Wheel Directory: Apex Racing ARC-8 17x9 +42

[APEX Race Parts]

Originally Posted by RotARy15

Well, now I am getting slightly concerned. I just got in on that group buy for the 17x9 et42 on the understanding that they fit PP with Sachs. Don't they?

Or is it just a camber bolts vs plates issue? I planned on plates but don't have them yet. Although I expect they will be in by the time the group buy wheels are delivered...

Thank you for your recent participation in the GB. I'm happy to help provide more clarity and guidance in regards to your specific setup.

Since the PP Sachs struts have a slightly larger silhouette in comparison to the non-Sachs struts, inner clearance between strut and wheel/tire is slightly diminished. This really does not come into play with slimmer wheel widths, but 9" wheels are wide enough to the point where all the fine details matter. As described, whether or not small spacers are needed will come down to tire size and brand since not all are created equal.

What tire size and brand do you plan to run? Is this a car enjoyed on the street only, or will it see track time?

For track enthusiasts, adjustable camber plates are the better solution for dialing in negative camber. While camber/crash bolts are cheap, they do not have a broad adjustment range and they compromise inner clearance where space is already pretty tight.

Depending on the wheel and tire setup and the driver's goals and intended use, camber/crash bolts may make sense in some scenarios. With that said, if the driver at hand is investing in wheels, tires and a track alignment with the intention of optimizing performance (grip, turn-in, etc.) and tire longevity on track, it makes a lot of sense to spend a little more money on adjustable plates. You'll get a quick ROI in the form of tire longevity after a handful of track days.

Originally Posted by churchx

@APEX Race Parts: if you do that 3d scanning to ensure your wheel clearance .. may i ask for two things that imho twins owners community may greatly benefit from?
- can you also scan non-PP stock brakes?
- can you release brake clearance fitment templates for both stock PP and for generic stock brakes?
Most aftermarket brake vendors provide downloadable brake templates for their BBKs .. unfortunatly no such for stock brakes though even they are more numerous and their owners also would benefit from easier/quicker wheel check way (eg. with stock brakes if one wishes to check some R15 for winter use clearance).

You are absolutely correct. When we develop new fitments for a specific chassis, one of the first things we do is research brake clearances to ensure our wheels are designed from the ground up to clear stock brakes (including upgrades available from the factory like PP Brembo) and a wide variety of popular aftermarket BBK's (Essex AP, Brembo, StopTech, etc.). When discussing the topic of brake clearance most immediately think of large brakes being problematic, however, small rotors position the caliper closer to the center of the wheel where spoke clearance is typically the tightest, so it is imperative to take all brakes applicable to a given chassis into consideration during the wheel design phase.

The three aftermarket brake manufacturers I mentioned above make it really easy, as they all have templates available online to download. When it comes to original brake equipment from the manufacturer (even if they source a from a supplier like Brembo), 2D templates are not released/available.

This, in addition to suspension related data, is precisely why we take things a step further and conduct 3D scanning sessions. Needless to say, these scans are expensive when you factor in the equipment used and all of the associated logistical costs with donor vehicles, etc. While it would be nice to share the templates with the community, it would also result in handing over valuable data to wheel manufacturers that have chosen not to invest in development to the same degree.

This data will result in our ability to create better wheel solutions for 86/BRZ enthusiasts, and the brake clearance information will be available in our chassis-specific fitment guides.

Originally Posted by Will BRZ

@APEX Race Parts This is awesome. What sizes and wheel models are you testing for? I’ve always loved the rest of your lineup. When can we expect them to be released?

Originally Posted by jflogerzi

Can't wait to see new wheel desgins. You guys have won my business next wheel purchase.

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Will BRZ

Me too. Really eyeing the FL-5 or maybe the EC-7s. Got new tires on stockers last month so I’m good for a bit while they design the new ones. Excited

We really appreciate the support. We will have more concrete information very soon.

Originally Posted by timurrrr

I wonder if you should also scan the same setup but with camber bolts giving something around -1.5...-2° in the front, as this seems to be a popular mod among drivers who want negative camber in the front but not ready to spend significant money on coilovers.

If an enthusiast is set on running camber bolts with the stock suspension rather than adjustable camber plates, a 9" wheel will typically need to have an offset around ET35 - 38 depending on the tire size and brand at hand, and whether it is the PP with Sach struts or not.

- Ryan

[RotARy15]

Originally Posted by APEX Race Parts

Thank you for your recent participation in the GB. I'm happy to help provide more clarity and guidance in regards to your specific setup.

Since the PP Sachs struts have a slightly larger silhouette in comparison to the non-Sachs struts, inner clearance between strut and wheel/tire is slightly diminished. This really does not come into play with slimmer wheel widths, but 9" wheels are wide enough to the point where all the fine details matter. As described, whether or not small spacers are needed will come down to tire size and brand since not all are created equal.

