APEX Is Back And Ready To Build A Better Mustang Wheel

Just over 3 hours left on the Group Buy clock 8) Still time to place a last minute order for some EC-7 18x10's!

Thanks!

ApexRaceParts said:

An 18x11" EC-7 is in motion, and we are just working out the details prior to releasing a Group Buy pre-sale. We will update the community very soon. - Ryan

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Thank you, so much.
bump

Big update for everyone who filled out our survey requesting 18x11" Mustang wheels.
The APEX 18x11" ET52 EC-7 Mustang Track Wheel Group Buy is now live!

Be sure to sign up to ensure these new wheels make it to production :cheers:

- Ryan

Awesome! Signed up

Signed up for the group buy also.

Side question...what size tire do you guys run on the 11" wide wheels? I cannot for the life of my find any sort of 305/315 tire anywhere close to the OEM height of 27.7"?

Don't really want to have to run like a 25.5" tall tire with 18s.

I think the popular size people run is a 295/40R18 - 27.1" tall.

That's still a bit of a stretch for an 11" wheel. And that size tire would be just fine for a 10" wheel.

I do want to get the 11" wheel, but also be able to put the extra width to use. If all I can really run is a 295 I might as well just get the 10".

EFI said:

That's still a bit of a stretch for an 11" wheel. And that size tire would be just fine for a 10" wheel.

I do want to get the 11" wheel, but also be able to put the extra width to use. If all I can really run is a 295 I might as well just get the 10".

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A 295/40/18 like a Nitto NT555 is rated for a 10.0-11.5" width wheel with ideal being 10.5".

Most guys run 305/35/18 for track tires they are 26.42" tall, Toyo also makes a 315/35/18 drag radial that is 26.8" tall. Not Sure what you will find in street tires but I am sure there are some that will work.

What type of tire are you looking for?

Dave

Hoosier makes a 315/40R18 R7. But yes, there are not a lot of good tire options for the Mustang to make good use of 18x11 wheels. 19x11 is much better from a tire selection standpoint.

I'm going with the 18x11 so I have more tire choices. I'm fine with a 25.5 in tire now. If you aren't racing, toping out in 5th gear in a pp car(3.73) at 142mph is plenty fast. I'm raising my redline to 7500rpm, which now maxes me out at 153mph. 3.55 with 25.5 is 150mph at 7000rpm. Plenty fast for most.

Plus more tires available(especially for scrub race tires). New are also a good bit cheaper. A 315 A7 in 19 is around $2k. 315 A7 in 18 is around $1500.

To me, the only two scenarios that make sense to me to go with a 19x11 are if you AutoX and want to use the RE71R's in the widest(305/19) or aesthetically.

Everyone has different needs, but the 18x11 works better for me. Plus they(apex) are lighter than most 19x11's.

I just saw that Hankook recently came out with the RS4 in a 295/40/18. No idea how it is, but it may be worth a shot on either a 10" or 11".

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=94WR8Z232&tab=Specs

EFI said:

Signed up for the group buy also.

Side question...what size tire do you guys run on the 11" wide wheels? I cannot for the life of my find any sort of 305/315 tire anywhere close to the OEM height of 27.7"?

Don't really want to have to run like a 25.5" tall tire with 18s.

Click to expand...

NvrFinished said:

I think the popular size people run is a 295/40R18 - 27.1" tall.

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EFI said:

That's still a bit of a stretch for an 11" wheel. And that size tire would be just fine for a 10" wheel.

I do want to get the 11" wheel, but also be able to put the extra width to use. If all I can really run is a 295 I might as well just get the 10".

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295 extreme summer tires, r-compounds or slicks will work very well with an 11" wheel. Although there are personal preferences involved, many drivers prefer a taught sidewall where the tire is receiving the most support in mid corner. This translates to better steering characteristics and sidewall longevity, whereas over tiring a wheel can cause a setup to feel a bit mushy. Keep in mind 295's in these tire categories run wider then most, so they match up to an 11" wheel quite well.

With that said, anyone running 275's and or 285's could utilize our existing 10" wheel which is a touch lighter.

stoli said:

I just saw that Hankook recently came out with the RS4 in a 295/40/18. No idea how it is, but it may be worth a shot on either a 10" or 11".

