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[///m3d]

Anyone have experience with the GT4 on the street? How are the holding up?

[Ryan@IND]

We daily drove the GT4 RE's on our project Z4 for 6+ months on Chicago roads without any issues.



Link to our project thread:
http://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=543199

[///m3d]

Nice looking Z!
Thanks for the input. Would I be correct in assuming TPMS cannot be used with these wheels?

[rzm3]

There are some unfair statements being thrown around here, so let me present the facts.

1. Apex wheels have M3-specific offsets. BBS RE do not. BBS will require a 20mm spacer in the rear and an adapter for the center bore.
2. Apex goes up to 10.5" width. BBS goes up to 10.0".
3. BBS is not TPMS compatible. (update: it does not have the typical recessed TPMS area, but can be fitted)
4. Apex is flow-formed. BBS is forged. (correction: BBS is flow formed)
5. Apex is JWL/VIA certified. BBS has no street certification, but the same wheel is used by BMW GT4 race cars all over the world in sprint races to 24 endurance races where they have to be pounded hours at a time under high G loads on race tracks such as the Nürburgring. So the idea that somehow the BBS is not strong enough for the streets is unfounded.
6. Performance wise, you won't feel any difference on a car like ours.

[OC3]

Here's mine w/ ZCP & Apex.

Can track & street with either.

But, Apex 18x10 at the front w/ 275/35/18 looks so meaty. Oh, and the turn in!

.

[Richbot]

I really want to like the Apex wheels as they are great value for money and great support from Apex, but I just don't like how they look, though the anthracite finish is at least okay.

I really like the way the Tire Rack TR Motorsport MT1 looks. It's a comparably priced wheel and it comes in the same ET25 18x10 size as the apex wheels, no 10.5" option though and the 9.5" wheel is ET35.

[///m3d]

I have seen several spacer "specs" for the GT4 rears now. 15mm, 18mm and now 20mm. Anyone know the true specification?

OC3 thanks for the pics. Side by side and the same angles definitely helps put things in perspective. Very useful and a nice lookin car!

I almost think the anthracite is too dark. Not a fan of the blacked out wheel look. I was considering the hyper black. I am probably going to go to Apex and take a look in person before I make a final decision.

[IND-Distribution]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

There are some unfair statements being thrown around here, so let me present the facts.

1. Apex wheels have M3-specific offsets. BBS RE do not. BBS will require a 20mm spacer in the rear and an adapter for the center bore.
2. Apex goes up to 10.5" width. BBS goes up to 10.0".
3. BBS is not TPMS compatible.
4. Apex is flow-formed. BBS is forged.
5. Apex is JWL/VIA certified. BBS has no street certification, but the same wheel is used by BMW GT4 race cars all over the world in sprint races to 24 endurance races where they have to be pounded hours at a time under high G loads on race tracks such as the Nürburgring. So the idea that somehow the BBS is not strong enough for the streets is unfounded.
6. Performance wise, you won't feel any difference on a car like ours.

I wanted to clear up a few points-

3. The BBS GT4 wheels are TPMS compatible. Our E89 project used TPMS on the GT4 wheels.

4. BBS' GT4 wheel is also flow-formed, which is where the relatively low sub-$3,000 price tag comes from.

[///m3d]

I wanted to clear up a few points-

3. The BBS GT4 wheels are TPMS compatible. Our E89 project used TPMS on the GT4 wheels.

4. BBS' GT4 wheel is also flow-formed, which is where the relatively low sub-$3,000 price tag comes from.

Ilia,
Were the TPMS stock? If not can you please specify what TPMS worked.
Do you know the proper spacer requirement for the GT4?

Thanks!

[IND-Distribution]

We used standard BMW TPMS, purchased from Tire Rack.

Spacer size depends on what appearance you're looking for, and what tire size you wish to run. I'd suggest a 12mm spacer as the smallest, and up to a 20mm spacer for a more aggressive look.

[rzm3]

Originally Posted by Ilia@IND

I wanted to clear up a few points-

3. The BBS GT4 wheels are TPMS compatible. Our E89 project used TPMS on the GT4 wheels.

4. BBS' GT4 wheel is also flow-formed, which is where the relatively low sub-$3,000 price tag comes from.

Thanks Ilia for the info. Somehow my dealer told me otherwise when I ordered. Gotta love them.

[Eddy@ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

There are some unfair statements being thrown around here, so let me present the facts.

4. Apex is flow-formed. BBS is forged.

Your fact is not correct.

the GT4 RE is not forged. I've held them in my hand. They are clearly cast/flow-formed. They even have the cast weight reduction pockets behind the spokes, and every other clear indicator of a cast wheel. I can't find the link today for some reason, but it's also labeled as flow-formed on the official site.

Racing does not immediately imply high strength. It is assumed. These specific wheels could easily be stronger than normal street wheels, I don't know. I don't doubt the strength of them as they appear to be beefy and have a history, but I have seen other race wheels that have load ratings well below acceptable street requirements) that are both cast and forged. The wheels are completely unmarked, and all we know is they decided to not certify them. That decision has some weight to it.

The ARC-8 is certified and has plenty of history as well. Just earlier this month, 5 cars ran the ARC-8 wheels in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. One of them also did the 25 hour last year in addition to 2 seasons of racing on the same set, and they intend to use them next year again. I'm not arguing anything here besides reminding consumers who are looking at any wheel, that race use on it's own does not guarantee anything. I trust BBS myself because of who they are, but I doubt we would want to take every companies word for it if all they had was a history of use and no testing/certification to back it up.



Regarding TPMS: The GT4 wheels lack the traditional recess on the backside of the valve area that is intended to fit the valve of a TPMS sensor. I can't speak for what kind of issue that could cause when you don't have that feature and you mount a valve, as everything we've made accepts TPMS. If it works, it works, but someone decided it should be there when claiming compatibility.



I like personally how all 3 wheels look that are being discussed in this thread. The 19's are clearly not track oriented. They all have different specifications and price points, you just have to decide how you want to balance function/performance, value, and aesthetics.