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      11-11-2012, 11:34 PM   #1
Finnegan
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Installed - Black ARC-8s on Imola Red and EC-7s on Sapphire Black

A few shots of each.

ARC-8s on Imola Red
8.5 x 18 ET 38 with Pss 245/40/18s, and 9.5 x 18 ET ET 22 275/35/18s. Front is running 2 camber washers, which pushes the bottom of the strut out. But ET 38 works, with about 10-11mm space between rim/tire and strut. I didn't want to deal with potential tire rubbing rear (if we moved up to a square shouldered 275/35 tire), and the 9.5 width, is the measured rim size for 275/35, so the upgrade path is clear. The PSS tires are much better on these size wheels than stock; more lateral stability, and I don't feel them moving now, better traction too. None of the issues I observed running these tires on the stock sized wheels. The lighter wheels seem to make the car a bit more nimble as well (Krissi agrees).

I really like the red/black contrast, I think it looks great! Striking in fact.

Light was halfway decent for these shots, but not the greatest pictures. Krissi is very happy with the look, and is planning to "de-chrome the car and go with a black CF/white badge and roundel theme. At least that's the plan at the moment!
EC-7s on Sapphire Black Metallic
9 x 18 ET 42 (5mm spacer) with NT05 235/40/18s, and 9.5 x 18 ET ET 22 265/35/18s. Just as with Krissi's car, I didn't want to deal with potential tire rubbing rear, and the 9.5 width is the measured rim size for 265/35 and 275/35. ET 22 looks pretty darn good. Front is coming in about ET 37 with the spacer (I could probably have gotten away with 3mm), and I added hub extenders just to be on the safe side with this "micro spacer". ET 42 would probably fit a stock setup, but the shimsI'm using push the strut towards the wheel (~ -5mm clearance), so it was a no go. If I go with camber plates next year, and ditch the camber washers, in which case I can probably run the wheels w/o spacers if I wanted to.

Car feels more nimble with these lighter wheels, and I think I'm a fan of the 235/265 over the 245/275 combo. Front, on a 9" wheel, has practically the same tread width as the 245 on an 8.5" rim, rear loses some width, but engine is stock, so I'm not really going to use the wider tread width. The 235/265 combo isn't as tall as the 245/275, and that makes the ride a bit more harsh, but also helps turn-in and makes the car seem a bit more planted to me. Might be all in my head. In any case, I can run either size easily on these wheels, even a 255 tire in front and stay at the measured rim width.

I decided on the EC-7s because there's more room with this design for a BBK. Gobs of room in fact.

Light was horrible for these shots, and I really need to do a full detail and paint correction on this car. (Need to clean up the tires too--just mounted--ran out of time.) I really like the wheels though! I think I may follow the "de-chrome" path, and may debadge as well.
I really like the look of both wheels (IR/Black is more striking IMO), they're light, and they offer a lot of flexibility. The guys at APEX are great to work with too!
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Last edited by Finnegan; 11-17-2012 at 02:17 PM..
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      11-11-2012, 11:35 PM   #2
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lookin good guys !
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      11-11-2012, 11:51 PM   #3
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Thanks!
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      11-12-2012, 12:38 AM   #4
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Awesome!
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      11-12-2012, 08:08 AM   #5
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Looks awesome! so what wheels do you like better in person?
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      11-12-2012, 09:52 AM   #6
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Your photos sold me on the APEX EC-7s. They look amazingly good and are a hell of a bargain for what you get. Will probably pick up a set in March.
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      11-12-2012, 10:58 AM   #7
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They look really nice. I like the black on Imola. ARC-8's are nice but I think I prefer the EC-7's though.
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      11-12-2012, 11:07 AM   #8
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Welcome to the Apex club! I bought my black ARC-8's back when there was no ET22 offset for the rear wheels, so I'm looking at getting 12mm spacers.

The ride quality degradation could be a result of going to lighter wheels and the wheels following the road more closely.

