i want to put some nicer wheels on my truck. wanna stick with 16x8" and run my 285 tires. i do however, want them to stick out a little further, not a ton, but some. i have no clue when it comes to these offset numbers (-12, +28, 0 ET) etc. i also dont know what the factory lariat wheels from '99 were offset.
anyone have a few suggestions for me?
pic of truck and wheels

 

Factory offset should be -6. Don't forget, if your factory wheel is 7 inches wide, and you go to an 8, you will already be sticking out an 1/2 inch, or 12.7 mm further. I'm guessing you will be wanting a -18 or -24 with an 8inch wheel for the look your after.

 

The offset is how far off-center the mounting position of the wheel is where it mates with the truck's hub and is in millimeters (mm). If it is negative then the mounting position is closer to the truck and the wheel sticks out more. A positive offset has a mounting position further out from center and brings the wheel closer to the truck and more of a flush look like many of today's trucks (F-150, most Chevys which have a "high" offset).

I did the same thing you are wanting to do. Run 285s on a 16x8" rim. I wanted to keep as close to the same geometry that the driveline was designed with so I went with Ultra Type 164 wheels. Their 16x8" rim (8x170mm) has a -6mm offset which is pretty much what my OEM Lariat wheels were. This just meant that there was an extra 1/2" on each side of where the OEM wheel would be sitting. I have the stock suspension (no lift, no leveling) and run 285/75-16 BFG All-Terrain KO2 tires with no rubbing issues. If you are looking for a pronounced stance with the tires noticeably sticking out I recommend a much higher offset as Ron94150 mentioned. Figure out how much further you want the tires to stick out. Figure you'll get 1/2" out of the new wheel due to it being wider and subtract that from how much further you want them to stick out and then you can figure out what offset you want then find a wheel that has that. Just remember that your sidewall can be a couple of extra inches wider than the tread depending on what tire you have. As an example:

Let's say you want your new setup to stick out 3" more than what you have now. Subtract 1/2" (12.7mm) from your 3" (3 x 25.4mm) and you get 63.5mm. Now combine that with the OEM offset of -6mm and you get -69.5mm. I don't think there are any 8" wide rims that have that large of an offset.

That was just an example as I don't know how much "wider" you want to make your truck. Depending on what look you want you might need to consider wheel spacers.

Pictures of my OEM Lariat wheels with 265/75-16 Pirelli Scorpions and my Ultra Type 164 16x8" wheels with 285/75-16 BFG Mud-Terrain KO2s (after a little fun )

 

im looking to get the tire completely flush with the widest part of the wheel arch. ill have to do some measuring. im a bit old school and wheels just dont look right at all to me if they dont have a lil bit of lip. these flush wheels on todays trucks look just stupid to me lol. *shrug*

 

so, i did some measuring. i need to come out right around an inch. 8" wheels get me half way there, and if my math is correct, id need a wheel right around that -18 that was mentioned above. thanks for all the help guys.
anyone got pics of a flush wheel/tire combo??

 

Go to custom wheeloffset.com and check out their gallery. Their is a good chance someone is running the combo your looking at. It's easy to filter down to your combo.

 

I’m not a big fan of the high offset (flush) looking wheels either.

I don’t know where you are measuring but my tires are about as close to flush as they are going to get. The oval steps ar 6” and everything is pretty much flush with the body.Here are some pics: