Yeah, for a 1998 civic EX, you would want to stay with a 195/55-15 as they are closer to the stock tire size of 185/65-14. 23.45 inches tall for the 14 inch wheel/tire compared to 23.47 inches tall for the 15 inch wheel/tire!! The 195/50-15's are a little lower profile (22.68 inches tall) than the 195/55-15's, meaning they are shorter, meaning you should have seen a slight acceleration (torque increase) from a standstill with those tires (if you have the same size in the front as you do in the rear) at a small cost of having your speedometer read slightly slower. As far as the type of tire, I go with what ever seems to have the most to offer. Try going to a mom and pop tire place as they seem to know more about the tires they sell and they tend to be lower priced. Also, try to stay away from the tire incorporations such as Tires Plus or Firestone as they have fixed prices that tend to be high for what they offer. Once you find a good place to go, I personally would not get a directional tire as they tend to be a softer material, meaning the wear down faster and when it comes to rotating them, you can only put the back right to the front right, rear left to the front left and vice versa. Whereas with the non-directional tires, you can put the damn wheel/tire on any corner when doing a rotation and balance which will yield a longer tire life and more money in your pocket further down the road, granite you don't bust another one.