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I'm looking to get some regular model tank kits to get extra bits for conversions and adding stowage to tanks for my IG army, but I'm not sure the best scale to mix with 40k tanks. From what I've read on the internet the 1:28 scale or 1:32 scale is best. Since this still leaves quite the margin of error on my part, can anyone try to narrow it down a bit more for me?

I find that 1/48th scale is pretty close to the size of most 40k vehicles, maybe a little on the small side. 1/35th is generally too big so 1/32 or 1/28 scale will be very big. It depends on what you are using it for. Ork models are large compared to IG so bigger models probably won't make much of a difference. GW miniatures are considered 28mm heroic scale which means most man sized models are about 28mm to 32mm tall. Don't confuse model height scale with the ratio scale found on historical models.

Here's some 1/48 cars mixed with 40k models
http://www.pbase.com/kidkyoto/image/65751201

I have some 1/48th scale WWII tanks and modern apc's that are nearly the exact same size as the rhino and leman russ. I will try to get some pics up later.

The advice to get 1/28 sounds like a mistake to do with 28mm.

1/48 is the best size. There are plenty of aircraft kits that scale and an increasing number of vehicles especially a great range from Tamiya.

1/35 is good for supersized parts for mashing up into special vehicles.

The size of the orignal vehicle is also important. While a 1/48 Abrams (modern tank) is bigger than a russ, a 1/35 Sherman (WWII tank) is about the same size.

I can post pics of those later.

Some of the best models for bashing into 40k are the madder and clankier tanks like the German A7V, the French Char B1 and the Russian T35. (In fact, to face it squarely, GW ripped off those kind of designs for a lot of their vehicles.)

You can calculate the expected dimensions of a model from its scale and known dimensions of the original. The T35 was 9.72 metres long so the model will be about 20cm long in 1/48 scale.

The M1 Abrams is a kind of flat, wide, long tank because it is modern and well designed. Any modern tank is going to be similar -- see the Leopard 2 or Merkava. Modern looking tanks don't really fit with the Steamerpunk kind of aesthetic that the Imperium has. Some of the IFVs might work, being smaller.