TA5R users, how are these wheels holding up at the track?

[IamFODI]

Normally I'd stick to forged wheels with strong reputations, but what little I've read about the TA5R seems promising. E.g., while I've read/heard stories about bent Apex wheels – including forged ones – I haven't yet encountered a story of bent TA5Rs. Very tempting for less than half the price of a good forged wheel.

What do y'all think?

[tsk94]

I have 3 sets, lol, in various colors and sizes. So far so good on my end. Used for ~2 seasons so far. No issues to speak of. Quality seems really good, price is great, and for a flow formed wheel they are very light.

If your budget allows for a forged wheel that's 3-4x the price, then sure! They'd be slightly lighter and stronger.

For the money, you can't go wrong with them imo.

[trebm3]

have a set of 18s for my E92 and they've been great so far. No complaints.

[former 240 s14]

I had them for my old E90 M3. Held up well but respected the curbs. The knurls helped but didn't eliminate tire slip on the rim. I still saw an inch or two of tire slip every weekend.

Rubin

[tdott]

bent 2 fairly easily on curbs imo.

switched to forged apex vs5rs and i'm much harder on them without any issues so far.



Much happier with these:

[IamFODI]

Originally Posted by tdott

bent 2 fairly easily on curbs imo.

switched to forged apex vs5rs and i'm much harder on them without any issues so far.

19"?

[tdott]

Originally Posted by IamFODI

19"?

Both setups are 18s

[former 240 s14]

Originally Posted by IamFODI

19"?

Most track setups on our cars will be 18" setup. Many 18x10 and some are running 18x10.5 square as well.

The Apex wheels are amazing and they have a buy back program that makes it more economical over the long run.

Rubin

[jmeenach]

LMAO I really don't get the Apex forged hate on these forums. I know countless people that run VS5-RS in 18" configuration with no issues. I've had mid double-digit track days on mine without issue as well. Their discounted replacement program also shows that they stand behind their product, and saves money from your pocket if it does happen (as others have mentioned).

[IamFODI]

Originally Posted by tdott

Both setups are 18s

Well, that's concerning... 😬

Thanks for chiming in. Already bought my TA-5Rs but I'll try to be careful with them!

[tdott]

Originally Posted by IamFODI

Well, that's concerning... 😬

Thanks for chiming in. Already bought my TA-5Rs but I'll try to be careful with them!

If you dont abuse them or hit many potholes they should be fine.

I just got tired of bending flow formed wheels so easily at the track (arc8 then those), since moving to forged, so far no issues yet and i've abused them more (curbs + a few off track excursions ) *crosses fingers*

[IamFODI]

Originally Posted by tdott

If you dont abuse them or hit many potholes they should be fine.

I just got tired of bending flow formed wheels so easily at the track (arc8 then those), since moving to forged, so far no issues yet and i've abused them more (curbs + a few off track excursions ) *crosses fingers*

These will be track-only.

I do like curbs, though...

[former 240 s14]

Originally Posted by tdott

If you dont abuse them or hit many potholes they should be fine.

I just got tired of bending flow formed wheels so easily at the track (arc8 then those), since moving to forged, so far no issues yet and i've abused them more (curbs + a few off track excursions ) *crosses fingers*

I have been very happy I've had zero issues (knock on wood) with my forged wheels too, I run Signature Wheels.

Rubin

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by IamFODI

These will be track-only.

I do like curbs, though...

I curb hopped all the time on mine, never bent any. Only time one got bent was my buddy hitting a brutal drop/leading edge of a curb at 100mph that he should not have, even then it was only slightly bent. Only noticed due to some unbalanced noise on the drive home.

[tsk94]

Ultimately, it just comes down to money… You could replace a FULL set of TA5R’s and be into it for around the same amount as a set of forged Apex wheels. And that’s still a China/Taiwan forged wheel (not singling out APEX, as this applies to other brands you see commonly mentioned like Titan 7, Signature, etc.). For some people it makes sense, for others it won’t.

If you’re constantly bending good quality flow formed wheels, that’s more so on the driver then the wheel, period. These aren’t some playdoh cast wheels that bend at the sight of a curb or a pothole. Is a forged wheel stronger? Yes. But I’ve seen plenty of bent forged wheels as well in my time working in the industry.

At the end of the day, you should treat your track wheels as a consumable item and buy what makes sense for your budget. Regardless of brand or manufacturing process, they can all bend.

[trebm3]

Originally Posted by tdott

If you dont abuse them or hit many potholes they should be fine.

