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► Official APEX VW SM-10 Flow Formed Wheel Thread

APEXWheels

Autocross Champion
Location
Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GSW 4-Motion
For those of you that currently have a MK8 R or are considering purchasing one in the near future, I have some new fitment info to share!

Last week, we were finally able to get some brake scans on a MK8 R to check brake clearances with our SM-10 wheels and upcoming VS-5RS wheels. For the 17" SM-10s, while the barrels will clear the larger 360mm front rotors on the MK8 R, dropwell clearance is a bit of a pinch point. With that said, the 17x8.5" ET43 will require a 9mm spacer to safely clear, while the 17x9" ET42 will require a 2mm spacer to safely clear. However, both the 18x8.5" ET43 and 18x9" ET42 SM-10s will clear no problem without any additional spacing.

Our upcoming 17x9" ET42 VS-5RS forged wheel has an improved dropwell design compared to the flow formed SM-10. Due to this, that wheel is able to clear on both the barrel and spoke side without any additional spacing. :cool:

-Geirsen
 

bentin

Autocross Champion
Location
Austin, TX
Car(s)
23 Golf R - 3 Pedals
Thanks Geirsen! Is there any benefit to having a little airspace around the caliper with a larger 18" wheel? Just seems like it would potentially benefit cooling a smidge to have more air volume between the caliper and the barrel, but I failed out of ME...
 

APEXWheels

Autocross Champion
Location
Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GSW 4-Motion
Thanks Geirsen! Is there any benefit to having a little airspace around the caliper with a larger 18" wheel? Just seems like it would potentially benefit cooling a smidge to have more air volume between the caliper and the barrel, but I failed out of ME...
Yes and no...

From a technical standpoint, the more clearance you have between the wheel and brakes, the better your cooling will be. However, there is tons of room with the 18" wheels so I wouldn't bother with running spacers as I feel like it won't make any actual tangible difference in cooling.

-Geirsen
 

bentin

Autocross Champion
Location
Austin, TX
Car(s)
23 Golf R - 3 Pedals
Yes and no...

From a technical standpoint, the more clearance you have between the wheel and brakes, the better your cooling will be. However, there is tons of room with the 18" wheels so I wouldn't bother with running spacers as I feel like it won't make any actual tangible difference in cooling.

-Geirsen
Thanks, I just meant between a 17 and an 18. In a hypothetical world, would an 18" VS-5RS offer any advantage to a 17" VS-5RS? Our cars have poor venting/ducting/cooling anyway, or at least the GTI is does, in theory, the R should have better venting due to the lack of fogs and better air flow over the front brakes.
 

APEXWheels

Autocross Champion
Location
Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GSW 4-Motion
Thanks, I just meant between a 17 and an 18. In a hypothetical world, would an 18" VS-5RS offer any advantage to a 17" VS-5RS? Our cars have poor venting/ducting/cooling anyway, or at least the GTI is does, in theory, the R should have better venting due to the lack of fogs and better air flow over the front brakes.
I think any cooling advantage you would get with an 18" VS-5RS would not be enough to outweigh the advantages you get from running a lighter 17" VS-5RS. One of the VW motorsport teams we sponsor, EastHood Racing, has experimented with this exact topic. Last year, Brian was running a reverse staggered 18" SM-10 setup on his GTI but this year he will be running a 17x9" ET42 SM-10 square setup. His car is equipped with cooling ducts that push airflow directly to his brakes, so he was not as concerned with brake temps when dropping down to 17"s. He has yet to test out the 17"s this season but from my understanding brake cooling shouldn't be an issue.

That said, Louis (also a part of EastHood Racing) has a MK7 R equipped with 380mm ST-60 brakes. He is using the 18x9" ET42 SM-10s but with how much speed he is able to carry with that car, as well as how much more heat those larger brakes create, he did run into some cooling issues last year. Those particular brakes are pretty much as big as you can go under the 18x9" ET42, so even with larger aftermarket brake ducts, temps were still a concern at times. Due to this, APEX, EHR, and USA Turbofans have been working on a joint project to create an "aerodisk" to mount on his front 18x9" ET42 SM-10s to help generate more air turbulence, which in turn should allow for additional airflow over the brakes. We have plans to test the prototype aerodisk in a wind tunnel to verify the real-world results to confirm if there are any tangible returns. If the numbers look good, we might move forward with producing a few examples to sell on our website.

-Geirsen
 

lplim

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
'19 GTI (LB9Z)
I think any cooling advantage you would get with an 18" VS-5RS would not be enough to outweigh the advantages you get from running a lighter 17" VS-5RS. One of the VW motorsport teams we sponsor, EastHood Racing, has experimented with this exact topic. Last year, Brian was running a reverse staggered 18" SM-10 setup on his GTI but this year he will be running a 17x9" ET42 SM-10 square setup. His car is equipped with cooling ducts that push airflow directly to his brakes, so he was not as concerned with brake temps when dropping down to 17"s. He has yet to test out the 17"s this season but from my understanding brake cooling shouldn't be an issue.

That said, Louis (also a part of EastHood Racing) has a MK7 R equipped with 380mm ST-60 brakes. He is using the 18x9" ET42 SM-10s but with how much speed he is able to carry with that car, as well as how much more heat those larger brakes create, he did run into some cooling issues last year. Those particular brakes are pretty much as big as you can go under the 18x9" ET42, so even with larger aftermarket brake ducts, temps were still a concern at times. Due to this, APEX, EHR, and USA Turbofans have been working on a joint project to create an "aerodisk" to mount on his front 18x9" ET42 SM-10s to help generate more air turbulence, which in turn should allow for additional airflow over the brakes. We have plans to test the prototype aerodisk in a wind tunnel to verify the real-world results to confirm if there are any tangible returns. If the numbers look good, we might move forward with producing a few examples to sell on our website.

-Geirsen
Hey Geirsen,

Would a brembo GT with 345mm x 30 fit Apex 17x9 on MK7?
 

scrllock

Autocross Champion
Location
MI
Finally got these on the car. 18x9 with 245/40/18 Kumho V730s. Coated with Fireball Talon+. Running about 2.2deg camber lowered on eibach pro-kit at the moment, I need to do the fender screw mod apparently. Rubs a bit on compression.
 

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APEXWheels

Autocross Champion
Location
Bay Area
Car(s)
2017 GSW 4-Motion
Any word on the forged wheels? Pics? Colors?

The first VW/Audi VS-5RS samples arrived late last week at our office. We will be weighing them today, so I will be sure to share those details as soon as I can! The samples are Brushed Clear but the first batch of these wheels will be offered in Brushed Clear, Anthracite, and Satin Bronze. I will grab some cell phone pics to give ya'll a sneak peek once I get an opportunity. :cool:

-Geirsen
 

Daily Driver

Drag Racing Champion
Location
New York
Car(s)
2020 GTI SE
What PSI are you guys running with 245/40or45/17 tires? Looking into load rating online i think it calls for 31 psi I feel that's way low.
 
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