Originally posted by Cris'pus:
I thought the bigger the offset, the outer part of the wheel will be farther from the inside wheel well???



You're close but the wheel moves the other way...

Looking at your wheel...

Positive offset (>0) moves the hub of the wheel to the OUTSIDE of the rim.
Negative offset (<0) moves the hub of the wheel to the INSIDE of the rim.

So when looking at your wheels you have to take in two measurements...

Stock 16" wheels are 6.5" wide with a 49.5 mm (?) offset.
Making the offest smaller moves the wheel hub to the center of the wheel,
and moves the tire closer to your fender.

So a 7" wide wheel should be fine since it is only 1/4" wider on both sides.
You have to watch your tire sizes so that the tire doesn't get much wider than the stock tire.
If the tire is wider, then you adjust the offset to a lower number
like 47 or 45, to give you ample room between the tire and the strut.
If you go lower than 42, you risk rubbing the tire on the quarter panel,
inside the rear wheel wells, where the bumper attaches to the wheel opening in the quarter panel.

Pete... 2004 Mercury Marauder 300A Black Clearcoat/Dark Charcoal LEATHER DOB 10/31/2003 DOP 1/2/2004 www.mercurymarauder.net