Which do you prefer, the EC-7's or the ARC-8's? Both look good!
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      11-12-2012, 11:30 AM   #9
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Black on Black on Black!
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      11-12-2012, 11:40 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by itdnwiwbp View Post
Awesome!
Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by avsbmw View Post
Looks awesome! so what wheels do you like better in person?
It's really hard to pick one over the other! I guess I'd say I prefer the EC-7, since it's the one I picked for my car! Can't go wrong with either. If you're after absolute lightness, the ARC-8s run a pound or so lighter. If you want room for a BBK, the EC-7s are probably the way to go--especially up front--as the spoke design leaves a lot more room. I just prefer the "look" of the EC-7 too, it's totally subjective.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hogzilla View Post
Your photos sold me on the APEX EC-7s. They look amazingly good and are a hell of a bargain for what you get. Will probably pick up a set in March.
Cool! Yes, these are a great deal, and like I said the APEX guys are great to work with (I had questions, they had answers, very helpful).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Loogey Clapp View Post
They look really nice. I like the black on Imola. ARC-8's are nice but I think I prefer the EC-7's though.
Me too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pokeybritches View Post
Welcome to the Apex club! I bought my black ARC-8's back when there was no ET22 offset for the rear wheels, so I'm looking at getting 12mm spacers.

The ride quality degradation could be a result of going to lighter wheels and the wheels following the road more closely.

Which do you prefer, the EC-7's or the ARC-8's? Both look good!
I think that spacer is going to improve the look a lot! I really like the ET22 fitment.

I can say I'm pretty certain the ride quality is a result of the tires, not the wheels. The ride with the 235/40 and 265/35 is actually better than when I had Star Specs in that same size on stock wheels.

Krissi's car has the better ride at the moment, but that's a function of the additional rubber that's closer to stock in diameter. IIRC, the rubber acts as a "spring" in terms of suspension, so I guess it's tuned more to the stock springs/dampers. Coils could probably help dial in the ride a bit. (I have a set of stock wheels with stock sized HTRZs, ride is better there too, again, diameter of rubber.)

I can't really pick one over the other than easily. I'm leaning towards the EC-7s though, I like the way the spokes flow out with some curvature. Since I picked those for my car, I guess I better like them more! Krissi wanted the ARC-8s. Price is the same for either at this point, so that's not a deciding factor. Krissi really likes the ARC-8s better--it's all about the look you're after.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fairlady_z View Post
Black on Black on Black!
Yup. Going for the totally blacked out look, have more work to do on that!
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      11-12-2012, 12:07 PM   #11
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I think both look good but prefer the ARC-8's.

I was considering the 9" front wheel with 245 tire. With your 235 tire you thought you could do it without a spacer but would the 245 tire require the spacer (or your best guess). I thought the wider tire might change how much space is available. I would prefer to avoid spacers.

Also, with any spacer fitting requirement, if the wheel was available in the correct offset it wouldn't be needed, correct?
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      11-12-2012, 12:24 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David70 View Post
I think both look good but prefer the ARC-8's.

I was considering the 9" front wheel with 245 tire. With your 235 tire you thought you could do it without a spacer but would the 245 tire require the spacer (or your best guess). I thought the wider tire might change how much space is available. I would prefer to avoid spacers.

Also, with any spacer fitting requirement, if the wheel was available in the correct offset it wouldn't be needed, correct?
My wife agrees with you, she likes the ARC-8s.

The 9" ET42 didn't clear the strut not due to the tire, but due to the wheel rubbing on the strut. The camber washers (2 washers) on my car push out things on the bottom of the strut, which results in less clearance there (I'd guess about 5-7mm less clearance).

A 245/40 tire, especially one like the PSS (rounded shoulder) on a completely stock front end (or stock, with camber plates, not washers) will clear the strut, on a 9" ET42. It's been done, look here. Remember the 10" ET25 will probably rub with 275/35 in a square shouldered tire, unless you roll the fenders or run a lot of negative camber, but the PSS (again, rounded shoulder) fits. Otherwise, if you want to run a 275 rear, the 9.5 ET 22 is probably a better choice. (275/35 is about ~2/10" wider on the 10" wheel vs. the 9.5" wheel.)

