Eh, it's a new car, I'd say it's a bad idea to get deals on suspension parts. You're using stock shocks right? What happens if you blow them? I doubt that's covered under warranty. Also, do you plan on tracking the car, or just for looks? Springs merely lower the car for looks. The ride the provide is generally pretty bouncy and doesn't improve handing for any sort of spirited driving.
IIRC, stock wheel size on those cars are 17. 16s would bring it lower to the ground, but increase the wheel gap.. if you had coils and were already pretty low I'd suggest going that route. I'm not a huge fan of using a bigger wheel then stock, especially because it will probably raise your car up more and look awkward. But.. it's up to you. I'd suggest getting good quality used rims from a place like memoryfab, since budget seems to be on your mind and you won't be able to get good quality 18 inch wheels brand new for 'cheap'.
Since yours isn't an Si, I know there's a limited amount of parts for the car. Try doing research to see what parts that are made for the Si will fit on yours since they share the same chassis. Good luck.. talk to me if you want more resources or ideas :p
yeah i know the struts wont be covered in my warranty. but i am on a civic website where most of my friends have swapped out their sprints and struts out so if i do need new ones i can get them cheap.
Right now i do not feel any bounce in my car. it may be becuase i have added some extra reinforcement with some sway bars.
and yeah stock rims are 17. but my cousin says he is going to sell me his Racing hart C5 rims for 200 then i have a friend who wants those rims.
and yeah my car is no SI but i think i am finished with suspension/performance mods. generally there are more aftermarket stuff for SI like exhausts, midpieping, pulley sets, turboes, etc. but becuase i only get 140+ HP its not worth the money.
I'm assuming you're talking about 8thgencivic. I'd be careful what you buy from people you don't know, especially used parts.
If you're getting bars to stiffen up your chassis (note: won't really help with the bounciness of stock shocks on lowering springs), why bother cheaping out on springs and not getting a complete setup? I don't know, seems kinda like a hardparking thing to do and not beneficial in the least when being used for the actual purpose. But I suppose it's an improvement over stock, and I commend you for taking the effort to work on the car yourself.
Meh, not really a fan of Racing Hart rims.. but if you like them or can sell them then good for you I guess.
You're right, performance mods are pretty worthless for a base model civic that hasn't been swapped. You could probably boost that engine, but that's pretty worthless. Bolt-ons like intake/header/exhaust might be worthwhile, but it's all about what you want to spend money on.
Be careful what you install if you're worried about warranty as well.. I'm pretty sure stereo equipment voids it due to electrical tampering.
But good job, it's a start. Just trying to help you out.