Unique 297 wheels and Cooper Weathermaster ST2 - question

[G-Ranger]

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm buying a 2004 XLT 2wd 3.0 Super cab automatic tomorrow. Found a great one on Craigslist. It'll be my first Ranger. The owners put brand new Michelin LTX MS tires on 6 months ago; only problem is they're 235/75/15's (and the stock size is 225/70/15). I know a lot of you guys go big on tires, but I don't plan to offroad and need all the power I can get (I live at 6,000+ feet of altitude; don't want to be overgeared and underpowered even more).

I plan to sell the stock tires over the winter. In the mean time, I want to get winter-specific wheels and tires. Discount Tire offered what sounds like a good deal - Cooper Weathermaster ST2's in 215/75/15 (very close to stock diameter) for $84/ea, and Unique 297 steel wheels for $63/ea.

My question is this - does anyone use those wheels? They are 15x7" and 5x4.5 lugs, like the stock wheels. My research shows that most stock Ranger 15" wheels are 4.5" backspacing, or +12mm offset. The Unique wheels they have in stock are 0mm offset, or 4" backspacing. It sounds like the new wheels would just stick outboard by an extra 12mm, or 1/2". I don't think this would be a problem; just wanted to see if anyone had an opinion on it.

 

[beluga420]

It don't think it will be any problem.. 12mm is not much.

 

[G-Ranger]

It don't think it will be any problem.. 12mm is not much.

Thanks. I ended up with this combo and it worked out just fine; you can't even tell a difference just looking at it (the offset, that is). The wheels even allowed me to retain the stock center caps, and look pretty nice. After driving around on the 235/75's, and then the 215/75's, I can tell a difference in pick-up off the line, and on steep hills. If I had the 4.0 motor, I'd be more comfortable with the big tires. Time to list those like-new Michelin LTX's on Craigslist.