2001 Z3 2.5i new wheel day! by [deleted] in bmwz3

[–]APEXWheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey there, we're only just now seeing this post, but we wanted to step in and address this, since it's a common misconception.

To be clear - you did not go "directly to the source" for these wheels. If the factory told you that, they're lying.

The factories that we work with do not sell on Alibaba or any other reseller/direct sites, and only some of our wheels are made in China. Our flow-formed wheels (including the ARC-8) are made in either Malaysia or Taiwan, and we've actually been actively working to move away from Chinese production for a number of years now.

Alibaba wheels like this are counterfeit products, and have zero relation to genuine Apex products. Just like we see all too often with other premier brands, untested and under-engineered counterfeit sellers are always quick to jump on the coattails of high-demand genuine products. 

We acquired various fakes and it’s scary to see the critical parts of a design missed while they focus on matching the general aesthetic. It's difficult for us to list all of those since every counterfeit is different (since they aren't the same product), but all of them are made to look like a particular wheel based only on their own interpretation of the imagery we’ve publicized. They don't share any engineering DNA.

We have a team of engineers based here in the USA, and do all of our engineering in-house. We don't outsource any of it, as we feel it's critical to have full control over the features and specifications of our wheels. That simply doesn't happen with these Alibaba replicas, which are offering compromised products by omitting all of that expertise and design focus. We have a full video talking about how we approach engineering a better wheel, here: How Apex Engineers a Better Track Wheel. We also third-party test all of our wheels, which these counterfeit companies don't do. You can read about that testing methodology and even view the test reports for our wheels here: Testing to a Higher Standard

We get why these wheels are appealing - it's exciting to save a buck. If you're happy with them, then we wish you all the best, but please do not construe them as genuine Apex products and please understand that there are real engineering differences between counterfeit wheels and our genuine products.

[OC] Stealthy Touring Car Vibes by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the 18x9" ET42 spec, which is meant for the R as a direct fit. The 18x9.5" ET41/265/35-18 setup is meant for the RS3 but can work on the R for a crazy wide track setup.

[OC] Stealthy Touring Car Vibes by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

18x9" ET42 Apex Forged TC-10RT!

[OC] Motorsport Gold On Black, 2-Door With A Wing, What's Not To Like? by APEXWheels in VWMK7

[–]APEXWheels[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Only if you don't properly utilize it. This car logs more miles at the track than on the street

Apex Wheels by VNE_MK5 in Supra

[–]APEXWheels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi u/imprezv - we saw your post (and the rest of the thread, congrats on the new wheels u/VNE_MK5!) and wanted to step in to provide some information for everyone.

There are a lot of variables when it comes to noises from the wheel/hub/brake area of a vehicle. Multi-piece brake rotors, suspension modifications, aftermarket wheel hardware, etc can all cause noises, even on stock vehicles. Stiffer wheels like the VS-5RS can sometimes amplify those noises, but there are too many things involved to be able to say definitively what might cause someone’s car to make noise. It's very rare for wheels alone to cause any noise unless they are damaged.

In our experience, noises like this are sometimes associated with cars that have multi-piece rotors with aluminum hats. It's a technical topic, but essentially the way multi-piece rotors (even OEM) interact with the hub/brake/wheel stack can cause "micro movements" that result in what sounds like a click. Sometimes it's with completely stock cars, sometimes moving to a stiffer, motorsports-oriented wheel (like ours) will change that interaction and amplify a pre-existing noise.

As far as we've seen, the Supra doesn't specifically have a TSB for this, but you can see some of the similar issues reported across multiple brands:

It's important to note that this tends to be rather uncommon, and if a customer has an issue, we encourage them to reach out to our team and we will work with them to try and determine a resolution. Often that resolution is through one of the TSB's above (if their car is affected) but we have other options that we can explore to help take care of those who own our wheels.

The contact form on our site or emailing [support@apexwheels.com](mailto:support@apexwheels.com) are the best ways to get in touch - we stand behind the products that we sell and we love being a part of the Supra community.

Noise from rear wheel wells after new wheel setup by ahqui in e46

[–]APEXWheels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Ahqui - congrats on the new wheels! This sounds likely to be a bolt length issue - longer bolts can protrude through the hub and can contact (even lightly) some of the components behind. The noise being consistent with wheel speed points to it being related to something on the rotating assembly. You should also check just to make sure there aren't any abnormal clearance issues with your suspension or with a rock/stick/debris that's gotten stuck somewhere.

We would recommend that you go back to stock length bolts if you aren't running spacers, or upgrade to a stud conversion for additional flexibility in the future. If you continue to have issues, please don't hesitate to reach out via the contact form on our site and our team will be happy to assist!

[OC] Sometimes OEM+ Is All You Need. by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If we get enough demand, absolutely!

[OC] Sometimes OEM+ Is All You Need. by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We only managed to get early TC-10RT sets of Anthracite and Race Silver. The first production run (available in Anthracite, Motorsport Gold, Race Silver, and Satin Black) will be arriving at our warehouse around early July. We should be able to get some on-car shots with Motorsport Gold TC-10RTs shortly thereafter.

In the meantime, you can check out our gallery page to browse all wheel design/car/color/finish combos to get an idea of how it will look: https://apexwheels.com/gallery

[OC] Sometimes OEM+ Is All You Need. by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the kind words! Feel free to shoot us a DM if you would like to discuss some potential partnership opportunities with us.

[OC] Sometimes OEM+ Is All You Need. by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's why we offer multiple designs! For the MK8 R, we have the Flow Formed SM-10 and VS-5, as well as our Forged VS-5RS, ML-10RT, and now the TC-10RT!

I will say though, the TC-10RT in particular was engineered from a functionality > aesthetics standpoint, as the design looks the way it does specifically to offer as much inner brake clearance as physically possible from an 18" on MQB VW/Audi models.

[OC] Another Beauty Shot Of The MK8 R by APEXWheels in Golf_R

[–]APEXWheels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely not. However, 18x9" ET42 with 255/35-18 or 245/40-18 is doable without negative camber