My new 17" track setup- Apex Arc-8's

[colatkitty]

Just got these wheels delivered last week and got them installed over the weekend, and they fit great!

I've been looking for some 17" track wheels for the longest time, and could never find a decent set that fits over my Stoptech BBK, until now. These new 17" Apex wheels are what I've always wanted. They are light weight, strong, and affordable. Specs are 17x9.5 F/ 17x10.5 R and these are only 17 lbs and 19 lbs each! Just about the lightest and most affordable wheels out there. Thank you Apex!

Here are some quick iPhone pics.

[mpm3]

wow those look great, if you dont mind can let me know the offsets

[colatkitty]

Originally Posted by mpm3

wow those look great, if you dont mind can let me know the offsets

Thanks! Offsets are +35 front and +27 rear. Tires that I'm running are 255/40/17 front and 275/40/17 rear. 17" tires are much cheaper than 18's.

[mfanatic325]

HOLY CRAP those are beefy! Looks awesome. I should do this just to save on tire costs
I'm surprised the 17" wheels aren't lighter. Aren't their 18" about the same weights?
My 19" Volks weigh around 19-lbs. each

But I'm sure the 17" setup is considerably lighter overall, since the tires won't weigh as much per corner.

[beta]

Those look great, I thought that the rims would look small, instead I'm digging the extra rubber look. Very nice.

[seank]

Looks great and very practical for the track. If you want to change your gearing, just change the side wall height of the tire. Lot cheaper than buying a 4.10 diff.

[wss4]

any idea if these will fit over the stock brakes?

[3002 tii]

YES, thank you for posting!

My 17's arrived last week as well but my tires have been on back order for few weeks now and they're finally arriving this week. Hope to get my setup mounted on my TiaAg coupe this weekend, but now I at least know how it'll look.

Surprised you were able to run the 17s over a BBK... I coulda swore when they first setup the group buy they warned that e46 BBK may be an issue. I stand corrected!

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

HOLY CRAP those are beefy! Looks awesome. I should do this just to save on tire costs
I'm surprised the 17" wheels aren't lighter. Aren't their 18" about the same weights?
My 19" Volks weigh around 19-lbs. each

But I'm sure the 17" setup is considerably lighter overall, since the tires won't weigh as much per corner.

I picked these up for that very reason, 17's in 255 are much cheaper than my 18's in 235. But in regards to weight, not so much the case b/c the increase in sidewall makes up for it.

[mfanatic325]

Originally Posted by wss4

any idea if these will fit over the stock brakes?

Uhh...if it clears his StopTech BBKs, you can bet your ass they'll clear stock brakes

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

But in regards to weight, not so much the case b/c the increase in sidewall makes up for it.

Ohhh right. Good point!

[Eddy@ApexRaceParts]

colatkitty,

Thank you for posting fitment pics. This is the first Z4 M we've seen a full set mounted on.

Are you using a front spacer to clear the stoptech kit? What size kit is it? How much negative camber are you running up front?

Thanks in advance for the clarification!

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

HOLY CRAP those are beefy! Looks awesome. I should do this just to save on tire costs
I'm surprised the 17" wheels aren't lighter. Aren't their 18" about the same weights?
My 19" Volks weigh around 19-lbs. each

But I'm sure the 17" setup is considerably lighter overall, since the tires won't weigh as much per corner.

The 17" wheels are significantly lighter. Some by about 2lbs each:

17x9" ET30 - 16.55lbs
17x9.5" ET35 - 16.95lbs
17x10" ET25 - 18.45lbs
17x10.5" ET27 - 18.95lbs

wss4

They will absolutely fit over stock brakes. Every ARC-8 size can clear stock brakes. A Big Brake Kit usually requires 1-2" more clearance than stock.

[v3.2mc]

maybe it's the angle of the pics and the optical illusion of 17" wheels on the car, but some of your pics look like your running a hefty amount of positive caster up front...

are you having any issues with rubbing? or is the caster allowing the wheel/tire to "lay over" more than normal to prevent that?

also, if you are using increased pos caster, how is that effecting turn-in response?

curious me!

[colatkitty]

Originally Posted by paintpro21

Are you using a front spacer to clear the stoptech kit? What size kit is it? How much negative camber are you running up front?

Yes, I'm using 12mm spacers up front to clear not only the front calipers but also to clear the tires from the lower spring perch.

I have the Stoptech 355mm kit with the ST40 calipers. Camber is set at 3.0* front and 2.7* rear. Rear wheels are spacer free.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by colatkitty

Yes, I'm using 12mm spacers up front to clear not only the front calipers but also to clear the tires from the lower spring perch.

I have the Stoptech 355mm kit with the ST40 calipers. Camber is set at 3.0* front and 2.7* rear. Rear wheels are spacer free.

Curious, any idea how big of a spacer you would've had to run up front if you did NOT have the bbk? Just trying to get an idea on what the min spacer is to clear the perch?

Also which coilovers are you running?

