[recshenoy]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Here is a pic of the Kwid taken by one of our forum members at Yelagiri yesterday.

wow! Even in real world image this car looks fantastic. But from the same image couple of observations

1. Narrow tyres
2. Budget outside rear view mirror (similar to one we see in basic commercial rickshaws or say Maruti 800 )

If they launch a top end diesel version by negating cost cutting measures by adding features like auto-folding mirrors, start stop button, bigger tyres and of course dual airbag/ABS etc, I am sure this will be a fantastic alternative in B/B+ segment.

In the driver side headlamps the reflections looks like headlamp DRL. So we are already getting MOD ideas, don't we

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by rahul412

Now its confirmed that its 670 kgs. Bigger than Alto but Still lighter.

OMG.

What is it made from - recycled Amul tins? Even the Nano is heavier.

I see a lot of people being completely taken in by the looks, even though the company has not released specifications of any kind - drivetrain, suspension or safety.

I suppose none of those trivialities matter in our market - if it looks good and comes cheap we really don't care about the rest of it.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

A top end Kwid with all bells and whistles and the 1.2L Turbo engine from Nissan Renault with 100BHP will be an awesome choice to Ecosport and even the mini hatches.

Going by the factors like the cost and the weight of Kwid, I have doubts on the tensile strength of the steel structure used for the car. It might be in similar league as Alto or Nano but that is probably not sufficient for a turbocharged 100bhp 1.2L engine. Once they beef up the shell and and introduce a high performance engine, it could most likely end up in the same price range as Ecosport.

[sun_king]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

57 BHP is the power figure confirmed. Now, people who are interested in the automatic version could get lucky by Diwali as Renault is working on optimizing the performance of the automatic version and when launched will come with a rotary shifter. So lets keep our fingers crossed on that

Saw a tweet from Renault India, no automatic variant expected in the near future.

[i74js]

One of the main changes that has been done here (post Go fiasco) is to switch to higher tensile strength steel for production of white body. This would resulted in reduction of weight by nearly 50-70 kg. Other areas including slim seats with integrated head rests can bring down the weight by nearly 7 - 9 kg. They have also developed the new platform which could be lighter than then competition without compromising on structural strength (cannot say how must it would have helped in reducing the weight).

My hunch is that car would have been in the band of 800 - 850 kg without all these interventions; still compromising on 3 nuts based wheel anchoring is something that derails aspiration of buyers.

On face of it, the product has potential and looks promising; may be additional changes including options of ABS, airbags may be made available in due course of time.

Cheers

[deltheking]

Originally Posted by sun_king

Saw a tweet from Renault India, no automatic variant expected in the near future.

The Renault India CEO , I believe in the interview said that an AMT is being worked on and will be out in the near future but no ABS. Probably the tweet means that true automatic transmission will not be available.

I think if they don't launch an AMT version - they will rue a missed opportunity. This Renault Kwid AMT if priced competitively can be a real shot in the arm for Renault and immensely useful for the customer who will then have a plethora of options !

[sreedotk]

Originally Posted by i74js

still compromising on 3 nuts based wheel anchoring is something that derails aspiration of buyers.

Cheers

An off topic question perhaps.. Why is a 3 lug nut wheel bad vs a 4 or 5 lug nut wheel?

Is it fundamentally less secure?.

The reason for my question is that Formula 1 cars and Racing cars seem to be working fine with a single Lug Nut in the center. ( I do understand that it is more for the ease of tyre change).

[zenren]

Originally Posted by sreedotk

An off topic question perhaps.. Why is a 3 lug nut wheel bad vs a 4 or 5 lug nut wheel?

Is it fundamentally less secure?.

The reason for my question is that Formula 1 cars and Racing cars seem to be working fine with a single Lug Nut in the center. ( I do understand that it is more for the ease of tyre change).

With 1, 2 or 3 nut configurations, all nuts have to be perfectly tightened for the wheel to be stable. If one of the nuts becomes loose for whatever reason, there is a possibility of horizontal movement which could force that nut out, after which there are more planes in which the movement is possible. However, with configurations of 4 and above, the lateral movement possible is limited or none, which makes sure that even if one of the nuts is loose or even missing, the remaining nuts would still secure the wheel and prevent any unwanted lateral movement.

In F1, a loose wheel nut can cause the wheel to get dislodged and lead to a crash. A similar crash in a passenger vehicle need not necessarily guarantee the occupants to be surviving to tell the story.

