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      01-06-2015, 12:40 PM   #1
ApexWheels
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APEX | Mineral White F80 M3 with EC-7 wheels

Photoshoot: Mineral White F80 M3 with 18" APEX EC-7 wheels

After the Introduction of the new F8X chassis, it was inevitable that it would become one of the most talked about new cars among BMW enthusiasts. Between the new M4 and the completely new styling on the M3, it is hard to pick and choose which one truly has the better looks. Recently, we had the opportunity to test and photograph our wheels on a brand new 2015 M3. Our first impression was very positive; the wide fenders provide such an aggressive look, and paired with the Carbon M Performance Splitter the new fascia looks mean. The Mineral White Paint looked stunning under our Chimera lighting bank, and provided a pearl sheen that went perfect with our Satin Black EC-7s.

For this fitment you are looking at an 18X9.5 ET22 up front wrapped in a 265/35/18 Nitto NT05 and a 18x10.5 ET 27 in the rear fitted with a 285/35/18 Nitto NT05. Suspension setup was stock and the front wheel seemed to fit well with no issues. As for the back, the 10.5 provided an aggressive look but did indeed exceed the limits of the fenders. In order to properly fit modifications would need to be made, especially for those looking towards a lowered suspension setup.

Although we had a short photoshoot and missed capturing the interior and some small details of this car, at least we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and new styling of the m3 in our studio. As always, we used our chimera lightbank to provide the overall lighting for the car, while our Alien Bee strobes helped produce the extra light needed to showcase our wheels. We hope you enjoy this car as much as we did, stay tuned as we hope to test more of M3/M4's in the future.

Specifications:
Car/chassis: 2015 BMW M3
Wheel model: EC-7, Satin Black, 18x9.5 ET22 Front and 18x10.5 ET27 Rear
Tires: 265/35/18 Nitto NT-05 front, 285/35/18 Nitto NT-05 rear
Suspension: Factory
Camber: Factory
Ride Height: Factory
Spacers: None
Fenders and body modifications: None
Brakes: Factory M Performance Brakes













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      01-06-2015, 02:42 PM   #2
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Looks pretty good. Fronts might have been better with 40 sidewall ratio to help hide that factory wheel gap though. Thanks for sharing.

I've got some 19" EC-7 coming for my track setup. I'll post some when they're here.
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      01-08-2015, 02:38 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaynardZed View Post
Looks pretty good. Fronts might have been better with 40 sidewall ratio to help hide that factory wheel gap though. Thanks for sharing.

I've got some 19" EC-7 coming for my track setup. I'll post some when they're here.
We will keep that in mind on the next test fitment.
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      07-15-2017, 04:47 AM   #4
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Which tyres

Hi,

I have an F80 with KW suspension (lowered), and just got delivered these wheels in 18" for track usage. I was planning on slapping Michelin PSS 4's in 255 front and 285 rear with 40 height.

I have two questions as you will have no doubt a lot of xp with these wheels by now:

1) would it be better (performance, grip wise) to put 265 in the front?
2) Will the 285 in the rear hit the side walls? Was planning on going 295 initially but that seems like a bad idea...

Thank you.
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      07-15-2017, 12:26 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonasVG View Post
Hi,

I have an F80 with KW suspension (lowered), and just got delivered these wheels in 18" for track usage. I was planning on slapping Michelin PSS 4's in 255 front and 285 rear with 40 height.

I have two questions as you will have no doubt a lot of xp with these wheels by now:

1) would it be better (performance, grip wise) to put 265 in the front?
2) Will the 285 in the rear hit the side walls? Was planning on going 295 initially but that seems like a bad idea...

Thank you.
Happy to help, Can you clarify which 18" staggered fitment you purchased. This article was published prior to developing our EC-7 18x11" ET44 - a wheel specifically designed for the rear of the F8X M3/M4 to support 305/35-18 tires.

The pre-existing EC-7 18x10.5" ET27 can certainly be used in the rear for those looking for a very flush street fitment, however the 18x11" ET44 would definitely be our recommendation for enthusiasts looking to maximize rear end grip with wide tires.

Do you have the 18x10.5's or the 18x11's in the rear? Also, are you tracking the car, or will this be primarily for street use?

-Ryan
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      07-16-2017, 04:23 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts View Post
Happy to help, Can you clarify which 18" staggered fitment you purchased. This article was published prior to developing our EC-7 18x11" ET44 - a wheel specifically designed for the rear of the F8X M3/M4 to support 305/35-18 tires.

The pre-existing EC-7 18x10.5" ET27 can certainly be used in the rear for those looking for a very flush street fitment, however the 18x11" ET44 would definitely be our recommendation for enthusiasts looking to maximize rear end grip with wide tires.

