With regards to the main quest...PS No spoilers please!

As with everything else in this game, whenever you want to. You can do it before, during or after the main quest. You can opt not to do it at all. The only thing you can't do is do both sides with the same character.

Yes but I've heard that sometimes it's weird or something at a certain point...when do most of you do it?

Best to do it as the last questline as it can cause glitches with the other 5 questlines (Main and 4 Guilds)

Or don't do it at all. That what I prefer.

I prefer to do it right after leaving Helgen. It gets too easy at higher levels.

I did the civil was quest late- and it kind of ruins it because the imperial and stormcloak soldiers do not scale. So if you do it late you will get 0 challenege out of it, and feel like you could kill off an entire army in this war... which you could since they don't scale.

Even odder is the fact that the quartermasters in the camps start stocking great gear- but no soldiers ever get anything at all. Those captains should really let their supply sgts release their reserves.

My last character did it lvl 46 - felt very strange as it does feel lik an intro quest with some of the spoken dialogue gently helping you out. Also at that level I was the newbie but probably the most powerful member of the legion

I'm on the quest Elder Knowledge on the main quest, do you guys think completing the Civil war quest now is okay?

Alright I already got the crown, but I decided to not give it to anybody until after the main quest, so I can do the peace treaty and since the majority think I should do the main quest first.

But once I beat the main quest, without saying spoilers, joining which side do you believe to be more epic?

After you finish all the faction questlines, because I think doing the civil war quests messes up a quest for the Thieves guild or something but I'm not positive on that.

I am sure both are epic in their own ways, its a matter of who you agree with or who you would rather win. I am a Legion man so that is where my loyalty lies, just trust your own instincts and pick whichever side feels right to you.

Tbh it doesn't really matter when you start it Just go for it ^^

Alright I decided to go for stormcloaks. thanks!

I prefer doing it early on.

Me too, only problem then is...
You have to start the MQ to finish CW. I do not want to be Dragonborn, dammit!

Good advice...thanks