Question about springs, sways, wheels

[Chuck Van Pelt <cvanpelt@aracnet.com>]

I was offered an opportunity to pick up a set of Eibach springs for my
GLX that would lower it 1.4" front and back. The car is currently stock
with 15" BBS wheels. I was hoping that some of you could help me with a
few questions:

1. Do I need to swap out the shocks too?
2. Would I have to get an alignment after having these springs
installed? If so, is it possible that the alignment may not be able to
be properly adjusted due to the short springs?
3. Is 1.4" inches a reasonable amount to lower a GLX? (Too low or not
low enough?)
4. Could I expect any rubbing of the tires in the wheel wells?
5. What kind of ride can I expect from these springs? I don't mind
feeling the road a bit, but wondered how much more "bumpiness" I might
feel with shorter springs.

In addition to the springs, how beneficial is it to replace the stock
sway bars with aftermarket models such as Neuspeed for example? I have
heard that the stock sways are to flexible.

Is it advisable to change the outer diameter of my tires, or only to
change the wheel size and compensate with a shorter sidewall, keeping
the O.D. the same?

Thanks for your help,

Chuck Van Pelt