Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Our new forged wheel line is built upon everything our customers love about our popular Flow-Formed wheels. Now enhanced with all the added benefits of forged manufacturing.

• Forged 6061-T6
• Paintless Knurled Beads
• Significantly Stronger
• Premium Finishes
• Increased Brake Clearance
• Lifetime Structural Warranty
• 50% Off Replacements

Introducing the ARC-8R

Race Silver


Anthracite


Satin Black


Brushed Clear




Polished

Introducing the EC-7R

Race Silver




Anthracite




Satin Black


Brushed Clear






Polished

Videos

[Expert@ApexWheels]

TYSPEED + APEX Forged

The Tyspeed team has been running our FL-5 flow formed wheels on their BMW M2 race car for a few seasons with plenty of success stories logged in the books. Over the years, Tyler and his team have been dead-set on chasing the bleeding edge of performance, and along the way APEX has been right by their side with an identical goal in mind.

APEX is proud to support Tyspeed’s efforts in persistently chasing that next level of performance. When we heard that Tyler and his team were invited to tackle the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, we knew it was a perfect opportunity to arm them with a set of our all-new polished 18” ARC-8R forged wheels in a wide 18x10.5” ET40 rotatable square configuration.

Putting the ARC-8R in front of thousands of spectators came with the risk of exposing our all-new forged wheel design before the official release, but we couldn’t pass on the opportunity to put these wheels through their paces during one of the most demanding races of the season. A race to the clouds!

These forged wheels clear the massive Stoptech 6 piston 380mm brakes mounted on the M2 race car with ease, and with an impressive 1,800 lbs load rating, they will provide more than enough strength and durability to keep up with the grueling demands set forth by Tyler and his team.

To learn more about the Tyspeed BMW M2 race car, complete with a full build-breakdown, check out the blog post on our website.

[Expert@ApexWheels]

On-car Photos

Anthracite

Brushed Clear




Polished

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Hi Everyone,

We have recently restructured the original post to assist in bringing a bit more clarity to our new Forged wheel options. Specifically, we have now categorized and labeled the photos in the post by design and finish. We have also added a couple of studio videos featuring both the ARC-8R and the EC-7R, which should give a much better idea as to the appearance of the new designs and finishes.

Please stay tuned, as we have an abundance of new and exciting photos and videos that we plan to add to this thread in the near future.

-Geirsen

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Hi Everyone,

We have just updated the original post with two brand new EC-7R and ARC-8R videos. These videos include new on-car footage for both wheel designs, showcasing the new wheels in various lighting conditions and angles. These videos are definitely worth a watch, especially if you have been craving to see some more content involving the new forged wheel designs.

Enjoy!

-Geirsen

[Expert@ApexWheels]

We have clearance, Clarence.


Our original flow formed ARC-8 was our first wheel design, and utilizes an older barrel profile that can have compromised brake clearance with certain BBK setups. With the forged ARC-8R, we took everything we learned from the original ARC-8 and applied it to the ground-up development of our all-new profiles and dies. This resulted in a tremendous increase in brake clearance when compared to the flow formed design, with an inner barrel that can clear all the way up to the colossal 380mm Brembo BBK with ease.



To learn more about the obstacles we faced when developing these zero-compromise barrel profiles and dies, along with how we worked to overcome them, please feel free to check out our blog post that dives deep into the topic of forged wheel brake clearances.
https://www.apexraceparts.com/blog/w...ar-big-brakes/

To help showcase some of the new ARC-8R features in action, our friend Kurt (@lsrteg) brought out his incredibly clean and seriously well-equipped E46 M3 for a photoshoot. Sitting on a set of 18x10” ET25 ARC-8R forged wheels finished in Brushed Clear, this E46 M3 had us picking our jaws up off the floor. Just look at how the all-new ARC-8R barrels completely dwarf the massive 355mm Stoptech calipers!

