Item description says it comes with 8" downrod but it looks like I am able to choose down to a 4.5" downrod on the website. I need shorter with 8' ceiling. Hopefully it can and total height would be less than the 16.5"?

Thank you for your question! The Yardley fan does come standard with an 8" downrod, but for lower ceilings like an 8' ceiling, we recommend using our Close-to-Ceiling Kit rather than a shorter downrod. This kit allows the fan to be mounted much closer to the ceiling, helping reduce the overall hanging height below 16.5" and making it a safer and more suitable option for your space. We recommend reaching out to our Technical Support team to ensure compatibility with your fan model and help with purchasing the kit. Feel free to contact them at techsupport@fanimation.com or call 888-567-2055—we’d love to help improve your experience.