Can anyone explain why GM chose to use different front / rear wheel offsets in 88 on the Formula and GT 15" wheels, but only used equal offsets front to rear on the 14" Coupe wheels?

It would seem that maintaining the unequal offsets of the 15" wheels would have been utilized on the 14" as well, given the improvements to the 88 suspension.

Or, was this simply a cost cutting move to utilize standard 14" wheels from inventory on the "utilitarian" Coupe ?

Any informed comments?

well, i'm not a GM insider or anything (I guess that makes me uninformed! ) but I would suspect that if the 14" wheels had been 14x7, that they also would have narrowed the fronts down to 14x6. but since the wheels were already narrower, they didn't really have much of a problem on their hands to start with.

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88 4cyl 5spd & 88 Formula 5spd Formula is SOLD :( One day I'll have another...

Yep, what he said. With the caveat that the offsets on all years of the 15x7" lace wheels is the same. The OSG states that the rear '88 15x7" wheels are a different offset, but it's incorrect.

In '88 the front wheel mounting flange was moved out an inch, so they took an inch off the outside of the lace wheels to keep it from sticking out of the wheel well.

JazzMan