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Saw a thread on racing shoes and since I am in the market for a racing suit thought I would start a thread on what people like and suggest.
Note that this will be my first suit. I run HPDE's, in group 3 with NASA. When I first started I wore jeans and quickly realized that was very uncomfortable. I've since been wearing cotton loose pants and thin long sleeve t-shirt with racing shoes. I run in the Midwest so temps can be hot. And 5'8 180 ( and dropping)
So what brand and material are people liking out there? How about material? And do you like 1 piece vs 2? Are the really thick suits too hot and bulky or are they comfortable? What about underneath, what is preferred and maybe helps with any of the above. Thanks
One piece, and spend more than you expect to get better quality than you think you need. Get a 2-layer suit from one of the reputable manufacturers (Sparco, OMP, Simpson, etc)
I work with race suits on the daily so I can help. First thing’s first lemons started requesting people wear 3 layer suits. This drives me mad because the amount of layers does not equal more safety. What you’re looking for is the rating. SFI has the standard of 3.2a/x (1, 5 and 15) you take that number and multiply it by 2. That give you the amount of time you should be on fire without injury.
The 3.2a/1 is a 2 second suit normally a single layer cotton suit that is covered with a fire retardant chemical. They are very light, but the chemical will wash out after a few washes, at that point it’s just a cotton suit. I recommend buying a new one every year and using nomex underwear. This suit is good for 2 seconds, but it takes 8 seconds to slow a burning car from 100mph-0, and don’t forget the time it takes to get out of the car.
3.2a/5 is a 10 second suit.. (FIA suits are included in this list) These are normally a 3 layer suit that is made from nomex or a single layer suit made from Hocotex. there are no chemicals to wash out and they don't expire. These suits are the norm for road racing. The range from 500- $2000. The difference in price ranges in how light the suit is. after your protected from the open flame the next largest danger is the sweat on your skin boiling. The cheaper suits are very heavy, and will hold sweat. If that sweat boils you will get burned. So you do want a very light suit that will allow the sweat to evaporate. That and evaporating sweat keep you cooler.
3.2a/15 is a 30 second suit but also heavy as snot. They are for drag racers. You would die of dehydration in a track car. Road racers should avoid them.
2 piece suits I encourage drivers to avoid. They are excellent for crewmen. Once you are sitting in a race seat the extra material will bunch up, and make it hard to tighten your harness. Also the extra material will be very hot around your waist.
I work with race suits on the daily so I can help. First thing’s first lemons started requesting people wear 3 layer suits. This drives me mad because the amount of layers does not equal more safety. What you’re looking for is the rating. SFI has the standard of 3.2a/x (1, 5 and 15) you take that number and multiply it by 2. That give you the amount of time you should be on fire without injury.
The 3.2a/1 is a 2 second suit normally a single layer cotton suit that is covered with a fire retardant chemical. They are very light, but the chemical will wash out after a few washes, at that point it’s just a cotton suit. I recommend buying a new one every year and using nomex underwear. This suit is good for 2 seconds, but it takes 8 seconds to slow a burning car from 100mph-0, and don’t forget the time it takes to get out of the car.
3.2a/5 is a 10 second suit.. (FIA suits are included in this list) These are normally a 3 layer suit that is made from nomex or a single layer suit made from Hocotex. there are no chemicals to wash out and they don't expire. These suits are the norm for road racing. The range from 500- $2000. The difference in price ranges in how light the suit is. after your protected from the open flame the next largest danger is the sweat on your skin boiling. The cheaper suits are very heavy, and will hold sweat. If that sweat boils you will get burned. So you do want a very light suit that will allow the sweat to evaporate. That and evaporating sweat keep you cooler.
3.2a/15 is a 30 second suit but also heavy as snot. They are for drag racers. You would die of dehydration in a track car. Road racers should avoid them.
I totally agree. But buy the best 10 second suit that you can afford. There is a picture, taken years ago of Bill Simpson setting himself on fire while wearing one of his fire suits. He was seriously burned, and that lead to real improvements in fire suits. I have and wear 3 layer suits WITH SFI underwear (Yes, iI am afriad of fire). One suit is MUCH heavier and hotter than the other. That said, hope that you will never use it. There are several Forum members stories here who have been seriously burned (think skin grafts) when a fire broke out at speed, or they were unable to exit the flames in 10 seconds and, other that F1 drivers, almost nobody can.
One piece, and spend more than you expect to get better quality than you think you need. Get a 2-layer suit from one of the reputable manufacturers (Sparco, OMP, Simpson, etc)
I started out with an "off-the-shelf" suit, didn't really fit me/feel right. I made a trip to the Simpson firesuit factory in CA (near LAX) and got measured - a bespoke suit is awesome! For heat, invest in a Cool Shirt system.
Saw a thread on racing shoes and since I am in the market for a racing suit thought I would start a thread on what people like and suggest.
