to believe).
thanks for any help,
Y

Answer 1

With smaller rims you have less ground clearance.
but wait if you have high profile tires then the it should be ok.
but its always recommended to have the right tire size.

since its a used car i'll tell ya exactly what must have happened.

the dealer must have bought it at an auction and it must have had its tires worn out and would have had nice alloys.

so the dealer to make little profit would have sold the original honda alloy rims to some to make $$$

and then gone to junkyard picked up the 5 lug or 4lug whatever tires from there for very less bucks and put em on.

maybe since the tires are new you wont find a difference

so now you know what you have to do.

take it to a proper mech, get em balanced and ask him if you need to change the wheels

Answer 2

i think its common to have smaller rims. it shouldnt be that much of a difference because its only a inch from stock. some hondas have 13" rims and they arent spare tires. im my opinion its not a big deal and not something that you should worry about.