Just as an FYI, generally speaking, in order to be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, the fender gap (distance from top of tire to the bottom of the lip of the fender) should be less than or equal to the profile of the tire. While 22" wheels DO fit the car, without lowering it, you are left with an un-appealing fender gap that gives the car a 4x4 look. When you use the tire size recommended for 22"x9.5" you get a 265-35-22 tire. This tire is bigger than the stock tire size by almost an inch, meaning when you switch your wheels your car sits almost an inch HIGHER than stock. So if you use the Eibach lowering kit which is a 1.6" drop, it not only will be aesthetically very pleasing, it will also only net down to a .6" drop. A half an inch is probably equal to a couple of passengers, if not less. If you look at all of the cars at SEMA, they were ALL lowered. I put 22" on my car and I HATED the look until I lowered it. It is very difficult to see what I am talking about in pictures, but once you are standing 3 feet away and look at the profile of a stock car on 22" then you will see what I am talking about. As always, it is your car and you should do whatever you want. I am just providing you with an un-objective opinion based on my experiences with the car. In answer to you handling question, the car actually does respond very well to the Pirelli tires and the ride quality is very near stock, if not a tad sportier.
-Chris
