Race Suits

[blk96gt]

Looking to pick up a new race suit. I've been eyeing the Sparco Victory RS-4 (http://www.sparcousa.com/product/victory-rs-4) since it's available on Amazon and I have some gift cards. Does anyone have this suit? Any recommendations on another suit? I was also looking at the OMP First Evo (http://www.ogracing.com/omp-first-evo-racing-suit) suit. My current suit is a Sparco Jade suit, which is rather thick. My budget is <$1000 and preferably something I could get off Amazon.

[Al Fernandez]

Sparco X-light here and while I am very happy with its breathability and coolness, I cannot tell you how it compares with anything else. Whats the difference between a kart and normal car suit?

[Suck fumes]

i have the omp tecnica evo suit and am very pleased with it. My royal purple suit is a sparco but dont know the model. It is also very light and breathable. Usually the more expensive they are the lighter they are without compromising safety.

[Suck fumes]

Sparco X-light here and while I am very happy with its breathability and coolness, I cannot tell you how it compares with anything else. Whats the difference between a kart and normal car suit?


Kart suits are only abrasive proof so you keep all your skin. They are NOT fire proof

[marshall_mosty]

Please get a suit PLUS top/bottom undies...
There is some nice options to the old school nomex out right now.

[michaelmosty]

I found this article to have some great information. Also, please pay attention to the type of shorts you wear under your suit.

WHAT TO WEAR AND WHAT NOT TO WEAR


On this page we will offer some safety recommendation, however you should do all your own research as Hyper Racing is not responsible for any accidents that occur as a result of reading this page.

Fire Suits: educating yourself about fire suits can go a long way toward protecting your life. Keep in mind that a fire suit is an investment in your personal well-being, you’re not going to get a second chance.

Safety Apparel Basics:

Fire safety apparel is designed to fight fire from the outside in.
Heat and steam are as important as fire. Steam burns can be caused by perspiration or other moisture.
Quilting is very advantageous in a suit, because it bonds the layers together creating small air pockets, slowing down the fire.
What you’re NOT wearing can sometimes be as important as what you are wearing. Polyester, nylon, and spandex apparel should be avoided while in the race car. Use of CarbonX® or Nomex® underwear should be worn underneath the fire suit because of the improvement of Thermal Protection Performance (TPP).Underwear will give you an additional three seconds in a fire. Other acceptable undergarment materials include 100% cotton, 100% wool or silk, but flame resistant materials offer greater protection.
While it might be tempting to soak the suit with water on a hot day to stay cool, should fire occur, you would be much more susceptible to steam burns.
Another tendency is to keep the suit on during the night/day, while working on the car, waiting, etc. Taking it off during down time will prevent extra perspiration from getting into the fabric, as well as grease or other fluids that can feed the fire. Design 500 recommends putting the suit on about 20 minutes before the event to allow time for the body to acclimate.
Don’t forget about your feet and hands. Shoes, socks and gloves are important. Most people who have been burned in racing accidents sustained burns on the extremities. Check SFI Ratings on these items too.
SFI/5 is the standard for CART, IRL, TransAm, and many other leagues. This is usually achievable in a 2-layer suit. LANCO does not require this, but this is a good starting point if you are considering a new suit. Protect yourself further by adding SFI rated underwear, shoes, socks, gloves, etc.

SFI Rating System
SFI Ratings are simple to understand. The SFI Foundation, Inc. (SFI) is a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for specialty/performance automotive and racing equipment.

The driver suit spec 3.2A tests a garment's fire retardant capabilities. The spec contains a rating system based on the garment's capability to provide Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) in the presence of both direct flame and radiant heat. The purpose of the TPP is to measure the length of time the person wearing the garment can be exposed to a heat source before incurring a second degree, or skin blistering, burn.

The TPP rating is the product of exposure heat flux and exposure time. The TPP results can be converted to the time before a second degree burn occurs. The higher the garment rating, the more time before a second degree burn. Here are the SFI ratings with the corresponding TPP values and times to a second degree burn:

SFI Rating TPP Value Time to 2nd Degree Burn
3.2A/1 6 3 Seconds
3.2A/3 14 7 Seconds
3.2A/5 19 10 Seconds
3.2A/10 38 19 Seconds
3.2A/15 60 30 Seconds
3.2A/20 80 40 Seconds

Other tests required by Spec 3.2A include after-flame, flammability, thread heat resistance, zipper heat resistance, and multiple layer thermal shrinkage resistance.

A common misunderstanding about SFI ratings is that they represent the number of fabric layers in the garment. It is actually possible for driver suits with various numbers of layers to have the same performance rating. This is due to the wide range of materials used by manufacturers today.
The radiant heat portion of the spec is significant because the majority of racer burns are caused by heat transfer rather than direct flame. Insulation is the best way to prevent this kind of burn. Using multiple layers of fabric helps keep the heat source away from the skin longer because each layer creates air gaps that have to heat up. The extra seconds gained with each layer are precious to a driver trying to escape from a burning car.

Another way to obtain extra air gaps is to wear racing underwear.
Nomex underwear should be worn with every type of driver suit, especially single layer suits because it will double the protection time (+3 seconds). The 3.2A rating does not include underwear. It is certified through SFI Spec 3.3 for Driver Accessories and undergoes the same TPP and flammability tests as the driver suit outerwear.