What tire size and brand do you plan to run? Is this a car enjoyed on the street only, or will it see track time?

For track enthusiasts, adjustable camber plates are the better solution for dialing in negative camber. While camber/crash bolts are cheap, they do not have a broad adjustment range and they compromise inner clearance where space is already pretty tight.

Depending on the wheel and tire setup and the driver's goals and intended use, camber/crash bolts may make sense in some scenarios. With that said, if the driver at hand is investing in wheels, tires and a track alignment with the intention of optimizing performance (grip, turn-in, etc.) and tire longevity on track, it makes a lot of sense to spend a little more money on adjustable plates. You'll get a quick ROI in the form of tire longevity after a handful of track days.
- Ryan

I plan on tracking the vehicle and right now I am aiming at 245/40-17 Kumho V720's. I will also be getting camber plates.

[APEX Race Parts]

Originally Posted by RotARy15

I plan on tracking the vehicle and right now I am aiming at 245/40-17 Kumho V720's. I will also be getting camber plates.

Between in-house testing and customer feedback, we're constantly compiling data on 245 tire clearances against the front Sachs struts with these wheel specs. Unfortunately, at this time I do not have the 245/40-17 Kumho V720's on that list to be able to confirm or deny.

As a reference, 245 tires that run wider than your average street tire (most extreme summer tires, r-compounds, and semi-slicks) will almost always require small 5mm spacers to clear unless aftermarket coilovers are installed.

Adjustable camber plates are a great call for the reasons previously mentioned.

- Ryan

[GriffinW]

What lug nuts/wheel studs are you guys running? My group buy set will be here soon and I'm trying to get my ducks in a row. I really like the look of the longer lug nuts (closed-ended) but I'm curious if I need extended studs to run them. Or is the extended stud just a stylistic thing for those wanting to run longer open-ended lug nuts?

Another question; I drive a 2014 BRZ on stock suspension, will I have an issue running 245's?

[Code Monkey]

Those 17x10 coming soon?

[Goingnowherefast]

Originally Posted by Code Monkey

Those 17x10 coming soon?

Most important question of 2020 right here.

X2

[RWDWeekend]

Satin black ARC-8s on my Dark Gray PP BRZ. I participated in the most recent group buy to get my hands on these, and I couldn't be happier. This is exactly the look I was gunning for! Getting $150 off and free shipping was a cherry on top.











Satin Black ARC-8 17x9
245/40/r17 Continental Control Contact Sport SRS tires
Eibach Pro Kit springs - otherwise stock suspension
Factory performance package Brembos & Sachs Dampers

[tehShirt]

Originally Posted by RWDWeekend

Satin black ARC-8s on my Dark Gray PP BRZ. I participated in the most recent group buy to get my hands on these, and I couldn't be happier. This is exactly the look I was gunning for! Getting $150 off and free shipping was a cherry on top.

Satin Black ARC-8 17x9
245/40/r17 Continental Control Contact Sport SRS tires
Eibach Pro Kit springs - otherwise stock suspension
Factory performance package Brembos & Sachs Dampers

Your car looks great! What are your alignment specs? Did you use camber plates or bolts?

[RWDWeekend]

Originally Posted by tehShirt

Your car looks great! What are your alignment specs? Did you use camber plates or bolts?

Neither actually! Put the ARC-8s on right after we installed the eibach springs, so I have yet to get an alignment done (I'm sure it needs one). But as is clears the stock struts just fine, haven't felt any rubbing.

[tehShirt]

Originally Posted by RWDWeekend

Neither actually! Put the ARC-8s on right after we installed the eibach springs, so I have yet to get an alignment done (I'm sure it needs one). But as is clears the stock struts just fine, haven't felt any rubbing.

Definitely get your alignment checked since you lowered the car, mine gained toe from the drop with RCE yellows. The Continental tires are pretty wide in 245, so you probably won't be able to use camber bolts up front without interference.

Enjoy the wheels! (and prepare for the Brembo dust)

[RWDWeekend]

Originally Posted by tehShirt

Definitely get your alignment checked since you lowered the car, mine gained toe from the drop with RCE yellows. The Continental tires are pretty wide in 245, so you probably won't be able to use camber bolts up front without interference.

Enjoy the wheels! (and prepare for the Brembo dust)

Yeah I'm heading in this week to one of the local shops to get the alignment squared away. As for the Brembos, I'm already acquainted with the dust, but it's the brake squeal that eats at me the most!

[APEX Race Parts]

Originally Posted by GriffinW

What lug nuts/wheel studs are you guys running? My group buy set will be here soon and I'm trying to get my ducks in a row. I really like the look of the longer lug nuts (closed-ended) but I'm curious if I need extended studs to run them. Or is the extended stud just a stylistic thing for those wanting to run longer open-ended lug nuts?

