When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Eric from APEX Race Parts here. (Don’t worry, I’m not just another internet sales guy - I’m actually leading APEX’s Porsche wheel development.)
For those of you who know us from our roots in the BMW world, you know that we develop our performance wheels based on real world experiences and feedback from go-fast enthusiasts. (You!) We’ve been flooded with requests to develop some Porsche-specific wheels and now we have the team in place to make it happen! We’ve got a few fitment ideas in mind, but we really want to pick your brain before we pull the trigger. Got a few minutes to help us out?
Once we get a better understanding of your deepest wishes and desires for an affordable (yet race-proven) set of shoes for your car, we’ll put our creative and engineerings minds to work to develop a lineup of APEX wheels that makes sense whether you’re in the market for street or track-worthy wheels.
So, who am I? Well, many things, but the important thing is that I’ve been neck-deep in the performance driving world for years - HDPE’ing and Time Trialing my Porsche around the Northern California tracks every opportunity that I get. If you’re like me and have spent time in the paddock, you’ve surely seen the majority of BMWs on a set of APEX wheels. Over the past 10 years, it was obvious that APEX dedicated themselves to fill voids and ease pains the BMW enthusiasts felt in regards to wheel quality, affordability, and availability. By enlisting fellow enthusiasts in the decision making process, APEX incorporated forum members into product development and connected with their community in a way that no one else in the motorsports world had. Hungry to implement that in other track oriented markets, I proposed the idea of a Porsche department to APEX, and voila! That’s why I’m reaching out to you now.
Now that we’re all gearing up for the off-season builds, repairs, and modifications, I speak for the whole team when I say that we’re ecstatic to get the wheels rolling (pun intended) on developing off-the-shelf, race engineered, lightweight fitments that are perfect for your beloved Porsche.
The best way to help would be to tell us a bit more about what you’d look for and expect in a set of track proven, dependable, and affordable wheels. When you grab your next cup of coffee, could you take a minute to share your thoughts with us?
Please stay tuned and we will surely keep you updated as our Porsche division progresses!
Happy tracking,
Eric
11/28 UDPATE: Huge thank you to Rob (993GT), who kindly provided us with perfect pictures of his perfect 996 GT2.
The front wheels are our profile 1 (least concave) whereas the rears are profile 3 (most concave). Please feel free to reach out with any questions regarding our profiles, finishes, etc. Enjoy!
Satin black -
Anthracite -
Race silver -
Seen below are our 19" APEX SM-10 in profile 1 (front) concavity and profile 3 (rear) concavity.
only 10" rears? going to need to go bigger than that - appreciate the attention to this though
Thank you for your inquiry and feedback! We will be offering wider than 10" rears; likely up to 12". The 10" rear tends to those with narrowbody 911's and Cayman/Boxster.
I came from the BMW world and owned a set of your wheels for my E46 M3 and really enjoyed them.
You're coming into a segment where competitively (based on construction, weight and price) you're up against the well established OZ wheels that many here are running.
What's the advantage to your wheel vs. the OZ alternative?
Additional fitments would be a good start. Offer an 9.5 / 11.5 setup for narrow body 996 and you'd have a leg up on the OZ.
How are your wheels load tested? As I'm sure you are aware our cars are VERY hard on rear wheels. I generally only run forged wheels and even the best of the best start to crack after enough track time on the rear of a 911.
I recently purchased a set of your 18x10 EC-7 for my Mustang GTPP. Really pleased with the quality of these wheels. Had OZ on my 996 GT3 and will be back in another GT3 in the future...was hoping you would come into the Porsche game! Just wanted to add that I was very pleased with the purchase experience with APEX.
I recently purchased a set of your 18x10 EC-7 for my Mustang GTPP. Really pleased with the quality of these wheels. Had OZ on my 996 GT3 and will be back in another GT3 in the future...was hoping you would come into the Porsche game! Just wanted to add that I was very pleased with the purchase experience with APEX.
Your S550 Mustang looks amazing!
Always great to see a fellow enthusiast put our wheels up to the test on another platform and share their success story. Thanks for your continual support - it is very much appreciated.
I'm looking forward to seeing you back in another GT3!
Filled out the survey. Nice to see a company speaking directly with consumers. Looking for a new set of wheels for my 996gt3 right now. Good timing.
Thank you for your participation. Intertwining enthusiasts into product development is forefront in our agenda, so your feedback is valuable.
We're continually welcoming members to take our survey! The developing trends we spot and feedback we receive are directly correlated to what we will be producing.
Raced NASA on your wheels in a BMW, liked them! Filled out the survey.
Any chance of not manufacturing these wheels in China? USA or EU for the win!
Glad you had a great experience with us in the past.
If there was a meaningful quality difference that we weren’t already getting, then manufacturing wheels elsewhere would be a consideration. However, as your previous experience has already shown, these wheels work exceptionally well. After 10+ years of success, we don’t see a need to change our recipe.
Thank you to all of our 500+ survey participants. If you have not filled it out yet, please take a moment to let us know what your wheel preferences and thoughts are. The results are a direct representation of what we'll produce.
Slow news day here, but have a question for the community.
If given the option, would you be willing to add .25lbs to the weight of each wheel for center cap accommodation? The center cone would need to be enlarged to accept an APEX or Porsche cap, thus, minimally increasing weight. Both options will still be hub-centric, so it is purely aesthetic preference.
Option 1: No center cap, .25lbs lighter
Option 2: Ability to run center cap, but .25 lbs heavier
You can mull over the pictures below and please let me know your thoughts.
I'll be racing at Sonoma Raceway tomorrow, so please let me know if you plan to go too!
10-05-2017, 03:08 PM
Help APEX Create a Better Porsche Track Wheel
