No "idiot" to it. Aftermarket wheels for an 88 are a confusing PITA.
My "ideal" setup for an 88 is 17s. 17x8, 35mm offset in the rear. 17x7, 40-48mm in the front.
My tire sizes are 235/45-17, and 215/45-17. I chose those sizes years ago, as they are
very close to the same diameter as the stock GT/Formula tires. I have used 245/45-17s in the rear with good success, too.
With that said... one of my cars has 17x7, 35mm offset on the front, and 17x8.25, 35mm offset in the rear. Tires are 215 and 235, as mentioned above.
I'll post some pics of that one, as I had a lot of misgivings about the offsets, but it worked out okay.
Another trick that I have found...
If the front of the car is lowered a bit (I have at least one coil cut off of all my front springs) it tends to tuck the wheels into the fenders a bit. Or it at least gives that illusion.
88s sit too high in the front, anyway, IMHO.
Edit - All the sizes that I have mentioned/used will work fine with a stock suspension.
This is what it looks like from the side.
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 04-24-2024).]