Another question; I drive a 2014 BRZ on stock suspension, will I have an issue running 245's?

Thanks for participating in the recent community Group Buy. For a BRZ without the PP, 245/40-17 tires will be a very nice fit without any front strut clearance concerns.

Our 86/BRZ wheels are made to be very user-friendly, and I've included some notes below.

• The 86/BRZ ARC-8 wheels can be used with all 86/BRZ OEM and aftermarket mounting hardware with a 60° tapered seat (i.e Muteki, Project Kiks, etc). We’ve slightly tweaked the design of the lug nut seats to perfectly support the use of OEM hardware without compromising strength or safety.
  
  Unlike the narrow lug recesses of many other wheels, the ARC-8 wheel boasts a completely wide-open wheel hardware recess that easily fits race lug-nuts and the beefy adapters or impact sockets used to fit them. This allows for quick and easy wheel changes at the track, or just as a bonus; prevents chips and scratches from tools upon install or removal.
  
  Extended studs are not necessary unless you are installing spacers where extra thread engagement is required.

• Our wheels are hub-centric with a 56.1mm center bore so that no centering rings are required.

• Some users like their aftermarket parts to blend in; for us that means details are not overlooked like compatibility with factory center caps. Our ARC-8 wheels are designed to accept factory or 49mm direct replacement OE style center caps from the FR-S, 86 or BRZ.
  
  Each wheel ships with one of our gloss black APEX center caps.

- Ryan

[APEX Race Parts]

Originally Posted by Code Monkey

Those 17x10 coming soon?

Originally Posted by Goingnowherefast

Most important question of 2020 right here.

X2

The guys in the Engineering department are telling me that we are just weeks away from being able to launch a community Group Buy for all of the new 17" & 18" wheel solutions we have in the works.

With that said, the widest fitments we currently have designed for this release are 17x9.5" and 18x9.5". For 17" wheels, the widest compounds we see track enthusiasts and racers using are 255/40-17's. In 18's, we see both 255/35-18 and 265/35-18. All of these compounds are well supported by a 9.5" wheel to promote good wear and handling characteristics, and weight is kept to a minimum. As you guys know, with the right aftermarket coilovers and negative camber specs, 9.5" wheels are a relatively easy fit.

Edit: I'd love to hear from the guys requesting 10" wheels in regards to what the perceived value is.

If the demand is there we can certainly add it to the lineup, but I believe wheels this wide only make sense for high HP cars with flares or widebody kits looking to run 275mm or wider compounds.

- Ryan

[Goingnowherefast]

Originally Posted by APEX Race Parts

The guys in the Engineering department are telling me that we are just weeks away from being able to launch a community Group Buy for all of the new 17" & 18" wheel solutions we have in the works.

With that said, the widest fitments we currently have designed for this release are 17x9.5" and 18x9.5". For 17" wheels, the widest compounds we see track enthusiasts and racers using are 255/40-17's. In 18's, we see both 255/35-18 and 265/35-18. All of these compounds are well supported by a 9.5" wheel to promote good wear and handling characteristics, and weight is kept to a minimum. As you guys know, with the right aftermarket coilovers and negative camber specs, 9.5" wheels are a relatively easy fit.

Edit: I'd love to hear from the guys requesting 10" wheels in regards to what the perceived value is.

If the demand is there we can certainly add it to the lineup, but I believe wheels this wide only make sense for high HP cars with flares or widebody kits looking to run 275mm or wider compounds.

- Ryan

I'll be the first to say this is absolutely GREAT news. I'll be first in line for the group buy. *dreams of Bronze SM-10 in 17x9.5*

As far as the 10 inch wheel setup goes, I'll give a shot. In the Miata world, there's been a ton of data that suggests that a 245/40/15 tire on a 10 inch wheel is significantly faster than a 245/40/15 on a 9 inch wheel, even in low power setups where an increase in rotational mass (and aero footprint) would have an otherwise negative effect. The consensus is that with a wider wheel, you can artificially stiffen up the sidewall of a tire (to an extent). This allows the user to reduce tire pressures more without encountering tire rollover.

Decreasing tire pressure has a couple benefits, the most obvious being an increase in area. Since pressure = load/area, a decrease in pressure while the load remains the same, nets a higher area. Additionally, as tire pressure increases, it's resistance to frictional shearing decreases. For that reason, it's beneficial to reduce the pressure to promote elastic deformation over the road instead of shearing.

That's the science from what I understand. Admittedly, I'm not a vehicle dynamics engineer but that's what I picked up. Obviously the question is whether the .5" increase is worth extra fitment hassle (maybe it won't fit under stock fenders), and for you guys the question is "is there enough crazy track guys to justify making 17x10's?" That one I don't know the answer to