Help with Apex wheels

Nordgeist · 07-29-2021, 10:07 PM

Hey all, I've got a 2006 Z4MR and I'm looking to get the Apex EC-7s.

Right now I've got some knock-off, classic CSL styled rims, no idea who even makes them, the last owner bought them. They look great, but they're cheap and heavy, so obviously want to replace them.

I'm running 245 18 in the front, and 275 18 in the back, which is what I'd like to do with the Apex wheels. Simple, right?

Problem is, after talking with the Apex rep, he said you can't run 245 in the front with the EC7s without adding some negative camber. Is that true? Cause browsing the threads here, it looks like quite a few people have 245 and higher in the front. I'd like to avoid any camber to save my tire wear, and if I've already got CSL styled wheels at 245 without any camber at all, I'm wondering where the issue is.

The rep did say the amount of camber needed is very slight, and probably won't cause much extra tire wear. Is that true too? I thought any camber either way significantly affected tread wear.

Thanks for any help!

F360C · 07-30-2021, 07:10 AM

You need to give us a lot more info then just saying 245's on 18' EC7's

What side wall profile?
What is the wheel width?
What is the wheel offset?
Are you lowered?

Wheel width, offset aside and car height aside.. It really depends on what size 245 18 you're trying to run. 245/45/18 is def not going to fit but a 245/40/18 will fit. That said he is right that the 245/40 does have issues contacting the outside corner of the front bumper due to the overall diameter of the tire if no camber is added and the car is lowered. When I ran front tires that narrow I always found a 255/35/18 actually fits better then the 245/40/18 due to the 255/35 having a smaller over diameter.

Nordgeist · 07-30-2021, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F360C

You need to give us a lot more info then just saying 245's on 18' EC7's

What side wall profile?
What is the wheel width?
What is the wheel offset?
Are you lowered?

Wheel width, offset aside and car height aside.. It really depends on what size 245 18 you're trying to run. 245/45/18 is def not going to fit but a 245/40/18 will fit. That said he is right that the 245/40 does have issues contacting the outside corner of the front bumper due to the overall diameter of the tire if no camber is added and the car is lowered. When I ran front tires that narrow I always found a 255/35/18 actually fits better then the 245/40/18 due to the 255/35 having a smaller over diameter.

I'm trying to run any 245 18 I can get in the front, but I'd like to actually get it up to 255, although that seems unrealistic now. The car has stock suspension, not lowered at all. I'd like to keep it as OEM as possible, as far as that goes.

According to Apex...
front 18x9" ET30 or 31 with 255/35-18 tires
rear 18x10" ET25 with 275/35-18 tires

That setup would require a negative camber adjustment in the front. But the rep said the same thing for the 245 tire.

Now, in the official Apex thread on here, there are Z's running F255 18.9.5" ET35, and R275/35 18x10" ET25. They didn't say if they were on stock suspension or lowered / cambered or not, but at least it seems like it's doable.

XMetal · 07-30-2021, 11:13 PM

Have you seen this thread => https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1774962

Unfortunately, you're going to rub that fender liner where the bumper meets the fender no matter what you do if going wider. Take a look at that area on your car to see if your stock wheel/tire are currently making a rub mark there? Even my stock wheel/tire were making a slight rub there. With that said, it's most likely a trial and error with tires as well as not all 245s are created equal. Some tires have more squarer shoulders, which effectively making it wider than those that have more rounded off shoulders.

Galapolis · 08-04-2021, 08:54 PM

Also check out the Apex fitment guide, there are some pics of fitments there that might help: https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

If you think 245 might fit but you want to play it safe, go for Michelin tires. They run a little thin so you have a better chance of making it work.

jns_e85 · 08-05-2021, 01:47 PM

245 can be made to fit easily. More camber upfront can be had (about -0.5 degree iirc) by pulling the alignment pins. Even more if you do the Turner camber shim kit BUT you would likely need to run a spacer if you go that route. Camber plates are also an option.

Before I added plates, I was over -3 degrees front camber with zero toe on stock suspension with pins pulled and two camber shims on the inside.

