Introducing the VS-5RE, part of our Enduro Line of Forged Wheels. Sharing a similar split five spoke layout to our popular Sprint Line VS-5RS, the all new VS-5RE was designed to prioritize both strength and stiffness. The reality is that most enthusiasts and racers benefit far more from increased strength than they would from a small decrease in weight. The VS-5RE and the Enduro line as a whole was introduced to give the enthusiast community the choice to choose what's best for their application.
In our pursuit of absolute strength, the Forged VS-5RE was given dramatically thicker spokes, our thickest ever Enduro Spec inner lip, and a substantially reinforced outer lip. When all put together, the VS-5RE is rated at an impressive 2100 lb max load. A major increase over its Sprint Line counterpart sitting at a 1600 lb load rating. To achieve this level of strength, our engineers added a considerable amount of material to the areas where it matters most. This does come with a bit of a weight penalty, however a host of weight saving measures have been implemented to minimize its effect. Deep spoke scalloping is utilized to shave material from the sides of spokes without compromising strength. Outer lip pocketing, a feature only seen on the Enduro Line within the Apex catalog, does away with excess material on the outer lip between each spoke. With the hardcore nature of the Enduro Line, we took weight saving features to the extreme, by deleting the center cap support and opting for an unpainted outer barrel. The end result is a massive increase in strength and stiffness, with only a small increase in weight. An extremely worthwhile trade-off in our eyes.
Our aim is for the Enduro VS-5RE to become the wheel of choice for anyone who appreciates the benefit of strength and stiffness over small weight savings. One must ask themselves how much faster will they truly be by dropping a few pounds of rotating mass and is it worth the trade off of losing confidence that your wheels will hold up lap after lap. Wheels lacking in stiffness flex under load, leading to lost camber during demanding cornering. Ultra lightweight wheels look great on paper, but they could cost you in the form of a lost podium or high cost of replacement.
Whether you’re a hardcore racer or an enthusiast that appreciates great engineering, the VS-5RE is the answer.
Our Strongest Wheels
Most motorsport wheel designs prioritize reducing weight over increasing strength, but some applications require extra strength. High grip tires and lots of downforce put extra strain on wheels. Pair that with a faster driver and regular load ratings are not enough. The VS-5RE is about 30% stronger than the RS version.
Stiffer Spokes
Wheel stiffness matters but it gets overlooked and undiscussed. The redesigned spokes of the VS-5RE are about 25% stiffer than the Sprint Line version. Stiffer spokes help reduce camber loss, which reduces outer edge tire wear and improves feel and responsiveness.
Toughest Inner Lip
Introducing the Enduro spec inner lip - our strongest ever. With 50% more reinforcement, these wheels are better-protected against the harsh conditions found on and off track.
Reinforced Front Lip
We added extra material in the front lip for more durability so you can keep attacking those berms. You can easily spot the beefed up design of an Enduro lip vs. the lightweight lip on a Sprint Line wheel.
10K Tons of Pressure
To make our forged wheels the strongest we can, we applied as much pressure as possible using a 10,000 ton forge. This extreme pressure increases the strength of the aluminum by eliminating porosity and improving the grain structure.
True Motorsport Blanks
Many companies use 3rd-party blanks intended for non-motorsport wheels which can severely limit sizes, concavity, spoke design, and critical brake clearance. We designed our very own blank profiles from scratch to give us total control over the final product.
Side-Milled Spokes
One of the most prominent features of the VS-5RE is the extra wide and deep side-milled spokes. Any excess material that doesn’t add strength is carved out using a precision CNC ball cutter. This allows our endurance wheels to be surprisingly light for their strength. Side-milling is often deemed cost-prohibitive by others, but for true performance without compromise we believe it's essential.
Weight Optimized
We conducted extensive Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to reinforce high-stress areas and to remove material where it didn’t improve strength. The result is a significantly stronger wheel with a minimal weight penalty over their RS counterparts.
Independently Tested
We don't rely solely on computer simulations or unverifiable in-house testing. We believe independent testing is critical to protect consumers in this unregulated industry. Our Enduro Line wheels are independently tested by ITS at their Michigan facility following JWL standards but pushed to much higher loads and much longer durations.
Big Brake Clearance
From day one, APEX has been on a mission to build wheels that clear big brakes. Our new forged wheels are the product of everything we’ve developed over the past 10+ years, including an innovative high-clearance barrel design and vehicle-specific spoke profiles.
Deeper concavity
Our new forgings were redesigned to create extra deep, concave spoke profiles. Their new shape allows us to make any profile, from flat to deep and everything in between. Each one is optimized for a specific application using 3D laser scans of factory and aftermarket brake kits.
Paintless knurled beads
Whether it's a day at the track or months of street driving, repeated hard braking and acceleration can make a tire slip along the bead seat and go out of balance, causing vibration. Knurled beads help, but are less effective when painted over. Our forged line features unpainted knurled beads that stay sharp and maximize grip.
Paintless Barrel
To be as light as possible, and to reduce rotational inertia, we removed paint from the outer barrel. It’s only a fraction of a pound but it’s in an area that has the biggest impact on acceleration and deceleration, so it packs a bigger punch vs. the same weight savings near the center of the wheel. These small tweaks add up.
Capless Hub Design
We know most track day organizations ask for center caps to be removed. To further reduce weight that doesn’t directly correlate to strength, we incorporated a capless hub design on all Enduro Line wheels in our pursuit of Real Performance.
Built for impact sockets
Track wheels need track tools. Don’t settle for wheels that require undersized tuner lugs or thin walled sockets. All APEX wheels accommodate over-sized race lugs and impact sockets to make swapping wheels lightning fast.
Outer Lip Pocketing
A lot of areas get extra thick when the load rating is raised to 2100 lb. By CNC machining ‘pockets’ between each spoke, our Engineers were able to further reduce weight from an area that has a high impact on rotational inertia.
Laser-engraved specs
As track enthusiasts ourselves, we know how frustrating it is to try to locate and decipher wheel specs that have been hastily hammered into the rim or become unreadable over time. With our new Sprint™ wheels, we chose to invest a little extra and laser-engrave the specs on the barrel, in plain sight, making them easy to find and read. (You’re welcome.)