If you would like to read more about Kurt’s E46 M3, please feel free to check out our blog feature on his car, complete with a full build breakdown.

https://www.apexraceparts.com/blog/b...forged-wheels/















-Geirsen

[6ixSpd]

Anxiously awaiting the 1 series fitment to be released! Any photos showing how the concave profile (or lack thereof) would look for those in 18x8.5 ET 45 and 18x9.5 ET58 EC7-R?

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Tires are only as effective as the wheels they are mounted on.


You can buy the stickiest tire on the market, but if the grip level exceeds that of the tire’s bead, you’ll end up with a tire that slips around the wheel. Under hard braking and acceleration, this slippage can cause unwanted wheel rotation within the tire. This rotation can upset the tire’s overall balance, as the wheel weights have shifted from their original position. For those who have to drive home from the track and commute to work the next day, a vibration or wobble through the steering wheel could potentially be felt due to this imbalance. In a situation such as this, the affected wheels and tires would require rebalancing to fix the issue.

At APEX, we are at the track and on the forums, placing ourselves at the center of discussion for topics such as these. While wheel knurling isn’t a new and groundbreaking concept, we saw an opportunity to improve upon it from our previous designs, in a way that best supports the constantly growing demand for more grip. Some wheel manufacturers add knurling simply to include it in their list of “features”. However, it is clear this “feature” can be lacking in performance when the knurled edges are smoothed over by a layer of slick glossy paint, effectively reducing the functionality of the knurling.

For our new ARC-8R and EC-7R wheels, we wanted to focus on reducing unwanted tire slippage as much as we could. The knurling pattern on these new forged wheels is specifically designed to maintain the highest amount of grip we could achieve with the bead of the tire. On top of that, we ensured that the knurled edge of the wheel is completely protected during the painting process. This leaves us with a sharp and deep toothed knurling, that isn’t compromised by the manufacturing process in any way whatsoever.















-Geirsen

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Our friend Chris (@chrisreardon91) dropped by the shop with his purpose-built E46 M3 track car to get a taste of what the forged EC-7R has to offer. With a 18x10” ET25 square setup wrapped in 275/35-18 Toyo Proxes R888R tires, these Brushed Clear EC-7R wheels not only look the part, but they also provide some serious functionality out on the track as well.

To learn more about Chris’s E46 M3, along with a full break down of his build, please feel free to visit our feature on his car here: https://www.apexraceparts.com/blog/b...forged-wheels/

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Finished in Satin Black, these 18” ARC-8R forged wheels compliment this Sakhir Orange F82 M4 with a tasteful, yet menacing aesthetic. While our original flow formed 18” ARC-8 wheels lack the barrel clearance necessary to clear the standard brakes on the F8X M3/4, our forged 18” ARC-8R wheels have a new and improved barrel profile, allowing them to clear all the way up to the 380mm Brembo BBK with ease.

[6ixSpd]

Originally Posted by 6ixSpd

Anxiously awaiting the 1 series fitment to be released! Any photos showing how the concave profile (or lack thereof) would look for those in 18x8.5 ET 45 and 18x9.5 ET58 EC7-R?

?

[Expert@ApexWheels]

From the classic and boxy E36, to the modern and aggressive F80. The EC-7R can compliment just about any generation of M3.

[semaj]

Will these wheels be guaranteed to be much stronger than the non-forged APEX wheels you currently have? Not sure if it's worth upgrading to a forged wheel if I'm going to have to replace them after 6 track days rather than 3 if you catch my drift.

Also what's their warranty policy for track damage? Is it 1:1 like the non-forged or are they unlimited like before?

[Expert@ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by semaj

Will these wheels be guaranteed to be much stronger than the non-forged APEX wheels you currently have? Not sure if it's worth upgrading to a forged wheel if I'm going to have to replace them after 6 track days rather than 3 if you catch my drift.

