Safety Equipment

ColinOConnell · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 11:49 pm

Okay, as mentioned in another thread I am launching into a track build this winter for a NASA Spec 3 car.

Now the big questions. I need it all... seat(s), harnesses, HANS, suit, boots, gloves, helmet, and nets. I'm not one to go cheap on safety, but this is all adding up fast. Where's the balance? Any thoughts on the following:

Seat:
Looking at the Sparco Pro ADV Racing Seat. I'm 6'3" ....are the strap and halo locations going to work?

Suit:
Looking at the Sparco Jade Racing Suit: I know nothing about what a $1,500 suit has over a $400 suit. Does an expensive suit really make a difference? I assume I'm not sacrificing safety selecting a 'price point' Sparco. Again at 6'3" and thinner than thicker I'm worried about sizing and tailoring.

I'd love some input and lessons learned in selecting safety equipment. What did you wish you did or didn't do on your car?

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

a great deal of this is subjective but here are my general thoughts...

seats - pro adv is an excellent halo seat, very comfortable and large enough to fit 90% of the population. sean dennis has one in his (recently caged) e36 coupe, as does evan levine in his e30. i'm sure either would let you do a test fit. however, halo seats make ingress/egress more difficult so be sure to factor that in, go look at sean's car for proof.

hnr - personal choice, even the cheap ones are about $600 so gonna be pricey no matter what. hans are the most popular but i love my r3 which is independent of seat/harness height and can be used in any car or seating arrangement.

harnesses - i like the schroth profi 2 in my car but they're among the pricier models. on a budget g-force is the way to go, good kit that works very well. installation using snap clips/eye bolts instead of direct bolting makes removal easier in case they ever need to come out. ditto on the fia vs sfi cert. if your hnr uses the harness straps (like a hans) be sure to consider 2" shoulder belts instead of the normal 3", schroth covers that option but don't think g-force does.

nets - meh, it's a net. get fia so they're good for five years (sfi is only good for two).

suit - personally i wouldn't spend big bucks on this, find a used or discounted model. i've bought three suits (all used) and have been happy with all, and none were over $200. i'm sure the expensive ones are more comfortable and cooler but you'll have a cool shirt anyway. you are slim enough that you only have to worry about overall size, unlike those of us who also have to worry about midsection fit

gloves - don't skimp on these, good grip and steering feel are not something you want to sacrifice. i just got a nice pair of omp from apex at the last thscc event for half price and love them, the g-force ones were a comparative joke.

shoes - as long as they're certified and fit well pretty much anything will work. most good ones have very thin soles so don't walk around in them too much.

helmet - totally personal preference, but at least the sa2005 models should be discounted now that the 2010 ones are out. be sure it's pre drilled for hnr use and multiple, quick removal faceshields are amazingly nice to have. i'm about to buy a second one so i can mount my chatterbox on it for instructing, leaving my race helmet unfettered.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 9:50 am

Welcome to racing....I have mentioned a number of times before, the safety equipment will cost a bundle :-)

And I agree with Jason, everything is subjective.

Seat - I am switching to the Kirky this year from the FIA approved Momo I have in the car. In five years or less (depending on the FIA sticker) you will be throwing your $900 seat out. One thing to be aware of, getting out of the car in under 7 seconds with the full halo. At our height, it could be tough. And you will have to do the escape drill in comp school.

HNR - I have a HANS. It is comfortable, does not interfere with my seating and easy to use. There is probably a good reason 99% of the racers use them.

Harness - I use the G-Force pro series with the cam lock. For the price, they can not be beat.

Nets - Like Jason says, get the FIA.

Suit - The only problem I see with the suit you mentioned, is the sizing. If you are worried about fit, get a suit that is offered in the european sizing. Unless you know someone personally or want to spend a crap load of money, you can not get them tailored. The nomex thread does not work in regular sewing machines. The SFI rating is an SFI rating. The cost savings comes in the construction. Little things like zippers and seams. The last thing you want is the zipper breaking on race weekend.

Gloves - Jason is spot on. I have gone through 3 pairs of gloves before settling on OMP ones late last year. What a difference. You want something that provides a great feel and is lightweight. The G-Force ones I had suck compared to the OMP gloves.

Shoes - I have G-Force ones. They have a nice feel and have head up well. Get the high top version.

Some other items:

Fire Suppression: I run a fire extinguisher. I would like to upgrade to a fire bottle and 4 nozzle system. I guess it depends on how safe you want to be. But that is another $600.

Underwear: I do suggest 2 sets of Nomex underwear. I have the G-Force version and they have held up well. You have a clean set for Saturday and then one for Sunday. They help keep the suit clean and dry. Plus they get you one more additional second of protection.

Socks: You need nomex socks. Get 2 or 3 pair.

Cool Shirt: The shirt is $150. Us CMC guys cobble together the cooler for under $50.

Kill Switch: Do not go cheap! Get the Longacre that kills the ignition and alternator.

Steering Wheel: I have a Grant. It is ok. Has a good feel, but the construction is a little sloppy. You will want the quick disconnect too.

