► APEX | ARC-8 Light Weight Track Wheels

[ApexRaceParts]

APEX ARC-8 Wheels

APEX ARC-8 wheels were designed to meet the specification needs of HPDE, race, and autocross drivers, while exceeding the requirements for every day street use. This makes them the perfect cost effective, dual duty wheel.


APEX ARC-8 in Hyper Silver

Meeting the Performance Enthusiast’s requirements:
Light-weight: Flow-forming allows for a significant reduction in rotational mass by reducing barrel weight. This manufacturing technique allows the ARC-8 wheel to be almost as light as a traditional forged wheel, but without the significant increase in price.

Strength: Track duty requires a wheel that can handle the punishment of high lateral G’s, hitting berms, and every once in a while a small off track excursion. Spoke and barrel design are a major factor in wheel strength. The flow-forming technique uses high pressure disks/rollers to roll the wheel’s barrel into its final shape. This gives the barrel the same strength properties as a forged wheel, since monoblock wheels go through a similar step to form their barrels. The ARC-8's mesh design helps evenly distribute loads from the barrel to the center of the wheel. The lack of a front lip, and spokes directly connecting to the edge of the wheel, also add increased strength to the outer lip of the wheel. Although a front lip can reduce weight, it can also make the wheel much more prone to bending, and this was an important factor when developing the wheel.

Once a design is selected, it needs to be tested and certified for strength. The ARC-8 wheels were not just FEA tested in a computer simulation, or in house tested to an unregulated standard. They follow Japans JWL standard, and are 3rd party tested there by the VIA in Japan. All 18" ARC-8 wheels have a 690KG load rating.

Proper tire fitment: Stretched rubber, narrow tires, and fender rubbing are not elements to look for in a competitive wheel/tire setup. The ARC-8 wheels were designed with offsets that allow for proper fitment of extreme summer, and r-compound tires without the need for spacers or fender rolling. This means keeping the tire under the fender, and away from suspension components. Track oriented wheel widths are also important as they provide proper sidewall support under hard cornering. Too much rubber for a wheel results in excessive sidewall deflection, which translates into sloppy and delayed turning response.

Multiple fitments: Most BMW’s come with a staggered setup. Some choose to keep their car this way, while others like to switch out for an easy to rotate, square/neutral setup. This is generally based on driver’s preference in addition to costs. The E46 M3 benefits from being able to fit both square and staggered setups with relative ease. 9.5” or 10” square setups are great for budget minded enthusiasts who want to extend their tires life by rotating between events, in addition to preferring the feel of a square setup. Square setups are popular on all 3 series models for track use due to the significant increase in front grip and turn in response. Some E46 M3 owners comment that due to the extra power of their cars, a square setup will lean towards oversteer. For those who prefer more rubber in the rear, a staggered setup is the way to go. 10” and 10.5” wheels are available for rear fitment. These can be combined with 9.5” or 10” fronts for a bolt-on spacer free staggered setup.

BBK clearance: Many owners install Big Brake kits on their cars. Having an 18” wheel that can clear large calipers is a must. Due to the low offset nature of the E46 M3, there are no clearance issues with the concave spokes of the ARC-8 wheel. Barrel clearance was increased during the design phase to accommodate StopTech’s 380mm kit. The only kit that poses an issue at this time is the 380mm Brembo setup.

Meeting the needs of Daily/Street use:

Aesthetic design: Although the ARC-8 put function over form when meeting the above requirements, there is no denying that concave mesh wheels look at home on a BMW.

Paint finishes: All the wheel have a multi-coat painted finish including a full clear coat except for the Satin finish which does not have a clear (that would have made it gloss black). To give owners more options the wheels are offered in 4 different finishes. Hyper Silver, Hyper Black, Anthracite, and Satin Black. Not everyone wants their track day wheels to be grey.

Abuse of street use: The world is full of pot holes and random things to run over. APEX wheels have an excellent history of handling abuse. To date we’ve only had one wheel with a minor bend and another with a hair line crack on the inner barrel lip. Both these wheels came from the same dedicated race car, and the bent wheel is still out there racing today.

Multiple fitments: Due to the more conservative nature of street use, the ARC-8 wheel is also available in sizes that can fit more street oriented rubber, at offsets that are an easier fit. Wider more aggressive wheels can be used by those who like a more flush/filled out look. The choice is yours.