A garment's insulation capability is also affected by the fit of the suit. A suit worn too tight will compress the air gaps and allow heat to reach the skin faster. There are other things you can do besides finding a correct fit to optimize the protection performance of your driver suit. For maintaining the quality of your suit, it is absolutely essential to read the care tag on the garment and closely follow the manufacturer's instructions. Fire proof fabrics such as Nomex and CarbonX do not lose their effectiveness no matter how many times they are washed

Avoid wearing your suit while working on the car. Not only would you be ruining an expensive piece of equipment, but you would essentially be inviting a fire to burn you. Grease, fuel, oil, and even cleaning fluids can soak into the fabric and support the flames of a fire, causing high heat. Fluids soaked into a suit also produce steam when exposed to heat and cause liquid vaporization burns.

If you are ever involved in a fire, contact the suit manufacturer about how to best repair the problem. Some manufacturers will service what they sell, or send you fabric and thread to have it repaired.
Even the smallest singe is a weak spot in the material and can cause a problem if exposed to fire again. Proper maintenance of a driver suit will help extend its useful life and provide you with years of protection.

What NOT to Wear:
Spandex/Polyester or Polyester Products worn under Firesuits Spandex/polyester-blended or polyester products have become increasingly popular with a large number of athletes because of comfort and moisture wicking abilities. (Ladies, note that your bras and some underwear fall into this category! See sources at the end of
article.) The use of polyester, nylon or spandex blends underneath fire suits or other flame resistant protective apparel is not recommended. These materials do not require direct flame exposure to cause melting or sticking to unprotected skin. The National Fire Protection Association, NFPA, recently issued guidelines around materials worn under turnout gear. They should be made of materials that do not melt, drip, separate, or burn when exposed to high temperatures. Polyester, nylon, and spandex blends would not pass and can increase severity of burn injuries. When exposed directly to flame, spandex/ polyester can become a fuel source and will not self extinguish. The “stop-drop-and-roll” method to extinguish the fire may cause the melted beads of polyester to imbed into the skin.

Surgical intervention is usually required to remove polymers that have solidified on the skin (with accompanying skin grafts to follow).

[ShadowBolt]

I never wear my poly shorts under my suit. Can you imagine melting those shorts all over your junk?


Jerry

[Supercharged111]

I never wear my poly shorts under my suit. Can you imagine melting those shorts all over your junk?


Jerry

I don't know about you, but I wear underwear. Cotton underwear at that.

[chris-CMC#35]

Michael - great article, thank you.

[BryanL]

Underwear is interesting since I just switched to daily underwear from REI that is isn't cotton and I wore it under my suit. I agree Jerry I don't want it melting down there.

I was looking into a new cool shirt design with the front/rear bladder. Jerry talked to Will who was wearing one and Will said it was so much better. But it looks like it is some sort of spandex/poly material? Specs say not fire retardent but would it melt or be like a cotton shirt?
https://store.windingroad.com/momo-advanced-driver-cooling-shirt---adc-p365.aspx

Before I saw the one above I was looking at the long sleeve fire rated setup below.
https://store.windingroad.com/coolshirt-2cool-water-shirt---fire-rated-sfi-33-p642.aspx

I looked last night and I have a Sparco X Light 300. I think it's SFI 3.2A/5. It's been a great suit-has held up well and I guess is much lighter than some. I don't wear it while working on the car-put it on right before race-take it off as soon after and wash it at home in the bag it came with then air dry. Best thing I read in the artice says nomex doesn't break down from washing.
Personally what I need is to wear a balaclava and a new helmet with the visor down.
Who runs with their visor down and is it a must to have a hose hookup blowing air? With my visor down everything just fogs up.

[marshall_mosty]

Personally what I need is to wear a balaclava and a new helmet with the visor down.
Who runs with their visor down and is it a must to have a hose hookup blowing air? With my visor down everything just fogs up.

I treat my visor with anti-fog before every event and run it cracked at the bottom. In an impact, it will swing closed with inertia. I do agree that it doesn't do much for a flash fire. I need to work on just wearing it fully closed.

[blk96gt]

I've tried to start running with my visor down, but I have the fogging issue as well. If I remember I'll put it down and leave it cracked open just a bit, seems to reduce the fogging. I do wear a balaclava though. If nothing else it keeps a lot of the sweat out of the helmet.

I don't have a helmet blower or a cool shirt.

[edrock96GT]

I've been contemplating switching to a white (or bright color) suit for a while now just because of the heat, but James made a good point about visibility also.

[Pranav]

I had committed to the black stig look early on in life, but if I buy a suit again I'm going bright for sure.

[Suck fumes]

i have a helmet blower that i rigged to run through my ice chest then into my helmet. like AC on your head. I had it in my old car just haven't spent time yet putting it in cmc car. works great

[Supercharged111]

Did you buy a helmet ready to accept that or retrofit it? My problem is headroom when it comes to adding a top mounted blower inlet or simply buying a helmet with one already installed.

[Suck fumes]

my bell helmet offered it as a literal bolt on option. The hose connector comes separate and you screw it on.