Apex Wheels

Calling Porsche Track Enthusiasts!

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?

[Give us your 2 cents]

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?

[Take our Porsche Wheel Survey]

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.

Satin black -


Anthracite -


Race Silver -

993GT

Done... and some thoughts:
strength over weight ALL DAY.
Bead 'locking' also a mega +, sick of tires spinning on wheels.
A 12.5" width may be beneficial for 18"
Naturally, proper lug ball seat profile, no hub centering rings etc for Porsche

s65e90

Dude! I said this a year ago, make the BMW wheels in P car fitment.

Arc 8 would look killer.

Light weight, one piece, that's it.

Carlo_Carrera

Lightweight, bead locking, strong.

Apex Wheels

This is all great info - thank you for sharing!

Bead locking wheels can be done, and I hope to have that solidified as we finalize specifications, designs, etc. As I find out and we get closer to our initial group buy, I will surely update you.

For our first few releases, I unfortunately do not think we will be offering 12.5" widths. However, if the community demands it, that size is certainly not out of the question in the future. What offset would you run with a 12.5" rear?

I can confidently confirm that there will be no need for hub-centric rings nor aftermarket lugs on any of our wheels offered.

The ARC8 may be the only wheel not offered for the Porsche market. Our SM10/EC7 should check all of the same boxes, though.

All noted. Thank you for your input! We'll do our best to accommodate exactly what the community desires.

993GT

thanks for being customer-centric
12" is certainly fine and I'd be a 'buyer', although a 12.5" would open up to the real track hounds...something in the area of a 42/3/4 mm offset would be the ballpark offset on a 12.5"
Bead 'locking' should be standardized IMHO, even a roughening of the bead area would be a great step forward and above the OZ and similar offerings
Go above and beyond on the rear wheels load rating, newer 911's are TOUGH on them...I'm sure everyone would be more than happy to have a wheel that weighs a couple pounds extra to avoid becoming a pretzel at the track

993GT

and SM-10, in anthracite all the way

Apex Wheels

Thank you for making that a possibility by being a voice for the community. We take pride in our ability to incorporate forum members into product development, so this is invaluable.

I have added the potential 12.5" to my spreadsheet(s) and updated the corresponding survey question with an 12.5" dropdown option. Pending community outcry and support, this can be done to widen (literally) your choices. Same goes for the bead locking. These are examples of exactly what I was hoping to uncover through the survey and forum engagement. So, thank you!

Sveach756

This is going to be AWESOME!

911mhawk

+1^
and the ability to run Porsche 380mm brakes with a cost between OZ and forged and you'll probably sell a lot.

Apex Wheels

Thank you guys very much for the kind words!

Those ideas are forefront on our agenda. I have compiled most all of the OEM/aftermarket BBK templates (on all Porsche chassis) and will be checking them against our proposed wheel design(s) to ensure ample clearance on all fitments offered.

Feel free to propose any and all questions, concerns, or comments you may have!

Mtrboatvr6

This is pretty much perfect for what track addicts want. I would be interested if your wheels meet the above.Strength too obviously. I like the designs that I saw above. What is the timeframe you are looking at to bring these to market? (sorry if I missed it)

trendy996

Digging this. I’ll be watching. I would like to see the 12.5 or even 13”

powdrhound

Track wheel requirements:
18" with 1/2" width increments to 13" in custom offsets. (12.5 a must)
Forged
Thick hubs with open centers
I-beam spokes
Easily cover OEM 380 brakes
Knurled bead seat
Weight: <21lbs fronts, <23lbs rear

The above are a must to match what is currently available on the market place. Price needs to be at $1000 per wheel or less to make it a viable choice against the big established players. Fully made in the US with transparency. No dubious imported Asia stuff finished stateside.

If not custom offsets, you will want:
18x9 et45
18x9.5 et43
18x10 et36
18x12 et63
18x12 et40
18x12.5 et44
18x13 et45

Apex Wheels

Thank you very much for your support! We're looking forward to diving into the Porsche track addict community and catering to their needs.

As far as production and sales go, we're likely looking at Q1 of 2018. Ultimately I'm shooting to have them in enthusiast hands prior to the beginning of the track season next year. As our Porsche wheels further develop, I will surely update you along the way.

Noted - thank you, sir! Very doable, so I will try my best to bring this to fruition. What width front wheels would you select to compliment that rear size?

Thank you for your insight - I really appreciate it. Most all of the above requirements will be either met or exceeded, but rest assured the cost will certainly be less than half of your proposed price-point.

Which of the specs listed above would you personally run?

Regarding your wheel specifications - that is almost a direct match to fitments on my spreadsheet(s), so thank you for verifying my data. Gives me peace of mind that my compiled fitments have basically paralleled yours. Thank you!