Hello Everybody, I'm looking for new Cragar wheels for my Ford Maverick. I'm planning to buy 15" wheels with 8" rims !! But I would like to know which is the correct off-set to have no clearance problems in the rear. I would like to use tires size 265/55/15 in the back. What do you think about the tire size? Thank you very much for your help.
offset or backspacing Each wheel manufacturer measures backspacing their own way. Some from the edge of the lip to the hub mounting surface while others measure from the flat part of the wheel lip to the hub mounting surface. I have found the that the American Racing Outlaw I and II wheels fit very well. The 15x7s have an advertised offset of 3.75. I have 245 60 15s mounted on these rims. The space between the leaf spring and tire is approximately equal to the space between the tire and the quarter lip. In other words it centers the tire just about perfectly in the wheel well. I could easily fit 255 60 15s in there with no problem. I have found the 4 inch offset works but tire clearance on the front inner wheel well is much tighter and is the area likely to make contact with the tire first. It is closer at this point than it is to the leaf spring. Just some thoughts. BTW, I have the stock 8" in my 74 2dr so it should be somewhat representative of most mavericks.
We have found thru discussions that some of these cars may vary slightly. All I can tell you is what I have with success. I have 8X15 wheels with 4 1/2 backspace and I'm running 275/60R15 tires. These are perfect for my car but my rear wheel lips are rolled from prior rubbing issues I had. The size tire you mention I'm not too sure about...sorry I can't comment on them.
