3002 tii
Active member
Background
I had been eyeing the ML-10RTs ever since Apex announced them back in May 2024. To be honest I was having a tough time choosing between the ML-10 and the VS-5R. But coming off a set of JDM wheels, I m decided to go with a more ‘classic’ look, for what I hope will be my last wheel change for a long time.
Color and Diameter
I've always been a fan of gold and bronze wheels and seeing this E46 M3 reaffirmed those colors can certainly work with IR. However, I wasn't sure if the gold would clash with my yellow calipers so I decided I'd let someone else be the guinea pig. Of the remaining finishes, I ruled out Anthracite because my prior SSR's had that same finish. So I went with classic Race Silver - not only was it cheaper than Brushed Clear but it also matches the machined lip (more on this below).
Choosing diameter wasn’t easy. I went through Apex's gallery countless times. On some cars, 18s look perfect whereas on other models, they look a tad undersized. Visually, I don't think there's of a risk of going 'too big' but the price difference between 18 and 19" 200TW is not insignificant. But I realized most of aesthetic differences come down to stance & finish. First, the lower the stance, the bigger the wheels appear — this was obvious. But finish was less obvious, specifically two-tone wheels look smaller due to the contrast between lip and barrel. And so my hope was by going with Race Silver, 18-inch would still look the part while providing the benefits of lower weight & cheaper running costs.
Width and Offset
In terms of width & offset, I went with an atypical configuration of of 18x9.5 et35 (F) and 18x9.5 et22 (R). The difference in offsets is offers max flexibility as it allows me to rotate front to back while maintaining proper track width. I’m aware that et22 could fit on the front, but it would inevitably rub on the track and replacing wheel liners every season gets tiring. Depending on tire size, a 5-10mm spacer works well with the et35 for either front or rear.
Initial Impressions
I am absolutely blown away by the attention to detail. I wish I had taken photos during the initial unboxing but the Race Silver finish is absolutely perfect. From laser engraving specs (good for someone running odd fitments like me) to side milled spokes, it's crazy how much they packed into this wheel design. Other small things that I appreciate are the oversized lugholes. As much as I love JDM wheels, both my Volks and SSR had the tiniest lug holes. I would have to remove the plastic sleeve from my thin-walled 17mm socket, and even then I somehow managed to scratch the recessed areas. That is not the case with the Apex wheels. I can mount/swap rims quickly with standard hardware & tools without having to worry about ruining the finish. And lastly, these wheels offer a decent amount of inner clearance. Not that I am running any crazy large 6 or 8 piston caliper but the spoke design was very much intentional. I have no issues clearing my 996 Brembos with OEM Z4M / ZCP rotors.
Driving Impressions
This is a bit hard to gauge but I will say the wheel weights are just as described at 20lbs. Are they the lightest setup out there? No, which is why these fall under Apex Touring line as opposed to their Sprint line. And FWIW, I could not tell any difference between these and my SSR's (18.5lbs), but I have way more confidence in these holding up to track abuse and I’m not shy when it comes to curbing.
Pro tip: Do spend the time to ceramic coat the wheels. With any multi-spoke design, cleaning these wheels will be more involved but I was shocked to see how most of the Hawk DTC-60 brake dust just came right off! See video below:
Final Thoughts
I've owned Apex ARC-8, Volk RE-30, SSR Type C, Style 32 and probably 5 other wheels I am forgetting but I would honestly place these on the top 3 of my list. I can't think of any other wheel that checks all the boxes. Some may hate on the fact these are E88 replicas. However, the word 'replica' has a negative connotation where one associates a remake as a cheap and inferior copy of the original. I don't view that to be the case here. I think Apex was very upfront that the core design started with the E88 before layering in their own tweaks and improvements — I totally am fine with that. To me, while I see some overlapping traits, the end results are two visually distinct wheels.
(Excuse the brake dust!)
I had been eyeing the ML-10RTs ever since Apex announced them back in May 2024. To be honest I was having a tough time choosing between the ML-10 and the VS-5R. But coming off a set of JDM wheels, I m decided to go with a more ‘classic’ look, for what I hope will be my last wheel change for a long time.
Color and Diameter
I've always been a fan of gold and bronze wheels and seeing this E46 M3 reaffirmed those colors can certainly work with IR. However, I wasn't sure if the gold would clash with my yellow calipers so I decided I'd let someone else be the guinea pig. Of the remaining finishes, I ruled out Anthracite because my prior SSR's had that same finish. So I went with classic Race Silver - not only was it cheaper than Brushed Clear but it also matches the machined lip (more on this below).
Choosing diameter wasn’t easy. I went through Apex's gallery countless times. On some cars, 18s look perfect whereas on other models, they look a tad undersized. Visually, I don't think there's of a risk of going 'too big' but the price difference between 18 and 19" 200TW is not insignificant. But I realized most of aesthetic differences come down to stance & finish. First, the lower the stance, the bigger the wheels appear — this was obvious. But finish was less obvious, specifically two-tone wheels look smaller due to the contrast between lip and barrel. And so my hope was by going with Race Silver, 18-inch would still look the part while providing the benefits of lower weight & cheaper running costs.
Width and Offset
In terms of width & offset, I went with an atypical configuration of of 18x9.5 et35 (F) and 18x9.5 et22 (R). The difference in offsets is offers max flexibility as it allows me to rotate front to back while maintaining proper track width. I’m aware that et22 could fit on the front, but it would inevitably rub on the track and replacing wheel liners every season gets tiring. Depending on tire size, a 5-10mm spacer works well with the et35 for either front or rear.
Initial Impressions
I am absolutely blown away by the attention to detail. I wish I had taken photos during the initial unboxing but the Race Silver finish is absolutely perfect. From laser engraving specs (good for someone running odd fitments like me) to side milled spokes, it's crazy how much they packed into this wheel design. Other small things that I appreciate are the oversized lugholes. As much as I love JDM wheels, both my Volks and SSR had the tiniest lug holes. I would have to remove the plastic sleeve from my thin-walled 17mm socket, and even then I somehow managed to scratch the recessed areas. That is not the case with the Apex wheels. I can mount/swap rims quickly with standard hardware & tools without having to worry about ruining the finish. And lastly, these wheels offer a decent amount of inner clearance. Not that I am running any crazy large 6 or 8 piston caliper but the spoke design was very much intentional. I have no issues clearing my 996 Brembos with OEM Z4M / ZCP rotors.
Driving Impressions
This is a bit hard to gauge but I will say the wheel weights are just as described at 20lbs. Are they the lightest setup out there? No, which is why these fall under Apex Touring line as opposed to their Sprint line. And FWIW, I could not tell any difference between these and my SSR's (18.5lbs), but I have way more confidence in these holding up to track abuse and I’m not shy when it comes to curbing.
Pro tip: Do spend the time to ceramic coat the wheels. With any multi-spoke design, cleaning these wheels will be more involved but I was shocked to see how most of the Hawk DTC-60 brake dust just came right off! See video below:
Final Thoughts
I've owned Apex ARC-8, Volk RE-30, SSR Type C, Style 32 and probably 5 other wheels I am forgetting but I would honestly place these on the top 3 of my list. I can't think of any other wheel that checks all the boxes. Some may hate on the fact these are E88 replicas. However, the word 'replica' has a negative connotation where one associates a remake as a cheap and inferior copy of the original. I don't view that to be the case here. I think Apex was very upfront that the core design started with the E88 before layering in their own tweaks and improvements — I totally am fine with that. To me, while I see some overlapping traits, the end results are two visually distinct wheels.
(Excuse the brake dust!)
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