Note that this will be my first suit. I run HPDE's, in group 3 with NASA. When I first started I wore jeans and quickly realized that was very uncomfortable. I've since been wearing cotton loose pants and thin long sleeve t-shirt with racing shoes. I run in the Midwest so temps can be hot. And 5'8 180 ( and dropping)
So what brand and material are people liking out there? How about material? And do you like 1 piece vs 2? Are the really thick suits too hot and bulky or are they comfortable? What about underneath, what is preferred and maybe helps with any of the above. Thanks
Wouldn't you like something like this, a genuine C7 Corvette Racing Suit?
I bought one recently from Stand21 Belgium and applied some of the patchwork myself.
One piece, and spend more than you expect to get better quality than you think you need. Get a 2-layer suit from one of the reputable manufacturers (Sparco, OMP, Simpson, etc)
This. I bought a $400 Sparco Jade for Lemons because it was cheap. I bought a $800 Alpinestars this year to race my car in NASA and it's definitely more than twice as nice in comfort and regulating temperature.
in the $600 range the Alpinestar GP Start is the best bang for your buck. it's made from a light weight NOMEX construction. it doesn't have any back or arm gussets so buy the suit one size larger then you think you are. that will help with mobility. http://www.ogracing.com/media/catalo...614198-web.jpg
in the $800 range the Sparco Victory rs4 is best bang for your buck. it's a single layer HOCOTEX construction. super duper light. makes hot days not so hot.
Advice that was helpful to me was if you can wait, check out the closeouts at season end. I was able to pick up a medium weight 320g/M^2 3-layer suit from OMP for $800, originally $1700.
Advice that was helpful to me was if you can wait, check out the closeouts at season end. I was able to pick up a medium weight 320g/M^2 3-layer suit from OMP for $800, originally $1700.
Really good advice, especially that's in August.
One thing to do that I used to discount in the past until I needed to in "real life:" practice exiting your car in your suit, helmet, neck restraint, and gloves, even in a street car. Our (Trans Am) standard is fifteen seconds, I'm under nine. Do it with your eyes closed.
You can also get breakaway fittings for the Cool Shirt.
The standard cool shirt fittings break away just fine (either from the shirt or just break free at the connector) when you need to get out in a hurry and have forgotten about them. If your car is on fire those little fittings aren't gonna hold you back from jumping ship.
Last edited by StreetSpeed; 08-07-2015 at 07:17 AM.
The standard cool shirt fittings break away just fine (either from the shirt or just break free at the connector) when you need to get out in a hurry and have forgotten about them. If your car is on fire those little fittings aren't gonna hold you back from jumping ship.
Yep, can attest that the "non-break away" fittings work too! But if you're going to do it right, do it right....every now and then I forgot about my fittings....LOL....spares are good to have....I've had fittings fail before...in Texas...when it's 100+ out....
I'm no expert, but having purchased a new suit recently I offer the following:
If at all possible, try on various brands. While the size charts are a pretty good guide, suits from different companies fit differently.
Ditto what was said above about layers. Don't let that be your guide. I think that the best things to look for are an SFI rating of 3.2/5 and then weight, generally expressed as grams per sq. meter. Lighter is better, but also more expensive.
I tried on a 400gr. Sparco that looked and fit great, but felt like I was wearing a sleeping bag. I walked out into the sunshine and felt like I was going to melt. I ended up spending much more for a 230 gr. OMP and am very glad that I made the investment.
Finally, there are deals out there. I saved 40% by buying a discontinued model. Google is your friend.
I'm no expert, but having purchased a new suit recently I offer the following:
If at all possible, try on various brands. While the size charts are a pretty good guide, suits from different companies fit differently.
Ditto what was said above about layers. Don't let that be your guide. I think that the best things to look for are an SFI rating of 3.2/5 and then weight, generally expressed as grams per sq. meter. Lighter is better, but also more expensive.
I tried on a 400gr. Sparco that looked and fit great, but felt like I was wearing a sleeping bag. I walked out into the sunshine and felt like I was going to melt. I ended up spending much more for a 230 gr. OMP and am very glad that I made the investment.
Finally, there are deals out there. I saved 40% by buying a discontinued model. Google is your friend.
Get the lightest 3.2a/5 or FIA 8856 rated suit you can afford. If LeMons or some other sanctioning body requires a 3 layer suit, you can meet that by using the suit plus fireproof underwear. I use Carbon X for that purpose and then still have a suitable and light suit for other days.
I'm in Vegas, it's hotter than hades in the summer and this works for me. YMMV.
08-05-2015, 09:29 AM
Racing suit opinions
I totally agree. But buy the best 10 second suit that you can afford. There is a picture, taken years ago of Bill Simpson setting himself on fire while wearing one of his fire suits. He was seriously burned, and that lead to real improvements in fire suits. I have and wear 3 layer suits WITH SFI underwear (Yes, iI am afriad of fire). One suit is MUCH heavier and hotter than the other. That said, hope that you will never use it. There are several Forum members stories here who have been seriously burned (think skin grafts) when a fire broke out at speed, or they were unable to exit the flames in 10 seconds and, other that F1 drivers, almost nobody can.
