...before I need to get cc plates? which springs are recommended? and lastly, are aftermarket shocks required with any spring set up?
I got 1.6"(measured nearly 2 months ago now)of the 1.7" of advertised drop in the front and 1.25" of the 1.5"advertised drop in the rear. I don't know if I really needed new camber plates, but I went ahead and bought the Steeda heavy duty upper strut mounts with more adjustment than stock just to not worry about the OEM parts failing. They've been in/on the car for about 4K miles and I still have not gotten an alignment On the install, we just lowered it to the ground and eye balled the camber and set the struts out just a hair. My tires haven't worn more on the inside at all and it tracks very well...even after travelling some of these rough roads under construction between Central VA and Southern MD. Anything more than 1" lower and you may need at least camber bolts to get it back to spec. Also, if you drop more than 1", you may need an adjustable panhard bar to recenter the rear end under the car. Depending on the drop, you may want to get new shocks/struts as the OEM ones aren't designed for the rougher ride and/or being compressed more from lowering. Most of the name brand spring/strut/shock kits work very well as they were designed to work together as a set