Roll Cage padding...it adds up quick.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 9:52 am

One more item, make sure you patronize one of the vendors that offer discounts to either THSCC or NASA. It will save you 10%. A lot of the places are offering free shipping too.

steve remchak · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 9:53 am

i typically shop www.saferacer.com & www.ogracing.com for their closeouts. especially for shoes and gloves.

for gloves i would strongly suggest reverse stitched styles, (no blisters) i like OMP and Sparco gloves and i really like sparco shoes (hi-tops). figure about $150 on sale for shoes and about $120 +/- on the gloves. the shoes should last for several seasons, i think mine are 3 years old at least, and the gloves maybe 1.5 seasons.

my suit is a Simpson three layer. got it on sale from OG for $450 or so. it's heavier than the high dollar suits, but like Jason said with a cool shirt you will be fine. i had the legs tailored on mine, no big deal there.

the Euro suits fit differently than a Simpson suit. Europeans apparently have short torsos and long legs while Americans have short legs in relation to their torsos.

sit in as many seats as you can before you buy one. they should be snug almost to the point of discomfort but not too tight. i have a Sparco 2000 and i'm not sure the shoulder bolsters are sufficient as i sometimes move around in the upper body area.

another thing with seats, get the VAC seat mounts. pricey but well worth it for the quality and adjustability.

ya'll are welcome to come by to look over my car anytime.

TomFreeman · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:06 am

On the suit - the more money you pay, the lighter and better breathing it is, generally. Colin - you may have seen it, but the suit Sean has been using at LeMons events is a Nascar takeoff from RaceImage in Charlotte. If you can stand being a walking billboard, they're really nice suits - mostly high end Simpson models. Having owned 3 Simpsons, that Nascar suit is MUCH nicer than the other 2. For the quality of the suit, it's a good bargain.

RacingJunk.com is an EXCELLENT site to find good deals on used racing gear. I've bought and sold on there with good results.

For shoes, I got a killer deal on some Piloti Corsa's about 4 years ago and I still love them. Unlike most racing shoes, these are comfortable to wear all day. You do lose a little feel, since they actually have some padding. They are also wider than most racing shoes, so if you're cramped in the pedal box, these won't work for you.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:20 am

Colin...when do you plan on getting the comp license and actually racing? The reason I ask is timing. If you are planning for February, your schedule will be tight.

If that is the case, you may not want to spend valuable time looking for used stuff. Easier to order and get it all and be done with. Just one more thing to check off.

If you are planning for a comp school in February or March, you will want at least one if not two test weekends before.

TomFreeman · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:41 am

jimpastorius wrote:

Colin...when do you plan on getting the comp license and actually racing? The reason I ask is timing. If you are planning for February, your schedule will be tight.

If that is the case, you may not want to spend valuable time looking for used stuff. Easier to order and get it all and be done with. Just one more thing to check off.

If you are planning for a comp school in February or March, you will want at least one if not two test weekends before.

Another option is to rent for the Feb comp school if it doesn't look like you'll have the car sorted by then. I rented a SpecE30 for a DE recently from Drive-Gear.com. It wasn't cheap, but it was a positive experience. The bonus with renting is that you don't have to do anything but drive the car. Everything else is taken care of. It's a last-ditch option, but that will get you through the comp school with no drama.

BretLuter · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:06 am

Check out the Lemons site- they have a package deal through one of the vendors (saferacer?) for most of the driver gear for a pretty good price. Of course this might not work if you're picky about what you want to wear but IIRC the cost was very reasonable and the allowed some changes and different options.

ColinOConnell · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 12:34 pm

Wow! Great replies. I'm glad I asked the question. I'll add more details tonight.

TomFreeman · **Posted:** Tue Nov 23, 2010 2:10 pm

If there is anything we're good at, it is:
- Spending other people's money
- Scraping up bargains

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:31 pm

Don't forget to check out Apexperformance.net as well - they are a great club sponsor. In fact, you might wait a week and a half until the party to see what they might be able to provide for the raffles - last year was 20% Off certificates that would cover most of this type of stuff..... and it's hard to beat 20% off!

ColinOConnell · **Posted:** Thu Nov 25, 2010 2:25 pm

Great input. I think I'll try to sit in a few seats over the next few weeks. I'm going to try on a couple of suits this weekend. I think Sean Dennis has a setup close to what I'm looking at. I'll probably reach out to him next week.

jimpastorius wrote:

Colin...when do you plan on getting the comp license and actually racing?

I'm not going to rush anything, but as soon as I've got the car and driver ready I'll head to comp school. I think Feb might be pushing it to have the driver ready, but the car should be.

Dustin Fredrickson wrote:

Don't forget to check out Apexperformance.net as well - they are a great club sponsor.

I am working with our sponsors. Linda at Apex has been very helpful and I am already the proud owner of a discount coupon (which is going to make this process a lot less painful.

)

Graham Jagger · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 12:53 am **Posts:** 1718

Containment Seat for 6' 3" and thinner than thicker. Take a look at the Racetech 4009HR. Pricey but they are very comfortable and solid. Hold you in place easily. I got mine through Apex Performance.

ColinOConnell · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:58 pm

I had a chance to sit in Sean Dennis' car this weekend. The seat felt great and when I pulled the seat pad out it fit my height perfectly. I think I can get away with shaving some of the foam out.

For suits, I tried on a medium tall RaceQuip that almost fit. I think I'm going to have to go semi custom or custom to be comfortable, but I plan to try on a few others first.

For gloves I picked up Alpinestars Tech 1-R's from a guy on the NASA forums. Sean has these and they fit pretty well.

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