Last edited by Finnegan; 11-12-2012 at 12:30 PM..
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      11-12-2012, 12:44 PM   #13
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I really like the smooth, sculpted, clean look of the EC-7s, but you really can't go wrong with either. It's a preference, but not one I'd argue for more than 30 seconds. Both are gorgeous.

Any plans for roundels? Or stick with the APEX inserts?
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      11-12-2012, 01:16 PM   #14
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Imola/Black is starting to grow on me after looking at your pictures. At least you don't have to clean your wheels every week or so from brake dust
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      11-12-2012, 01:23 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hogzilla View Post
I really like the smooth, sculpted, clean look of the EC-7s, but you really can't go wrong with either. It's a preference, but not one I'd argue for more than 30 seconds. Both are gorgeous.

Any plans for roundels? Or stick with the APEX inserts?
Sticking with the Apex for now, but might do black/white on mine, and Krissi might go with CF black/white if she can find some she likes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by XMetal View Post
Imola/Black is starting to grow on me after looking at your pictures. At least you don't have to clean your wheels every week or so from brake dust
Hear hear! I hate it when the car is still pretty clean and the wheels start to look all dusty. Black eliminates that issue for the most part. It's an added plus. I really do think the black/red is striking, black black is a look, but it doesn't "pop" the way the black/red does.
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      11-12-2012, 02:51 PM   #16
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The cars look beautiful! Thank you for posting up the photos. It’s these photos along with reviews and feedback that help others understand easier the complex details of these fitments
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      11-12-2012, 11:33 PM   #17
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Looking good!
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      11-12-2012, 11:43 PM   #18
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Looks awesome!

I'm going to try and get some APEX wheels for a square set-up next year. Attempting to fit 265 up front.

We'll see how that goes.
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      11-13-2012, 01:51 AM   #19
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Thanks Joe and Gernard!

Kgolf, I want to see those 265s up front. It's going to take a lot of negative camber I think, but it can be done. I'm guessing you're going to go with a 9.5 ET35 wheel?
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      11-13-2012, 09:09 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finnegan View Post
Kgolf, I want to see those 265s up front. It's going to take a lot of negative camber I think, but it can be done. I'm guessing you're going to go with a 9.5 ET35 wheel?
If all goes as planned, I'll finally be sitting on DAs with camber plates. I had plans of running around -3.5* up front...so hopefully they'll fit.

I am probably going to do a 9.5" wheel (don't know about any offsets yet). I know I can squeeze on a 9" wheel, but don't know if 9.5" would be better to get rid of tire squirm.

I'm running a 9" wheel know with 265s, so it's easily possible.
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      11-13-2012, 09:26 AM   #21
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WOW... I missed these.
Those are great setups. pics are great!!!
IDK which I like best
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      11-13-2012, 12:08 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kgolf31 View Post
If all goes as planned, I'll finally be sitting on DAs with camber plates. I had plans of running around -3.5* up front...so hopefully they'll fit.

I am probably going to do a 9.5" wheel (don't know about any offsets yet). I know I can squeeze on a 9" wheel, but don't know if 9.5" would be better to get rid of tire squirm.

I'm running a 9" wheel know with 265s, so it's easily possible.
I'd see if there was a way to to go with the 9.5". That's going to add about 2/10" more tread width vs. the 9" wheel with that 265/35 tire. A tire mounted on the minimum side of recommended rim sizes isn't going to work as well as mounting the tire on the measured rim size (9.5" in this case).

My thinking these days is that for front wheels, it may be even better to have a .5" wider wheel than the tire's measured rim size. I think that helps manage tread squirm and tire movement, and realizes the full potential of the tire. (Although fitting a 10" wheel on the front isn't really feasible.) Rear doesn't see the same lateral forces, and measured rim size works there. Stock wheels and tires have a .5" wider than tire measured rim size on the front--I think there's a reason for that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by inTgr8r View Post
WOW... I missed these.
Those are great setups. pics are great!!!
IDK which I like best
Thanks! Tough choice isn't it?

Last edited by Finnegan; 11-13-2012 at 12:19 PM..
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