Sorry to hear you are Disappointed but keep in mind you bought a base model Civic maybe you Should have bought another Corolla...I myself Bought the Top Model the Touring and my previous car being a 15 Accord Sport I am not at all Disappointed this really is a great car alot of features...
I Have the Same Car the 1.5T sounds a bit like it is knocking but it is not I find it has a nice little growl to it and it is more pronounced when it is cold but keep in mind it is a turbo and during engine warm up it should be driven easy turbo parts are fragile and oil heating is essential...
I have had no problem at all this Winter with my Touring Sedan it has performed very Well on 4 winter tires the key word is winter tires it's a must I Live in Montreal and it is the Law here to have winters installed on all 4 wheels from Dec 15-March 15 just all around better handling in Snow....
I live in Montreal Quebec CA and I find my touring performs very well for a FWD keep in Mind I am running on 4 Winter Tires it is mandatory law here in Quebec to have Winter tires on every automobile between December 15th and March 15th it's the Law...
If you are going to buy wheels don't hesitate get them as long you stay within specs there is no problem your dealer is trying to pull a fast one as they will obviously would want you to buy them at the dealer to make a hefty profit I would take my business elsewhere and tell them to go to he'll..