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...idewall=Blackwall&partnum=94WR8Z232&tab=Specs

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The Hankook RS-3 was one of the best extreme summer tires out there for years. This tire is fantastic for the weekend warrior that drives the car to and from the track, and has the ability to serve as a street tire day to day as long as you are not facing inclement weather. We have high expectations for the new RS-4.

Popular options in 295/40-18 would be Hankook Ventus RS-4, Falken Azenis RT615K (I am not a huge fan), Hoosier R7. For 305/35-18 we have Nitto NT01 & Toyo R888.

So I purchased a 19x11 ET50 wheel to play with fitment about a month ago. I think the short answer for the 18x11 apex wheels is a 25mm spacer in the front if you are running 305 or 315 tires. Lots of factors can come into play though. For example, eccentric strut bolts pull the wheel closer to the strut(I still think a 25mm will work). Some struts are thicker than others. Cortex JRI struts are offset and yield about 1/2 in. extra clearance so you should only need a 1/2 in. spacer in that setup. You may be able to get away with a 20mm spacer if you are running a 295.

Once these are released(and assuming I'm still in the country), I plan to figure out some baselines on what works. I have 295-315's sitting in the garage currently and spacers from 5mm to 25mm in basically 5mm increments.

LX1 said:

Have you figured what spacer is needed for the 18x11 in the front?

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Many enthusiasts interested in this new 18x11” square fitment have asked us for more information about front strut clearance and spacer requirements. Because of the wide variation of suspensions, tires, and alignments, we’re unable to provide detailed fitment advice on each iteration to our early adopter customers at this time. It is absolutely our intention to build an extensive database of fitment information for the various track configurations. We want easy to copy recipes to be available, but we will only have that information ready for future customers who will be buying at full price later in the year.

It may be a while before we cover what you’re looking for, so this deal is best for early adopters who are already comfortable with what it takes to make this fitment work. They’d rather receive free shipping and a deep discount instead of paying more during a more formal release that includes detailed fitment info. We’re assuming that many in the Mustang track crowd already know what they want and the price savings is preferred over guidance if it allows for an earlier product release. Some of you may choose to pay more later when every last kink is worked out.

Fortunately there is nothing new about this fitment. It’s just rare. It’s a proven fitment run by many forum members already and you can find a range of documentation supporting it. Community members up to this point could only get this fitment with custom offset, or expensive forged wheels. Our objective was to make an off-the-shelf, light, and affordable version.

Thank you for your understanding.

Brent Dalton said:

So I purchased a 19x11 ET50 wheel to play with fitment about a month ago. I think the short answer for the 18x11 apex wheels is a 25mm spacer in the front if you are running 305 or 315 tires. Lots of factors can come into play though. For example, eccentric strut bolts pull the wheel closer to the strut(I still think a 25mm will work). Some struts are thicker than others. Cortex JRI struts are offset and yield about 1.2 in. extra clearance so you should only need a 1/2 in. spacer in that setup. You may be able to get away with a 20mm spacer if you are running a 295.

Once these are released(and assuming I'm still in the country), I plan to figure out some baselines on what works. I have 295-315's sitting in the garage currently and spacers from 5mm to 25mm in basically 5mm increments.

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Precisely, and thank you for your continued efforts to aid in the process Brent

Enthusiasts running the offset Cortex coilovers may have the possibility of a direct fitment up front when using 295 or 305mm compounds, while wider compounds from 305 - 315mm will require up to 12mm or 15mm spacers for proper strut clearance. Enthusiasts using coilovers like MCS, JRZ, Ridetech and so forth can expect to use between 20mm and 25mm spacers for proper strut clearance, again depending on spring perch location and tire size and brand. As mentioned above, we will conduct further testing with various coilovers in effort to provide future customers with specific fitment recopies, but this database will take some time to build up.

Aside from the cortex offset coilovers (since we already know they provide the most inner clearance), what suspensions would you guys like to see us test? In the BMW world, we have our go-to list which does a really good job covering a vast majority of BMW track enthusiasts, and I'd like to confirm my suspicions on which suspension systems are most popular within this portion of the Mustang community.

- Ryan