I have 17" x 8" wheels with 245/45/17 tires all around. These fit well with a slight rub on the front when you turn the wheel all the way, the tire hits the "A" arm slightly.
I have removed the quad shocks and installed Hotchkis upper and lower control arms, but I don't think there would be a problem even with the quads with my arrangement.
A low profile tire is basically a tire with a shorter side wall. When you change from a 15" wheel up to a 17" wheel, your tire will have about the same outside diameter and since you have changed your wheel diameter by 2", the side wall will be 1" shorter.
You can compare tire profiles by looking at the size designation. For example, 245/45/17, 245 is the tire width in mm, 245/25.4 = 9.645 inches wide, 45 is the side wall which is 45% of the tire width, 9.645 x .45 = 4.34" and 17 is the wheel diameter. So, to determine the tire diameter just add up the side wall and the wheel dia, (4.34 x 2) + 17 = 25.68" diameter. Somebody check my math
You should try to keep the wheel diameter close to the stock diameter to keep your speedometer accurate and more importantly so that the car looks cool. Unless you are in to the alternate look I see around with the small diameter wheels with a huge offset and tires that are way undersized for the wheel, you know the look, guess I'm old school but never could understand that hole thing...
Tires and wheels can really make the look of your car, so do your home work and make a good decision. Good luck!