► 4/25/19 MAJOR THREAD UPDATE
This week we received our first official set of sample wheels for the M2 Competition Group Buy. We have been incredibly excited to finally have the chance to show these stunning EC-7 wheels off to the community, and today we are delighted to present some of the outstanding edits from our latest photo shoot.
Our goal heading into the testing phase for the M2 Competition was to validate our fitment and to determine if negative camber would be necessary when using a very aggressive tire compound. This test car features our new 19x9.5” ET28 and 19x10.5” ET45 EC-7 wheels, paired with 265/30-19 and 295/30-19 Toyo R888R tires.
In this write-up, we will take you through our testing process, giving you a behind the scenes glimpse into what it takes to bring these purpose-built wheels to production. We are thrilled at the way these new M2 Competition specific wheels turned out, and look forward to seeing them in the wild in the foreseeable future.
M2 Competition Stock Wheels:
The M2 Competition was released with the 19” 788M wheels in the following fitment:
Front: 19x9” ET29
Rear: 19x10” ET40
Though this fitment is a great improvement over a standard 2 series, they are not designed to maximum the potential tires that can be used on this car, leading to better performance. With the massive torque of the new S55 engine, wider tires are needed to properly put that power to the ground. The stock 19x9” and 19x10” wheels are not wide enough to properly support the sidewalls of the 265/30-19 and 295/30-19 tires, which are our recommended tire sizes for this chassis.
M2 Competition Stock Brake Clearance:
The release of the M2 Competition brought many improvements over the standard M2, including new brakes. BMW released the M2C with the new monstrous 2NH 400mm front/380mm rear factory big brake setup, making it impossible to use 18” wheels.
When reviewing the stock 788M 19” wheels, we found that even though they do clear the brakes, clearances do appear to be quite tight. The F8X M3/M4 with the carbon ceramic brakes did have a similar issue, and some customers did experience small debris or a larger rock becoming lodged between the caliper and the wheel. Our goal with the 19” EC-7 wheels was to improve this brake clearance.
APEX 19” EC-7 M2 Fitment:
Our new 19” EC-7 wheels feature the following fitment for the M2 and M2 Competition:
Front: 19x9.5” ET28
Rear: 19x10.5” ET45
Our original plan was to mimic our current 18” FL-5 fitments for the M2; 9.5” ET28 & 10.5” ET40. However, after further research and feedback from the community, we ultimately decided to change the rear offset to ET45. This small change moved the rear wheels inboard by 5mm, still allowing proper inner clearance while accommodating aggressive 295 rear tires without the need to modify the car. The end result is a fantastic fitment, specifically tailored to run 265/30-19 and 295/30-19 tires.
Since 18" wheels cannot be used on the M2C, we knew track enthusiasts would be on the hunt for 19" wheels that could stand up to repetitive track abuse and accommodate wider r-compounds, semi-slicks, and slicks. With that in mind, we chose to conduct our test fitment with Toyo R888R tires.
Up front, the 19x9.5” ET28 paired with 265/30-19 R888R sits perfectly flush with the fenders without poking. At stock ride height and alignment settings we did not experience any rubbing, however, dialing in negative camber is vital for track enthusiasts to optimize performance and tire longevity, and it would further decrease the chances of rubbing under heavy suspension compression. Street tires like the Michelin PS4S do not run nearly as wide and would have even more clearance.
Overall, this staggered fitment is a great solution for M2C owners looking to maximize performance, while having a spacerless fitment that sits flush in relation to the fenders.
APEX 19” EC-7 M2 Brake Clearance:
The EC-7 wheels has been known to provide some of the best brake clearance in the industry, with our 18” wheels clearing even the massive Brembo 380mm BBK. This brake clearance extends to our 19” wheels, which clear the new 2NH brakes on the M2 Competition even better than the stock 788M wheels.
As you can see in our testing, the 19” EC-7’s provide ample brake clearance both in regards to the spokes and the barrel. By further improving this clearance over the stock wheels, you can mitigate the risk of debris or rocks damaging your calipers or your wheels.
Exterior Shots:
We love the way our Race Silver EC-7 wheels complemented the Long Beach Blue paint on this new M2 Competition. Let us know what you think of the new 19” EC-7 M2C specific fitments:
- Matt