Do you have the 18x10.5's or the 18x11's in the rear? Also, are you tracking the car, or will this be primarily for street use?

-Ryan
Hi Ryan,

I have requested this information with my dealer, but am pretty sure they did not order the "extreme" setup as they said the tires would hit the walls. They went with a modest setup with enough clearance.

Of course my goal is to maximize grip, so with the wheel you designed especially for 305's on the M3, you say it will 100% sure not hit the walls even though with lowered springs? That would be awesome.

Thanks,

Jonas
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      07-17-2017, 02:54 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonasVG View Post
Hi Ryan,

I have requested this information with my dealer, but am pretty sure they did not order the "extreme" setup as they said the tires would hit the walls. They went with a modest setup with enough clearance.

Of course my goal is to maximize grip, so with the wheel you designed especially for 305's on the M3, you say it will 100% sure not hit the walls even though with lowered springs? That would be awesome.

Thanks,

Jonas
Just got word, sizes that I ordered are =>

18x10 offset 43
18x9 offset 31
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      07-17-2017, 12:15 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonasVG View Post
Just got word, sizes that I ordered are =>

18x10 offset 43
18x9 offset 31
Copy that. Those specifications are very similar to the OEM wheel specifications (18x9" ET29 front / 18x10" ET40" rear) therefore they will work, but are not nearly as popular as some of our other options as they do not increase wheel width, or achieved a more flush fitment over stock. The sizes above work well if the goal is to keep the factory tire sizes - 255/40-18 front and 275/40-18 rear.

For most enthusiasts, wider wheel widths are desired to support wider tires, and to achieve a more flush fitment. Our most popular F8X M3/M4 staggered fitment is either of the following:

18x9.5" ET22 - 275/35-18
18x11" ET44 - 305/35-18

or

18x10" ET25 - 275/35-18
18x11" ET44 - 305/35-18

As you can see, there are two front wheel options. Both work very well, however the 9.5" wheel supplies enthusiasts with more inner strut clearance - necessary if you are running KW suspension or a sleeve kit that takes up a lot of room on the inside. The 10" front wheel option supplies enthusiasts with maximum sidewall support, and work well with stock suspension, lowering springs or coilovers that do not compromise inner clearance (linear springs).

Here is a very informative and detailed thread on the development of our F8X specific 18x11" rear wheels - LINK.

- Ryan
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Last edited by ApexWheels; 07-17-2017 at 12:21 PM..
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      07-17-2017, 12:31 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ApexRaceParts View Post
Copy that. Those specifications are very similar to the OEM wheel specifications (18x9" ET29 front / 18x10" ET40" rear) therefore they will work, but are not nearly as popular as some of our other options as they do not increase wheel width, or achieved a more flush fitment over stock. The sizes above work well if the goal is to keep the factory tire sizes - 255/40-18 front and 275/40-18 rear.

For most enthusiasts, wider wheel widths are desired to support wider tires, and to achieve a more flush fitment. Our most popular F8X M3/M4 staggered fitment is either of the following:

18x9.5" ET22 - 275/35-18
18x11" ET44 - 305/35-18

or

18x10" ET25 - 275/35-18
18x11" ET44 - 305/35-18

As you can see, there are two front wheel options. Both work very well, however the 9.5" wheel supplies enthusiasts with more inner strut clearance - necessary if you are running KW suspension or a sleeve kit that takes up a lot of room on the inside. The 10" front wheel option supplies enthusiasts with maximum sidewall support, and work well with stock suspension, lowering springs or coilovers that do not compromise inner clearance (linear springs).

Here is a very informative and detailed thread on the development of our F8X specific 18x11" rear wheels - LINK.

- Ryan
Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the explanation! As I am running a KW kit set quite low I think my dealer did not want to take any risks (he also knows I don't tend to brake a lot for speed bumps). He ordered Michelin PSS 265/40 for the front and 295/35 for the rear on the rim sizes I mentioned. A bonus is that I will be able to pass MOT with these rims. I think I will give it a try and see how they perform on the track as I am not looking for maximum wide stance per se.

Thanks for the assistance!
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      07-17-2017, 12:39 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonasVG View Post
Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the explanation! As I am running a KW kit set quite low I think my dealer did not want to take any risks (he also knows I don't tend to brake a lot for speed bumps). He ordered Michelin PSS 265/40 for the front and 295/35 for the rear on the rim sizes I mentioned. A bonus is that I will be able to pass MOT with these rims. I think I will give it a try and see how they perform on the track as I am not looking for maximum wide stance per se.

Thanks for the assistance!
Sounds great, let us know how they work out

- Ryan
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      08-15-2017, 01:59 PM   #11
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i think if the front was little bit lower it'd look sexy
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