NewBie Question:

will the 18's rub on fender or rear arm?

 

When you upsize your wheels you downsize your tires (lower profile) to keep the same overall diameter as your stock 16s. This means you just have more wheel and less tire so you shouldnt rub unless you have an extreme drop or you decide to put on thicker tires which will throw off your speedo

 

Given the correct offset with the wheel, you should be fine.

 

well i was thinking of getting some rims that were 18 x 7.5 with 42mm offset, and some falken 225/40/18. Would I need or be able to add a 1.5" drop to it?

 

That will work without a problem.

 

is there anywhere in Los Angeles someone would recommend checking out? Or have any of you guys had good experiences on ordering tires/wheels online....

 

Agreed! That's the size/offset/drop I'm running!