Originally Posted by $$$frumnuttin'

something not right here, Tadge should certainly be aware of the SAE Standard for curb impact resistance...in plain language, wheels MUST be designed to withstand the SAE requirement, if for no other reason than to avoid government interference in the design process.

The toughness of the wheel will be determined by a few things;

...1) the shape of the wheel lip (which is pretty much standard for most wheels to accommodate tire installation and leak prevention, but is stronger for runflat tires)

...2) the material which is either steel or aluminum

...3)the section thickness of the wheel...with aluminum, the alloy and the type of processing (cast, forged, etc) greatly affect the strength, not to mention any defects such as porosity in a casting.

My whole point is, OEM wheels seem to be increasingly 'weaker' now for some reason,and may not meet the SAE requirements or the safety margin established years ago in the industry.Probably this is all related to a) squeezing out that last ounce of prevention (weight reduction) and b) 'skinny spoke' designs that risk structural failure due to lack of robustness.
At the same time, this has now created a wonderful cash cow for dealers...the wheel protection policy at typically exorbitant cost to car owners.....