Questions from an overthinking/over prepared engineer impatiently waiting his Ct4-V B.W.

[obeykube]

Howdy y'all,

CT4-V BW getting built as we speak. Very excited. I live in L.I. but due to a bunch of stupid situations I am driving alllllll the way to deleware to pick up my car. Few questions for people that have their babys already. Sorry if some of these sound dumb, I've been in the german life, so this is a whole new world lol

1. I come from Audi mostly, does anyone know if the mittyvac system works for oil changes on the CT4-VBW? It's mostly a function of the dipstick and below oil reservoir geometry. I still always drop the plug and the oil filter obviously, but love only having to handle 1/8 of a quart underneath the car or so while the rest is neatly sucked up by the mittyvac is just....nice. Just wondering if anyone has tried to do it and if it worked.
2. Anyone have any experience with APEX wheels? Probably going to order a set of VS-5RS. Good experiences? Bad? Anyone have a set and can tell me with offset/spacers they have used to get that flush with the fender look for front and rear?
3. Has anyone tried the 56" race ramps with this car? Do they work? Or do we need the 67"? I saw a couple threads but reading through them there wasn't a definitive answer for the 4BW for 56" with or without the front splitter as far as I saw. Mine doesn't have any CF but I will probably add the splitter aftermarket at some point. I have rhino ramps but not sure if they will be OK with their angle.

Thanks all

 

[EB4BW]

My Rhino Ramps did not clear my 4BW (no CF splitter). Not even close. I have 6" Truck/SUV ramps, 15-20 years old.

I went with the two-piece 67" Race Ramps (2,500 pound version).

I'm not sure if 56" would fit or not, but I'm really enjoying the 10" of lift that comes with the 67" ramps.

 

[Roadhawk]

My Apex VS-5RS wheels are arriving in a few weeks. I've never had them on a car before but have heard nothing but good things (they are light, strong and look good). They come in a variety of offsets...I think I will have to use spacers with mine.

 

[obeykube]

My Apex VS-5RS wheels are arriving in a few weeks. I've never had them on a car before but have heard nothing but good things (they are light, strong and look good). They come in a variety of offsets...I think I will have to use spacers with mine.

Thanks! Let me know when you get them on! Especially what the spacer situation is.

 

[jbawden]

I have 56" race ramps and they work on my non-CF 5.

 

[Professor Speed]

@Roadhawk, what color did you order? I've been thinking about the Apex wheels as well. Also looking into Signature; have seen some killer sets but only for 5BW thus far.

 

[SIX 40]

Paging @Terrance Sig

 

[Dirkbg]

I got the Apex VS-5RS satin black, 18x9 ET30 and 18x9.5 ET35 last December, but haven't installed them yet. I mounted all-season Falkens on the stock rims and the original Michelins on the Apex. I'll be installing them later this month. They come with hub spacers but the offsets are said to work fine with no wheel spacers. I just finished ceramic coating them yesterday, and I modified Cadillac center caps to fit. I'll post pics after I install them in a couple weeks.

 

[Roadhawk]

@Roadhawk, what color did you order? I've been thinking about the Apex wheels as well. Also looking into Signature; have seen some killer sets but only for 5BW thus far.

Bronze. Should be in next week I think and I'll have the tires mounted but won't put them on the car till mid April as I'm planning a trip to Vermont and visiting friends that live on a mountain with a long steep dirt drive....they tell me its mud season and possibly even snow (one never knows) so I'm keeping the snows on just to be sure i can make it.

 

[jadis192]

I got the Apex VS-5RS satin black, 18x9 ET30 and 18x9.5 ET35 last December, but haven't installed them yet. I mounted all-season Falkens on the stock rims and the original Michelins on the Apex. I'll be installing them later this month. They come with hub spacers but the offsets are said to work fine with no wheel spacers. I just finished ceramic coating them yesterday, and I modified Cadillac center caps to fit. I'll post pics after I install them in a couple weeks.

Can you provide details on the center caps? I may want to do this. Thank you!

 

[NewCaddy]

RR 56” works just fine with my 4BW. No CF.

 

[Dirkbg]

Can you provide details on the center caps? I may want to do this. Thank you!