Certification: The race track has no wheel strength requirements, but the street does. Sadly the USA has very lenient/minimal regulations of wheel strength, unlike like Japan and Germany. APEX wheels are independently tested by the Vehicle Inspection Association of Japan (VIA) to the JWL standard. Wheels tested to the JWL standard require all wheels on the road to meet specific load rating requirements based on the bolt pattern, and dimensions of the wheel, the application/vehicle model has nothing to do with it. In comparison, wheels tested to the SAE standard in the USA can pick their own load rating, which can be as low as they want. This defeats the purpose of the test, as a wheel manufacturer can choose to underrate their wheels in order to reduce wheel weight. Wheels claiming JWL testing, but no 3rd party verification are prone to certifying untested/unproven wheels. VIA certification can not be done in house. It requires sending wheels/tires to japan for crush testing. Sadly a large number of vendors claim their wheels are VIA, JWL and even TUV certified, when in fact they were never tested by those organizations at all, and in some cases don't even meet the standard requirements of those tests. For this reason the certificate numbers for the ARC-8 wheels have been listed below. Self regulate the market, and ask all vendors to back up their claims. If they were tested, then they'll have the registration numbers.

Available Sizes, Weights, and Pricing:
17x8.5" ET20 - 16.50lbs - $259
17x8.5" ET40 - 17.20lbs - $249
17x9.0" ET30 - 16.50lbs - $264
17x9.0" ET42 - 17.20lbs - $259
17x9.5" ET35 - 16.95lbs - $269
17x10" ET25 - 18.45lbs - $284 - 1M Fitment
17x10.5" ET27 - 18.95lbs - $299 - 1M Fitment
18x8.5" ET38 - 18.45lbs - $289
18x8.5" ET45 - 18.20lbs - $289
18x9.0" ET42 - 18.65lbs - $299
18x9.5" ET62 - 18.20lbs - $314
18x9.5" ET35 - 18.85lbs - $314 - 1M Fitment
18x9.5" ET22 - 19.20lbs - $314 - 1M Fitment
18x10" ET25 - 19.95lbs - $324 - 1M Fitment
18x10.5" ET27 - 20.45lbs - $344 - 1M Fitment

Available Finishes

• Hyper Silver
• Hyper Black
• Anthracite
• Satin Black

Warranty Summary:
2 year Structural, 1 year limited finish warranty guarantees wheels will be free from defects in materials, workmanship and paint finish under normal and reasonable use.




Please click the images for a higher resolution version.

Ordering and Contact

• Phone: Call (888) 499-9135 EXT. #1 for phone orders.
• Payment: Credit and Debit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, PayPal. Bank Wire Transfers are also available. Contact us to use a wire transfer for payment on your order.
• Tax: California customers will be charged 8.75% CA sales tax.
• Shipping: APEX ships all orders with UPS.
• APEX Hours:
  Monday thru Friday: 9AM to 6PM PST
  Saturday and Sunday: Closed
• Warehouse and local pickup: The APEX warehouse is at 7888 Marathon Drive, Unit A, Livermore, CA, 94550 (Map It), (888) 499-9135 EXT. #2. This is where you pick up local orders.
• Service and Installation: Apex Performance Services - Dublin: 6443 Golden Gate Drive, Dublin, CA 94568 (Map It), (888) 499-9135 EXT. #3

[Papa13]

Is there a concave set-up for e82 135's?

[ApexRaceParts]

The Anthracite concave ARC-8's look awesome on this 1M:



Please call, PM, or email for any questions regarding 1M fitment!

Originally Posted by Papa13

Is there a concave set-up for e82 135's?

PM sent!

[fastauto]

Let's get a group buy going!

[David@ApexRaceParts]

Originally Posted by fastauto

Let's get a group buy going!

We should have one after the new year!

[fastauto]

Originally Posted by David@ApexRaceParts

We should have one after the new year!

Nice. I love my ec-7's but need a set of arc8's

[ApexRaceParts]

Originally Posted by fastauto

Nice. I love my ec-7's but need a set of arc8's

This 1M is track ready with a set of lightweight ARC-8's:



Give us a call If you have any questions, we will be happy to walk you through fitments available for street, track or race application.

[ApexRaceParts]

Not an M here, but this blue 135i has an aggressive Satin Black set-up that's drool worthy:



Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We will be happy to walk you through the different fitments available for your 135i or 1M!

[ApexRaceParts]

Concave wheels look proper on the 1M. The wide fenders allow concave ARC-8's to fit front and rear!



We have 1M ARC-8 fitments in stock and ready to go. Give us a call for any questions or to order your set today!

[David@ApexRaceParts]

Anthracite ARC-8s on a Valencia Orange 1M!



We have plenty of ARC-8s in stock and ready to ship immediately!

[ApexRaceParts]

Anthracite ARC-8's will set you apart from the crowd!



Please feel free to give us a call regarding our 1-series specific wheels, our team is happy to help you get that perfect fitment you have been looking for.