Ninja edit: TOE kills tires WAY faster than camber does btw. While camber will cause uneven wear over a long time, tire wear when running a high amount of front camber for street/autocross/track is very minimal if you run zero toe upfront. I have yet to replace a set in 6 years due to camber wear. Usually the tires outside shoulders get worn from AX/HPDE first, or in the case of my street tires, they start to dry out and crack. Of course, YMMV

07-29-2021, 10:07 PM	#1
Nordgeist Enlisted Member 33 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW Z4M Roadster Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: San Diego, California iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 BMW Z4M [7.00]	Help with Apex wheels Hey all, I've got a 2006 Z4MR and I'm looking to get the Apex EC-7s. Right now I've got some knock-off, classic CSL styled rims, no idea who even makes them, the last owner bought them. They look great, but they're cheap and heavy, so obviously want to replace them. I'm running 245 18 in the front, and 275 18 in the back, which is what I'd like to do with the Apex wheels. Simple, right? Problem is, after talking with the Apex rep, he said you can't run 245 in the front with the EC7s without adding some negative camber. Is that true? Cause browsing the threads here, it looks like quite a few people have 245 and higher in the front. I'd like to avoid any camber to save my tire wear, and if I've already got CSL styled wheels at 245 without any camber at all, I'm wondering where the issue is. The rep did say the amount of camber needed is very slight, and probably won't cause much extra tire wear. Is that true too? I thought any camber either way significantly affected tread wear. Thanks for any help!
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07-30-2021, 07:10 AM	#2
F360C Major 366 Rep 1,373 Posts Drives: E86 S54 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Hoboken, NJ iTrader: (2)	You need to give us a lot more info then just saying 245's on 18' EC7's What side wall profile? What is the wheel width? What is the wheel offset? Are you lowered? Wheel width, offset aside and car height aside.. It really depends on what size 245 18 you're trying to run. 245/45/18 is def not going to fit but a 245/40/18 will fit. That said he is right that the 245/40 does have issues contacting the outside corner of the front bumper due to the overall diameter of the tire if no camber is added and the car is lowered. When I ran front tires that narrow I always found a 255/35/18 actually fits better then the 245/40/18 due to the 255/35 having a smaller over diameter. __________________ 07 Z4 M Coupe AW/IR
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07-30-2021, 11:13 PM	#4
XMetal Colonel 1130 Rep 2,864 Posts Drives: Anything Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 Z4M Coupe [10.00] 2018 Audi S3 [0.00] 2004 X5 [8.50]	Have you seen this thread => https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1774962 Unfortunately, you're going to rub that fender liner where the bumper meets the fender no matter what you do if going wider. Take a look at that area on your car to see if your stock wheel/tire are currently making a rub mark there? Even my stock wheel/tire were making a slight rub there. With that said, it's most likely a trial and error with tires as well as not all 245s are created equal. Some tires have more squarer shoulders, which effectively making it wider than those that have more rounded off shoulders.
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08-04-2021, 08:54 PM	#5
Galapolis New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: E46 330i Join Date: Aug 2021 Location: Raleigh, NC iTrader: (0)	Also check out the Apex fitment guide, there are some pics of fitments there that might help: https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide If you think 245 might fit but you want to play it safe, go for Michelin tires. They run a little thin so you have a better chance of making it work. __________________
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08-05-2021, 01:47 PM	#6
jns_e85 Second Lieutenant 74 Rep 264 Posts Drives: '05 X3 2.5i, '06 z4M, '17 M2 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Chicago Area iTrader: (3)	245 can be made to fit easily. More camber upfront can be had (about -0.5 degree iirc) by pulling the alignment pins. Even more if you do the Turner camber shim kit BUT you would likely need to run a spacer if you go that route. Camber plates are also an option. Before I added plates, I was over -3 degrees front camber with zero toe on stock suspension with pins pulled and two camber shims on the inside. Ninja edit: TOE kills tires WAY faster than camber does btw. While camber will cause uneven wear over a long time, tire wear when running a high amount of front camber for street/autocross/track is very minimal if you run zero toe upfront. I have yet to replace a set in 6 years due to camber wear. Usually the tires outside shoulders get worn from AX/HPDE first, or in the case of my street tires, they start to dry out and crack. Of course, YMMV __________________ 2017 M2 - Camber Hubs, MPE, and some other goodies 2006 Z4M - Epic Tune / Eventuri CAI / Euro Headers / Stromung / FA 500 / AS SSK / Arc 8s 2004 Z4 3.0i - Gone, but not forgotten!
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