I bought these Amazon.com and drilled out the center so the stock Cadillac cap could plug into it unmodified. The outer diameter is identical, only the hole size to fit is different. Use a 2 1/8" hole saw (matches the 54 mm Cadillac cap) in the flat cap and the Cadillac cap will plug in perfectly. I ran a small bead of black silicone adhesive around the edge to keep it tight. Not too much so it squishes out. These flat caps are a little loose in the wheel where they can rotate with a little effort, so I'm going to take them out and run a light smear of clear silicone in the wheel cap hole and reinsert them. The last photo is the completed assembly.

Drilling is a little tricky. I had a drill press, but clamping the edges in a squeezing manner didn't hold and they spun scuffing the edges so I had to polish them to get the shine back. A hand drill would probably work fine, but you need to build a jig that will hold it tight.

 

[BimmerFan]

I haven't measured my ramps, but they're pretty standard (i.e. short) units. Nothing clears them, but a couple of 2x4s (or one 2x8) to extend them works fine on BW, Corvette, etc.

 

[jadis192]

I bought these Amazon.com and drilled out the center so the stock Cadillac cap could plug into it unmodified. The outer diameter is identical, only the hole size to fit is different. Use a 2 1/8" hole saw (matches the 54 mm Cadillac cap) in the flat cap and the Cadillac cap will plug in perfectly. I ran a small bead of black silicone adhesive around the edge to keep it tight. Not too much so it squishes out. These flat caps are a little loose in the wheel where they can rotate with a little effort, so I'm going to take them out and run a light smear of clear silicone in the wheel cap hole and reinsert them. The last photo is the completed assembly.

Drilling is a little tricky. I had a drill press, but clamping the edges in a squeezing manner didn't hold and they spun scuffing the edges so I had to polish them to get the shine back. A hand drill would probably work fine, but you need to build a jig that will hold it tight.

Thank you!

 

[Dirkbg]

Bronze. Should be in next week I think and I'll have the tires mounted but won't put them on the car till mid April as I'm planning a trip to Vermont and visiting friends that live on a mountain with a long steep dirt drive....they tell me its mud season and possibly even snow (one never knows) so I'm keeping the snows on just to be sure i can make it.

Glad you got those bronze wheels you wanted. I like the factory style wheels, but the Apex style is a design I've always liked, and they are amazingly light compared to factory. It's nice to also have the winter tires on the originals to change things up a bit each year.

 

[Roadhawk]

Glad you got those bronze wheels you wanted. I like the factory style wheels, but the Apex style is a design I've always liked, and they are amazingly light compared to factory. It's nice to also have the winter tires on the originals to change things up a bit each year.

Exactly. I love the look of the factory bronze (and still wish I had them over the black wheels...but I'm OK with them). The look and the lightness of the Apex wheels was a big draw for me. I used to have some very light 19' OZ Superleggera wheels on the Audi. They looked great and were very light. However I was driving in and around DC quite a bit and they always got cracked or bent. In the end OZ was shipping wheels to me from Germany (I depleted their entire US stock) and only charging cost ($300) but after a time that got old so I went with a stronger (but heavier) wheel. Car was noticeably quicker with the OZ wheels. I'm hoping to feel the lightness of the Apex on initial acceleration....we;ll see...

I'm a big believer in snow tires for winter...even though we are in an area that doesn't seem to get so much snow anymore. A stack of wheels and tires in our garage shows my commitment to the idea of changing out whee;s and tires for summer and winter. Luckily I have enough space for 4 more...

 

[coffee_time]

Exactly. I love the look of the factory bronze (and still wish I had them over the black wheels...but I'm OK with them). The look and the lightness of the Apex wheels was a big draw for me. I used to have some very light 19' OZ Superleggera wheels on the Audi. They looked great and were very light. However I was driving in and around DC quite a bit and they always got cracked or bent. In the end OZ was shipping wheels to me from Germany (I depleted their entire US stock) and only charging cost ($300) but after a time that got old so I went with a stronger (but heavier) wheel. Car was noticeably quicker with the OZ wheels. I'm hoping to feel the lightness of the Apex on initial acceleration....we;ll see...

I'm a big believer in snow tires for winter...even though we are in an area that doesn't seem to get so much snow anymore. A stack of wheels and tires in our garage shows my commitment to the idea of changing out whee;s and tires for summer and winter. Luckily I have enough space for 4 more...

If I didn't get the bronze wheels on my car I would be replacing them with something aftermarket as I don't really like the other options. Totally understandable to grab a set of those nice Apex wheels.

 

[Terrance Speed]

Paging @Terrance Sig

Got something fresh coming in hot!

 

[TheShark]

Got something fresh coming in hot!

View attachment 24688

love the center cap - low key