Our flow formed wheels are already strong, but we’re aware that your individual experience has led you to believe otherwise. We appreciate your skepticism and questions when considering a more expensive alternative.

Tens of thousands of our wheels are used on track for many years without issue, so we’d like to address why the mileage of some individuals may vary. Countless variables affect how much stress a wheel experiences, such as a vehicle’s weight, speed, G’s being pulled, the size of an impact, and so on. Many potholes and berms can eat wheels for lunch, as the stresses they can generate are greater than what any wheel was designed to handle. There’s simply no stress meter for these road hazards. All bumps are not created alike, so we’re left with anecdotal evidence of what happened every time. You may feel like a bend shouldn’t have happened, but there’s no way to make a fair comparison between wheels in these circumstances, so we can only compare against ourselves and improve from there.

Most wheels are pegged to strength and load rating standards such as JWL and SAE, regardless of the manufacturing technique. For this reason, we made sure our new forged wheels are stronger by the numbers and not just because we say they’re “forged”. We expand on this topic in an article you can read here.

Our 1 series specific flow formed wheels in 18” sizes have a 1550 pound load rating, which is a little over the JWL standard. Instead of making forged wheels that share the same load rating and only focusing on weight reduction, we instead designed the new forged version to have an 1800 pound load rating. That is the load rating the JWL standard only required when a 5x120 wheel is designed for an SUV application. Choosing to do this kept us from significantly cutting weights, but it does guarantee more strength. That extra 250 pounds per corner increases their capacity to handle stress. It doesn’t make them bulletproof, but it adds a lot more buffer room.

Originally Posted by semaj

Also what's their warranty policy for track damage?

Our wheels have a lifetime structural warranty and you can read the full terms here. I’ll cut to the chase and comment on what you’re most certainly inquiring about. Like every other wheel warranty we’ve ever seen, inner lip bends and some inner lip cracks aren’t covered (see terms). It would be great if the stresses of an impact could be measured and recorded, as we’d simply write a warranty policy that says our wheels are guaranteed to handle potholes, berms, and road hazards that are under X tolerance of stress. However, that’s not possible, and just like other companies we can’t cover what we can’t measure. A lot of wheels do see unreasonable abuse, and that would translate into extensive abuse of our warranty policy as well if it were left too open-ended.

This is why we came up with our discounted wheel replacement program, which you yourself have used. It’s a catch-all for any damage that’s not covered by our warranty or other wheel warranties we’ve ever seen. We offer a 50% discount, and it covers, curb rash, bends, totally mangled wheels taken off cars that have been in a wreck, and much more. For those not familiar with the program, they can read more about it and why we created it here. We haven’t seen any other wheel manufacturers offer a policy like ours, and it’s the closest we can come to helping cover all track related damage.

Originally Posted by semaj

Is it 1:1 like the non-forged or are they unlimited like before?

The terms of the replacement program are the same for both flow formed and forged wheels. Replacements are limited to 1 for 1. We never offered or promoted unlimited replacements for this program. Prior to making our terms official, we rarely made mention of it and always as an unofficial policy we’re offering. We’re sorry to hear you were under the impression that we provided unlimited discounted replacements. We’re not sure how the mixup came about, and we can see how that would be frustrating to learn as unlimited would be an outrageously good deal. In one of your communications with our team you quoted a forum post made by our President. The quote you sent us included text that shows we’ve made no promises of any kind when we first started to offer discounted replacements voluntarily. It said, “Very few wheels are ever returned on warranty, and a small number of customers experience bends. For that reason, we were willing to get a little wild with our customer support program and willingly offer support beyond the norm. We are still experimenting with different price points, quantity limits and other variables before we officially unveil a formal program.”

It would be unsustainable for us to indefinitely offer deep discounted replacements for any damage of any kind. No other wheel manufacturer is offering anything like that, and although our policy has some limits, we believe we’ve gone a meaningful step above others to support our customers with the terms we set.

Thanks for your questions and your understanding.

- Max