Has anyone put in aftermarket lightened rotors?
I've seen them on Racing Beat's site but no pricing so I assume it's coming soon?
or Pineapple Racing http://www.pineappleracing.com/PricelistSvcs.html offers it as well.
Just wondering what kinda power gains ppl would expect from a lightened rotor? Similar to FI without the added weight?
Anyone done it yet?

 

Are you sure it's even available for the RX8? I see no mention of RX8 on the entire site..

 

oh wait sorry yea the pineapple one seems to make them for rx7s only but I think they make stuff on order so anything's possible! (with money lol)
I can't find the one on racing beat now I think it was on the main page before??

 

Actually technically everyone with an RX-8 has lightweight rotors since they are the lightest ones ever put into a production car.

 

Thanks rotarygod.

 

That's what I'm here for!

 

ummm... ok thanks too I guess

 

:D

 

Anybody know how much lighter the 8's rotors are?

 

ask rob at pineapple- i will bet you 10 bucks he says they arent lighter at all

im not saying he's right or wrong, just that that is what he will say.

 

He'll say they are a little lighter but not as much as they are supposed to be.

 

Actually the Renesis rotors are supposed to be 14% lighter than the 13B rotors.
http://www.der-wankelmotor.de/Entwic...icklungen.html

I see rg is a real optimist these days? Where's your American spirit?
(Is it true that the Patriots, the Red Sox and Kerry are all from the same town?)

 

The RX-8 rotors weigh 9.3 lbs each, as compared to 9.7 lbs to the 89-92 rotors.

Jim L
Racing Beat

 

Wouldn't lighter rotors effect durability? Unless you made them out of something much stronger, I would assume that durability would have to be compromised. Besides that, can someone explain what kind of gains lightweight rotors would have?

 

From a base, simple physics perspective a lighter rotor would be less resistance to the combustion, which should free up power.. the exact amount or percentages aren't my job, but that's the really basic version

 

The rotors are not reproduced from new material, this would be an extremely expensive undertaking. Stock rotors are machined ligthened using a computer control milling machine. We then fully balance the pair of rotors with matching front and rear counterweights to provide an assembly capable of use for extended high RPM applications, as typically found in racing applications.

Jim L
Racing Beat

 

How does this process compare with porting? Porting is just cleaning/enlarging the ports, where is the weight machined away from on the rotor for lightening? Are the two done in the same process regularly?

Sorry.. limited knowledge = dumb questions

 

It's always good to see comments from Racing Beat: a company who actually know what the heck they're doing and what they're talking about.

 

Porting and lightening rotors are completely different. Porting is a process of enlargening and reshaping the intake and/or exhaust ports, lightening the rotor is a process of removing mass from the rotor.

If you want to see the area that has been machined away, there are photos on our site under the listings for the lightweight rotors (see PN 1007).

Both processes are not done on a "regular" basis, as the entire engine must be removed and disassembled. The cost for the rotors is VERY expensive and are typically used in race applications.

On early rotory applications the aftermarket quickly found ways to make improvements to the engine ports. On the RX-8 it does not appear that Mazda has left much to "improve".

Jim L
Racing Beat

 

Glad to see you back on here again Jim!

 

Thanks for all the info!