[buster-riley]

Just curious as to country of origin. I don't see anything on their website. Some od my OEM BMW wheels say "Poland" Thx.

[dradernh]

I don't, and mine have track tires on them and are wrapped and put away for the winter, so I can't check for the country of origin (assuming that info is on the wheel).

Based upon the price, however, I've assumed they were manufactured to Apex's specification by a company in China.

[hwntime]

I doubt any 18-19" wheels under $350-$400/each will be made anywhere but China/Taiwan.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by hwntime

I doubt any 18-19" wheels under $350-$400/each will be made anywhere but China/Taiwan.

Wheels such as the OZ Ultraleggera (and other OZ wheels too) are manufactured in Italy and are in the $300 to $400 range in 18" sizes.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by aerobod

Wheels such as the OZ Ultraleggera (and other OZ wheels too) are manufactured in Italy and are in the $300 to $400 range in 18" sizes.

Maybe I stand corrected. I know they're an Italian company and the wheels are "designed in Italy", but you sure they don't have manufacturing set up in China?

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by hwntime

Maybe I stand corrected. I know they're an Italian company and the wheels are "designed in Italy", but you sure they don't have manufacturing set up in China?

The OZ Omnia wheels I bought last year are definitely made in Italy, as were the Ultraleggeras I had on my Z4M. Tirerack also show Italy as the production location.

OZ produces Sparco and MSW wheels in China, though and they have at least one gravity cast OZ wheel made in China, but non of their flow-formed wheels seem to be made outside of Italy.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by hwntime

I doubt any 18-19" wheels under $350-$400/each will be made anywhere but China/Taiwan.

FWIW, Bimmerworld sells their TA16 line of forged wheels, some of which are just under $400, but I don't know where they're made. More here: https://www.bimmerworld.com/BimmerWo...e-Wheel_3.html

I wanted a set for my track tires, but the lack of an appropriate rear offset was a show-stopper.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by dradernh

FWIW, Bimmerworld sells their TA16 line of forged wheels, some of which are just under $400, but I don't know where they're made. More here: https://www.bimmerworld.com/BimmerWo...e-Wheel_3.html

I wanted a set for my track tires, but the lack of an appropriate rear offset was a show-stopper.

Cheapest for the 18" that's showing with that link is $489/wheel

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by hwntime

Cheapest for the 18" that's showing with that link is $489/wheel

Gloss Black 18X9 ET42 is $384 - but yeah, all the rest are just under $500.

I originally got interested in those wheels because the 18X9 ET42 costs that little (they must be closing them out or something?), but they weren't going to work for me on the rear. OT, but the wheels are still a bargain at $500.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Gloss Black 18X9 ET42 is $384 - but yeah, all the rest are just under $500.

I originally got interested in those wheels because the 18X9 ET42 costs that little (they must be closing them out or something?), but they weren't going to work for me on the rear. OT, but the wheels are still a bargain at $500.

Yeah, $489 for forged 18's are a good deal. I had Ray's Engineering forged 19" wheels back in the day on my 350Z and those were ridiculously expensive. I paid something like $3200 or $3400 for the set without wheels?!

[WolfGTI]

Wheels look nice but I want 8.5 in the front (they only have 9 as the lowest width) and 9.5 in the rear and the offsets do not look possible.

Originally Posted by dradernh

FWIW, Bimmerworld sells their TA16 line of forged wheels, some of which are just under $400, but I don't know where they're made. More here: https://www.bimmerworld.com/BimmerWo...e-Wheel_3.html

I wanted a set for my track tires, but the lack of an appropriate rear offset was a show-stopper.

[aaaaah]

Originally Posted by buster-riley

Just curious as to country of origin. I don't see anything on their website. Some od my OEM BMW wheels say "Poland" Thx.

You could always ask them?

[buster-riley]

I just assumed the apex wheel would be marked with country of origin as my OEM wheels are marked and that someone I the forum would have the wheels and noticed the country of origin. BTW I just had my "Polish" 17x8 BMW style 185 seven spokes powder coated gloss black. These are old E90 wheels I think (I bought them used from a Mech at Imola Motorsports. They now needed new TPMS and had light corrosion so I took the plunge at "Twincitywheelrepair" they turned out great and look very stylish on the m235i. They spent several years as winter snows on my wife's 3 series sedan before repurposed as my winter setup. I shoot a photo and try to post in "wheels"

[Eddy@ApexWheels]

Originally Posted by buster-riley

Just curious as to country of origin. I don't see anything on their website. Some od my OEM BMW wheels say "Poland" Thx.

They are manufactured in China. We label that on the box and it's stamped on the backside of the wheel.

The key to successful production in China is doing your own engineering, QC and independent validation of testing. Although factories in China claim to have various certificates and conduct in-house testing, there is nothing formal keeping them honest. Unfortunately, the USA doesn't require any specific test be conducted to ensure the quality of a wheel.

For that reason we get our wheels certified/registered with the VIA in Japan where they have stricter regulations. All wheels sold in Japan need to be registered with the VIA to be road legal. To be registered with the VIA all wheels must pass the 3 types of destructive tests following JWL standards. The VIA conducts real-world destructive testing to confirm wheels really passed the test, unlike an unofficial in-house test that could be manipulated.

It's expensive to do, even though we have no major dealer in Japan, but it gives us a 3rd party organization to keep the hundreds of in-house tests we've performed in check, and that's crucial to avoid problems.

Done right you can produce a quality product overseas, just like our phones and other respected electronics.

FWIW, Bimmerworld sells their TA16 line of forged wheels, some of which are just under $400, but I don't know where they're made.

They are made in China.