Quote:
Originally Posted by H Bomb
i agree i consider HRE more of a bling bling brand then a top forged performance wheel brand
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HRE wheels at least pass TUV standards. That alone IMO elevates them above the boutique/bling level. I'm not aware that DPE wheels (and some others with very slick websites and fancy pics) meet any standards that address durability or strength.
To address the OP's question, I think the market for wheels over $3K is pretty small. A prime example is the RAC group buy. At $3,750 a set, it was very hard to get 20 people to make the 2nd group buy. So, the demand for those wheels is about 75 sets world wide with a small percentage of new M3 owners being interested in the wheels (as they discover them) and willing to pay for them if they were available. Still it's very price sensitive as most everyone that has sold their RACs has had trouble selling them for what they paid. It's possible that the potential market for wheels gets quite a bit bigger in the $1,500 - $2,000 range if people really like the design and perceive that there is a good value. Responses and comments in many threads tells me that the vast majority of people here are much more interested in appearance vs. performance. Wheels do need to be dimensionally accurate enough that good wheel/tire balance can be achieved. They also need to be durable enough to hold up to daily use.