Hey Paul,
You can run the 17's with no problem. The thing you will need to keep an eye on is the width of the wheel. You can run 8 to 9 inch wide wheels without having to touch anything else on the car provided you run the correct profile tire. If you look at our wheel pit, you can put the year of your car in and all the tire/wheel packages that will fit it will pop up. You should be fine with a 1 to 1/2 inch drop. Anything more and I'd be worried of minor rubbing issues.