Racing Beat Aluminum Flywheel 1974-1982 Mazda RX-7 12A Racing Beat

Racing Beat-designed RX-7 flywheels are both engineered and manufactured by Racing Beat for a wide variety of rotary performance applications. This Racing Beat Aluminum Flywheel can be used on any early (pre-RX-7) RX-2, RX-3, RX-4, Cosmo, and Rotary Pick Up engine as well as all 1979-92 RX-7 12A and 13B non-turbo engines. As designed by Racing Beat, this aluminum flywheel is compatible with all 1974-82 215mm Mazda Factory and Racing Beat clutch discs.

Applications
This RX-7 flywheel is best-suited for use on high performance street, autocross, track, and racing applications. The performance benefits of an aluminum flywheel are well-established: improved throttle response, quicker engine revving, and improved shifting efficiency.

Although Racing Beat Aluminum Flywheels can certainly be used for daily-driven RX-7 street vehicles, the modest torque output of the earlier 12A engine combined with the reduced mass of the aluminum flywheel will require a bit more technique during clutch engagement when starting the vehicle from a standing start. This is especially true when using a higher clamping force pressure plate and more aggressive clutch disc. If this is a concern, you may want to consider our Lightweight Steel RX-7 Flywheel as an alternative.

Precision Machining
The Racing Beat RX-7 aluminum flywheel kit both reduces the flywheel weight up to 55% and reduces the flywheel inertia up to 80%, as compared to the Mazda Factory OEM cast iron component. Precision CNC machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, our flywheel assembly is mated to the Mazda OEM ring gear and finished with an extremely durable, and easily replaceable clutch disc friction plate. Each friction plate is machined from A-36 steel and hardened using a ferritic carburizing heat-treating process, creating an extremely durable clutch disc contact surface. The friction plate is retained to the aluminum flywheel unit using aircraft-spec bolts and lightweight nuts. The ring gear is thermally-mated to the flywheel and bolted in place for added security to prevent slippage during engagement of the starter motor.

Weight Comparison
1974-80 RX-7 Stock Flywheel: 30 lbs
1981-85 RX-7 Stock Flywheel: 23 lbs
Racing Beat Aluminum Flywheel: 12 lbs (including required counterweight)

Retaining Critical Engine Balance
The installation of an aftermarket flywheel requires the use of a Mazda rear counterweight unit to ensure critical balance of the internal rotating assembly (engine rotors). As produced by Mazda, the original stock rotary flywheel features a pronounced balancing mass included in the flywheel casting. This balancing mass, combined with the stock front counterweight unit, provides the correct balance required for the optimal rotational operation of the engine rotors.

To allow an aftermarket aluminum flywheel to be used on several different rotary engine applications, this balancing mass is eliminated from the design of the rotary flywheel. However, this critical balancing mass must be replaced with an alternative balance weight or risk severe engine damage due to an “unbalanced” engine. A convenient alternative is to install an appropriate rear counterweight from an automatic transmission-equipped RX-7. Racing Beat offers this counterweight separately if needed.

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