[ZStig]

I like how beefy and meaty the tires look

[colatkitty]

Originally Posted by v3.2mc

maybe it's the angle of the pics and the optical illusion of 17" wheels on the car, but some of your pics look like your running a hefty amount of positive caster up front...

are you having any issues with rubbing? or is the caster allowing the wheel/tire to "lay over" more than normal to prevent that?

also, if you are using increased pos caster, how is that effecting turn-in response?

curious me!

I didn't have my caster checked during my alignment, and I didn't intentionally increase it for any reason, so I think they should be close to stock. I haven't got the chance to track these yet, so not sure if there will be any rubbing issues up front. My front fenders were already rolled and front bumper tabs slightly trimmed.

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Curious, any idea how big of a spacer you would've had to run up front if you did NOT have the bbk? Just trying to get an idea on what the min spacer is to clear the perch?

Also which coilovers are you running?

My spacers are mainly to clear the tires from the spring perch. As of now, I have maybe 2 mm clearance between the tire and the perch. Although if I get shorter springs to raise the perch above the tires, then I can do with maybe a 5 mm spacer to clear the BBK.

Currently I'm running KW V3's with custom linear rate springs. With this setup, my front spring perches actually sit lower than the regular KW V3, so I need to run thicker spacer.

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

I like how beefy and meaty the tires look

Thanks! I didn't think I would like the meaty look at first, but it is certainly growing on me and it does look better in person.

[colatkitty]

17" vs 18"

[Eddy@ApexRaceParts]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Curious, any idea how big of a spacer you would've had to run up front if you did NOT have the bbk? Just trying to get an idea on what the min spacer is to clear the perch?

Also which coilovers are you running?

If you do not have a BBK, and your lower spring perch is above the tire (stock style struts, or proper coilover setup) then no spacer is needed up front.

The 17x9.5" ET35 wheels were even tested spacer free on a non-M Z4 up front.

Yes, I'm using 12mm spacers up front to clear not only the front calipers but also to clear the tires from the lower spring perch.

I have the Stoptech 355mm kit with the ST40 calipers. Camber is set at 3.0* front and 2.7* rear. Rear wheels are spacer free.

Thank you for the details.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by colatkitty

My spacers are mainly to clear the tires from the spring perch. As of now, I have maybe 2 mm clearance between the tire and the perch. Although if I get shorter springs to raise the perch above the tires, then I can do with maybe a 5 mm spacer to clear the BBK.

Currently I'm running KW V3's with custom linear rate springs. With this setup, my front spring perches actually sit lower than the regular KW V3, so I need to run thicker spacer.

Wait, you HAD 2mm or you NOW have 2mm clearance after spacer?

Assuming it's the latter, I'm surprised you needed 10mm clearance to get around the perch sitting where is now. I would've thought the BBK would've been the bigger issue (and if I'm reading what you wrote correctly, had the perch not been in the way, you would've only needed 5mm to clear the calipers).

[colatkitty]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Wait, you HAD 2mm or you NOW have 2mm clearance after spacer?

Assuming it's the latter, I'm surprised you needed 10mm clearance to get around the perch sitting where is now. I would've thought the BBK would've been the bigger issue (and if I'm reading what you wrote correctly, had the perch not been in the way, you would've only needed 5mm to clear the calipers).

You read correctly. I now have 2 mm clearance with the 12 mm spacers.

Sorry I forgot to clarify, but I am using shims on my strut bolts to gain the additional camber instead of using camber plates up top. The shims effectively moved the top of my wheel/tire closer to the strut/spring perch, thus the need for the spacers.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by paintpro21

If you do not have a BBK, and your lower spring perch is above the tire (stock style struts, or proper coilover setup) then no spacer is needed up front.

I hear you but most coilover kits will have the perch placed by the tire and would rather not have to deal with purchasing a shorter spring.

Originally Posted by colatkitty

You read correctly. I now have 2 mm clearance with the 12 mm spacers.

Sorry I forgot to clarify, but I am using shims on my strut bolts to gain the additional camber instead of using camber plates up top. The shims effectively moved the top of my wheel/tire closer to the strut/spring perch, thus the need for the spacers.

Ah that explains it. I knew there was a chance of needing a spacer if running a coilover kit but 10 seemed a bit high. I wonder if someone was using normal camber plates, what the clearance would then be.

[Eddy@ApexRaceParts]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

I hear you but most coilover kits will have the perch placed by the tire and would rather not have to deal with purchasing a shorter spring.

That's just the thing. Those kits cater to cars with stock wheel/tire sizes. They are willing to waste space, which is an indicator of the use they intended it for. Many kits: TCK, GC, AST won't have this issue in most cases, as the spring length they come with is already the right size.

buying a shorter spring for those kits allows for more tire width = grip = speed. two springs are around $160. That one change becomes the next best $160 you can spend on the car. It would take a lot more money to get a car with a 245 front tire to go as fast as a car with a 265 front tire (all else being equal).

[aestheticstorm]

This looks F'ing amazing. Makes me seriously consider going this route. Yellow-Letters would be the cherry.