[rahul412]

Cant believe why Renault has done this stupid thing. As if everything was going fine for the car and they were under obligation to do something ridiculous. 3 nut is synonymous with cheap car (Nano). Indian buyer is definitely not going to like it.

People prefer conventional stuff, this is unconventional and people are not gonna like it.

Hope they change it in the production model.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by rahul412

Cant believe why Renault has done this stupid thing. As if everything was going fine for the car and they were under obligation to do something ridiculous. 3 nut is synonymous with cheap car (Nano). Indian buyer is definitely not going to like it.

People prefer conventional stuff, this is unconventional and people are not gonna like it.

Hope they change it in the production model.

Ask a typical 3/4L Hatch buyer how many nuts a car tyre has and you'll know

Come on man, not that many people care about it. For the amount of attention and market share Nano has, the number of nuts it's tyre had is least on people's mind.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by rahul412

3 nut is synonymous with cheap car (Nano). Indian buyer is definitely not going to like it.

Sirjee, 3 nuts or 4 nuts, doesn't make any difference to the common man. Not that they will notice it any time other than while having a puncture.

They'll be happy that '1 nut less' to remove.

But keeping everything side is it that a bad thing to have 3 nuts in place of 4.

We all are used to seeing 4 and 5 wheel nuts. Why not get used to 3?

Is there any difference in functionality?

Originally Posted by kiku007

Ask a typical 3/4L Hatch buyer how many nuts a car tyre has and you'll know

Lol.

[tushky]

Originally Posted by recshenoy

wow! Even in real world image this car looks fantastic. But from the same image couple of observations

1. Narrow tyres
2. Budget outside rear view mirror (similar to one we see in basic commercial rickshaws or say Maruti 800 )

If they launch a top end diesel version by negating cost cutting measures by adding features like auto-folding mirrors, start stop button, bigger tyres and of course dual airbag/ABS etc, I am sure this will be a fantastic alternative in B/B+ segment.

In the driver side headlamps the reflections looks like headlamp DRL. So we are already getting MOD ideas, don't we

The white car seems base version,hence ORVM is also basic. While ORVM of the car is better in the photos publish by renault.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Sirjee, 3 nuts or 4 nuts, doesn't make any difference to the common man. Not that they will notice it any time other than while having a puncture.

They'll be happy that '1 nut less' to remove.

But keeping everything side is it that a bad thing to have 3 nuts in place of 4.

We all are used to seeing 4 and 5 wheel nuts. Why not get used to 3?

Is there any difference in functionality?

If there is no difference in functionality, and 3 nuts is as good as 4 nuts, please explain why Renault does not use 3 nuts in their more expensive models. Perhaps if they used 3 nuts in Duster, Fluence etc..., we would have a lot more confidence in wheels with 3 nuts.

Lets be honest here, the 3 nuts is purely motivated by cost. It might be sufficient in normal day to day driving, but the margin of safety is reduced. If one nut fails, you are looking at an accident.

[ajmat]

Actually, till the 1970's, all French cars used 3 nuts. The rims had no centre hole and a dome with a small threaded hole in order to bolt the hub cap on

[Grand Drive]

Originally Posted by rahul412

3 nut is synonymous with cheap car (Nano)

Originally Posted by kiku007

Ask a typical 3/4L Hatch buyer how many nuts a car tyre has and you'll know

Originally Posted by a4anurag

But keeping everything side is it that a bad thing to have 3 nuts in place of 4.
We all are used to seeing 4 and 5 wheel nuts. Why not get used to 3?

I have read this long back on the Quora and posting the same for reference.

Why do Tata Nano wheels have three bolts instead of four bolts ?

First Reply

The number of bolts depends on following things :

1) Torque on wheel.
2) Shear strength of bolt.
3) Factor of Safety
4) Size of bolt cross section.

The design is governed by equation

shear strength of bolt / factor of safety = (max torque/radius of bolt circle)/(area of bolt cross section* no. of bolts)

Since the equation is satisfied for the expected factor of safety , 3 bolts are sufficient for the job.

Second Reply

The wheels were small enough to not require four. The designers went with the minimalist approach and decided to use just three bolts. This was part of the effort to cut down on the weight and the cost. The reduction in weight also helps the fuel economy.With the top speed rated at 105 km/h, three bolts can safely handle the stresses involved.

Source : Quora
Credits : To the people who answered this question on Quora