Can someone explain to me what the wheel offset does and what happens when you put a larger/smaller offset wheel on your vehicle?

I believe that the standard '06 TSX rims have a +55 offset and the rims I'm looking at have a +45 offset. . . how different would they look in the wheelwell? Would they stick out farther or less farther?

Also, I'm assuming that the bolt pattern is 4 x 100mm?? (shouldn't it be 5 x 100mm since it is a 5 lug wheel??

Someone please school me on this. . .

 

our bolt pattern is 5x114.3, not 4x100

and a +45 offset is 10mm farther out from the hub than a +55 offset wheel, all else being equal.

 

the depth of the wheel and what tire size you choose will also affect how much farther out your wheel is from the hub