I just got tired of bending flow formed wheels so easily at the track (arc8 then those), since moving to forged, so far no issues yet and i've abused them more (curbs + a few off track excursions ) *crosses fingers*

very interesting. I've been tracking for decades and have never bent a wheel at the track. How often are you going through wheels?

[tdott]

Originally Posted by trebm3

very interesting. I've been tracking for decades and have never bent a wheel at the track. How often are you going through wheels?

Could be due to different tracks, speeds, level of experience.

Driving miss daisy sure, you can go decades without bending a wheel. But at higher speeds and in competition it's fairly easy to bend a wheel or two, esp if you have an off. Sebring a track I frequent is known to be a bumpy track with punishing curbs, could be the reason...

How often? Not that often, back in 2012 - 2016, I had a set of Apex Arc8s, two had slight bends, nothing major, balanced out but annoying on the highway drives. 2017 - 2023 had a set of Ta5r, similar issue two had slight bends, nothing major, balanced out but annoying on the highway drives. 2023 - current, vs5rs holding up well so far, had more abuse than the previous two sets (became an instructor/more frequent track days + started time trials competition).
Ask any w2w racer, bent wheels are fairly common even forged sometimes.....

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by tdott

Could be due to different tracks, speeds, level of experience.

Driving miss daisy sure, you can go decades without bending a wheel. But at higher speeds and in competition it's fairly easy to bend a wheel or two, esp if you have an off. Sebring a track I frequent is known to be a bumpy track with punishing curbs, could be the reason...

How often? Not that often, back in 2012 - 2016, I had a set of Apex Arc8s, two had slight bends, nothing major, balanced out but annoying on the highway drives. 2017 - 2023 had a set of Ta5r, similar issue two had slight bends, nothing major, balanced out but annoying on the highway drives. 2023 - current, vs5rs holding up well so far, had more abuse than the previous two sets (became an instructor/more frequent track days + started time trials competition).
Ask any w2w racer, bent wheels are fairly common even forged sometimes.....

What’s the point of showing pictures of high-downforce prototype and GT3R purpose-built race cars which will be using extremely lightweight forged wheels and replacing them continuously throughout a single season? There’s zero comparison between pro racing and track days (including non-pro w2w, TT, instructor/advanced). I’ve been going to the track for 40 years and instructing for 36 years. Only four bent wheels over this time period and two of them were on the incredibly lightweight 18” SSR Comp forged wheels. BTW, I have three sets of TA5Rs and zeros issues so far. I must not be driving fast enough and/or using curbs aggressively enough

[tdott]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

What’s the point of showing pictures of high-downforce prototype and GT3R purpose-built race cars which will be using extremely lightweight forged wheels and replacing them continuously throughout a single season? There’s zero comparison between pro racing and track days (including non-pro w2w, TT, instructor/advanced). I’ve been going to the track for 40 years and instructing for 36 years. Only four bent wheels over this time period and two of them were on the incredibly lightweight 18” SSR Comp forged wheels. BTW, I have three sets of TA5Rs and zeros issues so far. I must not be driving fast enough and/or using curbs aggressively enough

The pictures were to show the curbs at Sebring.

Carrying on, no need to get your panties in a bunch. I'm just stating my experience.

[a5m]

Wonder how Rays and BBS fare

[IamFODI]

Originally Posted by a5m

Wonder how Rays and BBS fare

Also curious about this. Rays and BBS forged wheels are more forged than most of the "forged" wheels on the market (which IMO are more "billet" than "forged").

Might be hard to do a real apples-to-apples comparison, though. Would have to find wheels that are made to comparable weight/stiffness/usage targets.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by tdott

The pictures were to show the curbs at Sebring.

Carrying on, no need to get your panties in a bunch. I'm just stating my experience.

My panties aren’t in a bunch. You stated your experience level and usage of curbs equates to more bent wheels especially if they are flow formed wheels. You initially said TA5R wheels “bent 2 fairly easily on curbs IMO” and then that you need to not abuse them by avoiding pot holes and curbs. Sounds like you think they are complete garbage compared to your APEX forged wheels? Also, did you actually bend them or is it “IMO” they might bend easily? I have multiple seasons on my sets and not a single issue even when aggressively using curbs on track. I personally don’t change my driving style whether I’m on a forged (HRE R40 and R43, Forgeline ZX3R, GTD1 and GZ3R) or a flow form (BW TA5R, HRE FF15) wheel. Some curbs are notorious for bending wheels, forged or flow form, especially when not driven properly or potentially when driven differently for different types of wheels.