Should cars priced > 8L have alloy wheels as a standard fitment?

[maniind]

should car companies should make mandatory fit alloy wheels to the cars priced above 8 lacs

[marlinspike]

What is needed in that price range are Airbags and ABS(EBD) and may be defogger as standard rather than Alloys that can be always added after-market.
Music player and Speakers can be taken off and just a provision like in ANHC would be a better deal. OEM ICE ends up being exchanged (they are hopeless in most cases) more often than not and the money saved by the manufacturer on that can be used to provide the safety gear as well.

[SLK]

But Why? It's 90% all show....

[Spitfire]

Why alloys why not ABS and airbags for all cars - from the Nano to the Phantom.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Why alloys why not ABS and airbags for all cars - from the Nano to the Phantom.

+1 from me on this. Safety is more important than show stuff!

But say, what is the thread meant for?

The title is totally off track! :(

[abhinav.gupta88]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Why alloys why not ABS and airbags for all cars - from the Nano to the Phantom.

+ 1 + 1 = +2
I think ABS and Airbags are more important than Alloy Wheels

For whoever want to purchase Alloy wheels , can get them fitted from outside.

If given an option to choose a car ABS/AIRBAGS and without Alloys and a car without ABS/AIRBAGS and with Alloys , I would choose the ones with the safety features.

( P.S. my old decision to buy the honda city stands an exception)

[greenhorn]

and while we're at it , why not spoilers too.
Expensive cars must be very powerful no

[sriramv.iyer]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

and while we're at it , why not spoilers too.
Expensive cars must be very powerful no

LOL ROTFL
That was very funny!

I am surprised with some of the previous replies that alloy wheels are only attributed to the looks. I thought alloy wheels did more than just that! Btw, I do agree that safety features should be incorporated first, and alloys later. (But a spoiler is mandatory ) And for the sake of Queen Elizabeth, please change the title of the thread .

PS:- "Should the cars, priced above 8L, have alloy wheels (as a mandatory requirement)?" - This is the best way I could refactor your question! Your question conveys your mind, but does not have verb, and has an improper pronoun reference - Priced above 8 lakhs is a pronoun clause that should be attached to the cars, and in your question, may be improperly ascribed to the wheels. Sorry for the OT, but I couldn't stop myself from typing the postscript! (Actually edited my original post to add the PS!)

[subscrive]

In the other news its also decided that its mandatory for the people earning more than 8 lakhs to work for 15 hours a day 7 days a week.
< / sarcasm >

[spawnofsatan]

Originally Posted by SLK

But Why? It's 90% all show....

Not all aftermarket wheels are for show, in sports cars or cars geared towards performance, having high quality lightweight wheels reduce unsprung mass and rotational inertia.

But I do agree with everyone else, safety first and then wheels.

[anantnehru]

I think in most cases, the Indian psyche is more towards uniqueness than safety. Which is probably why the more expensive cars have alloys so as to make buyers feel that they have gotten their money's worth and that people would notice them more in these cars - not the case always though.
Fitting cars with airbags and ABS, though much more required than alloys, would (to my knowledge) push up costs alot more, driving away potential customers.
But the trend of more and more cars coming with ABS and airbags as standard or even as an option shows a slow change setting in. What should actually be made compulsory now is the NCAP safety ratings on all cars, regardless of cost.
Just my opinion on the matter

[gr8guzzler]

IMO it's fair to ask this question, when I pay 8 lacs or for that matter 4-5 lacs, I do expect alloys. If not standard, atleast an OE option that is priced fairly. A decent set of alloys (produced in volume) might not cost the manufacturer more than 8-10K.

[1100D]

I guess the debate is not about whether ABS/Airbags should be provided as against Alloys, its just about whether Alloys should be provided for cars priced above 8l.

In the developed markets, high-end cars for us, like say a Accord or Camry do have variants having steel wheels, and their corresponding prices for those variants in India (using the same calculation percentages as the loaded variants) would not be substantially lowered to retail under 8lakhs (if sold).

On the other hand, In India, many a C segment car got its value attributed to the way they are loaded. People come to expect that a C segment car has object A, B and C as standard (C could be alloy wheels). Once the benchmark for pricing for a C-segment car is set, the companies could involve in successive reduction in features reducing the pricing, or provide a newer costlier generation with lesser add-on features to hold the price point.

So the answer is no, there should be no hard and fast rule that a car priced above 8 lakhs should be shod with alloys (or for that matter any particular feature).

As regards safety, it shouldn't be price point dependent.

[hellspawn]

I dont why the thread has gone off topic and why we are talking about safety features.
I generally feel that it has become a trend that cars priced higher than certain value should have alloys.Even if a single manufacture skips this,it makes the customer rethink his decision or think about the value for money proposition.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Should they be provided with leather-wrapped steering wheels?

How about a real-wood knob for the gear lever?

Alloy wheels? No, of course not. A pure luxury item. I think that they originated in performance cars due to weight saving, then became a trickle-down item that made a car look more like a performance car, and ultimately, simply look nicer. There is no way that alloy wheels are going to make any difference to the performance of an 8-lakh production standard car.

Hub caps get lost or stolen, uncovered steel wheels are ugly. Alloys are smart.

Mandatory may have been a wrong choice of word, because it implies legal requirement --- and legal requirements should be saved for safety features,

(Or do we look forward to seeing the Indian Maruti Bling Requirement Act of 2009? )

Rephrasing the question: Should one expect alloys in a car over 8 lakh?

Still no. It is an expensive accessory to add to an 8-lakh car. Make that 15 Lakh, and my answer will be different. steel wheels on a 20 Lakh car would be ridiculous.

Whatever: if they are included, the customer will pay for it! It's like so-many free phone calls--- rubbish: there are no free calls, only calls the price of which is already included in what you pay, whether you make them or not. Same for bits of cars.