► Official APEX VW SM-10 Flow Formed Wheel Thread

[bfury5]

In for 17x9 ET42. I currently run 17x8.5" ET42 with ~2.4° of camber and have no issues with fitment. A touch more camber and the fitment would likely still work. Anyone using these on the track knows camber is a must, and for that reason ET42 should work well.

 

[APEXWheels]

Nice- are you zeroing in on an ETA for release yet?

We are getting very close to having an ETA, but we aren't quite there yet. I will be sure to update the community once we have a better idea as to what our timeline will look like.

So will the 17x9 ET42 clear without spacers? Or yet to be determined?
Does this apply to both the ARC8 and the EC7 style?
Based on your comments, I’m assuming the barrels clear the rotor/caliper.....?

Will the 17x8.5 clear the same BBK’s above?

Can you also elaborate a little on the design features of the different wheel designs. The EC-7 and SM-10 are later designs and appear to have a few additional benefits over the ARC 8. A few design differences being a little better BBK friendly.

At the moment we can clear the AP Essex CP9660 6-pot 355mm kit and the Stoptech ST-40 4-pot 355mm kit with the 17x9" ET42 without any spacers. However, the AP Essex CP9668 kit is a bit of an outlier compared to the other BBKs we have tested due to its slightly larger dimensions. Currently, it is looking like that particular kit will need a small (3mm) spacer to clear the spokes of the 17x9" ET42.

The BBKs we have tested all clear our 17" barrel without any issues. The clearance problem is mainly with the spokes.

For the 17x8.5" ET43, we are not as worried about clearing the larger, more serious BBKs considering most of the MK7 guys running those will more than likely opt for the 17x9" ET42. That being said, we do plan to clear the smaller, more popular BBKs more commonly seen on "dual-duty" cars, such as the Macan 340mm kit. Depending on the demand, we are also considering the idea of making the 17x8.5" ET43 more of a "winter wheel", to serve as an off-season fitment for those who drive their MK7s year-round. That way, you can have a strong, lightweight 17" wheel that is ideal for snow/all-season tires and can clear most of the popular BBKs on the market while still providing a flush fitment.

Design-wise, our initial Flow Formed 17" and 18" wheels will be based on our existing SM-10 design, with a few VW-specific tweaks. For the 18" Forged wheels, we are planning to offer the EC-7R with some similar VW-specific changes. For now, that's all I can elaborate on in regards to wheel design and features until we get a bit closer to putting these wheels into production.

In for 17x9 ET42. I currently run 17x8.5" ET42 with ~2.4° of camber and have no issues with fitment. A touch more camber and the fitment would likely still work. Anyone using these on the track knows camber is a must, and for that reason ET42 should work well.

This was our line of thinking for the 17x9" ET42 as well. We figured most track owners are running some additional camber anyways, so it wouldn't be a huge issue to go slightly lower with the offset to provide a better fitment, while still clearing just about all aftermarket BBKs without spacers (besides the AP Essex CP9668 kit).

-Geirsen

 

[bfury5]

This was our line of thinking for the 17x9" ET42 as well. We figured most track owners are running some additional camber anyways, so it wouldn't be a huge issue to go slightly lower with the offset to provide a better fitment, while still clearing just about all aftermarket BBKs without spacers (besides the AP Essex CP9668 kit).

-Geirsen

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. On the street, a 17/18x8.5 ET42 will give you an aggressive fitment but should still fit the fender without modifications (maybe fender screw depending on ride height and tire OD).

On track, 9" wide and ET42 with proper camber will fit like a glove.

Let me know if you happen to have two 17x9 that, uh, are just laying around. For science of course

 

[S-4Motion]

What size center caps are going to fit these wheels, is it the older size or the new 55mm diameter? Personally, I'd love to run the dynamic center caps.

 

[The Dude]

What kind of $$$ are we talking for the winter setup?

 

[APEXWheels]

What size center caps are going to fit these wheels, is it the older size or the new 55mm diameter? Personally, I'd love to run the dynamic center caps.

The wheels will fit the older 66mm center caps. No plans at this time to offer 55mm center cap compatibility.

What kind of $$$ are we talking for the winter setup?

We are still gauging community interest for the winter setup, so we don't have any official info for those wheels yet. Stay tuned!

-Geirsen

 

[The Dude]

The wheels will fit the older 66mm center caps. No plans at this time to offer 55mm center cap compatibility.



We are still gauging community interest for the winter setup, so we don't have any official info for those wheels yet. Stay tuned!

-Geirsen

Tell you what, you do a set of decent looking snow wheels for less than a grand and I'm in, lol.

 

[xXDavidCXx]

Tell you what, you do a set of decent looking snow wheels for less than a grand and I'm in, lol.

What does a snow wheel look like?

 

[jmblur]

We are still gauging community interest for the winter setup, so we don't have any official info for those wheels yet. Stay tuned!

I'm not a huge fan of thin wheels/thin tires for winter (let's face it, my R doesn't have the ground clearance to rip through deep enough snow where thin tires are going to make a difference!) So I'll likely be rocking a 17x7.5 or 8 for winter, which you're already planning on. Bonus if it has a more salt/ding resistant finish

 

[pseudorealityx]

Tell you what, you do a set of decent looking snow wheels for less than a grand and I'm in, lol.

You should look at their site. Under $1000 for a set isn't likely happening without a sale.

 

[The Dude]

What does a snow wheel look like?

Thin, ugly, cheap. Kinda like the wheel attached to a spare tire. For oem 17's that fir pp brakes its almost 300 a wheel, so 1k a set would be a bargain.

 

[BodegaBay]

Road crowd here. Waiting impatiently for 19's.

 

[APEXWheels]

Thin, ugly, cheap. Kinda like the wheel attached to a spare tire. For oem 17's that fir pp brakes its almost 300 a wheel, so 1k a set would be a bargain.

How about a wheel that is robust, has a great-looking design and fitment, and is able to clear PP/R/Macan brakes?

In the past, we have offered annual Group Buys for our BMW winter fitments, which typically start at the beginning of Fall. If we did something similar for these wheels and the participation levels are decent, we might be able to get the cost down to around that point. No guarantees though, as we are still trying to gauge interest for winter-specific wheels for this community.

For those who would be interested in a winter-specific setup, how would you feel about a slight increase in weight if it meant a bit more strength for harsher road conditions typically seen in the off-season?

-Geirsen

 

[The Dude]

How about a wheel that is robust, has a great-looking design and fitment, and is able to clear PP/R/Macan brakes?

In the past, we have offered annual Group Buys for our BMW winter fitments, which typically start at the beginning of Fall. If we did something similar for these wheels and the participation levels are decent, we might be able to get the cost down to around that point. No guarantees though, as we are still trying to gauge interest for winter-specific wheels for this community.

For those who would be interested in a winter-specific setup, how would you feel about a slight increase in weight if it meant a bit more strength for harsher road conditions typically seen in the off-season?

-Geirsen

I'm sold. 17's mean cheaper tires and a nicer ride while the weather is garbage

 

[geokilla]

I'm sold. 17's mean cheaper tires and a nicer ride while the weather is garbage

17x8 is what I'm looking for summer wheels. The selection for hub centric 17x8 is horrible