Where to buy racewear?

[RobM77]

I'm still wearing the racewear that I had for Christmas when I was 22 , and I think it's time for a change (the regs are changing anyway I believe). I dropped into a well known store for a chat and was shocked at their lack of expertise and knowledge (for example, I asked what the difference in safety was between a £750 3 layer suit and a base spec £200 2 layer suit was and I was told that there was none because they "both pass the same minimum standard". When I asked whether they exceeded the minumum standards by varying amounts I was told, after a long pause, that I'd be "climbing out of a burning car so fast I wouldn't notice"!).

Any recommendations of where to go to buy a new suit, boots and underwear? If I can't get decent advice by paying extra in a flashy store then I might as well just pay the minimum price for the same thing elsewhere?

[andye30m3]

Demon tweeks have got some reasonable discounts in there clearance corner, there's obviously a limited choice but you might be lucky

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ProductDeta...

Edited by andye30m3 on Thursday 30th October 12:16

[RobM77]

gti-ted said:

Talk to me

YHM thanks.

[Chassis 33]

I usually get raceware at the Autospud show, the likes of Peter Lloyd Rallying usually have some very good offers on.
Regards
Iain

[GPR]

Quote..... "I dropped into a well known store for a chat and was shocked at their lack of expertise and knowledge (for example, I asked what the difference in safety was between a £750 3 layer suit and a base spec £200 2 layer suit was and I was told that there was none because they "both pass the same minimum standard".

but the above is correct if you are talking about burn time, just because a suit is £750.00 compared to £200.00 this does not make it any safer. The difference are that they obtain the same standard in a much better way i.e. lighter, more comfortable, better looking, better fitting etc. The only material that would make a difference to the burn time is Carbon X as found in the Alpinestars GP-Pro suit. This is a heavier fabric but does not combust however if you are trapped inside a burning car this will only give you a fraction more time as it does not stop heat transfer.

Studies have shown that the more comfortable a driver is the more they can concentrate and perform to their maximum level and that is the main focus of the top range suits.

please see www.gprdirect.com as we have a wide range of racewear and some in our clearance sale.

regards
Rob
[e-mail]

[lewis1]

so the advantage of spending all that money on a three layer is what?

[RobM77]

Thanks for the link GPR I work on the M4 East of Reading, so could pop down to your London store sometime after work.

Regarding the differences between suits, maybe I've been mis-informed, but I've always assumed that, as with anything, different suits, different Nomex materials (DuPont make several don't they and are constantly evolving it?) and differing numbers of layers presented a spectrum of fire retardant qualities, and the minimum standards were just that, minimum standards. I don't think that a 1 layer suit meets current standards for UK circuit racing does it? Therefore surely a 2 layer is safer, which would kind of infer that a 3 layer would be safer still? For serious drag racing and land speed record attempts don't you need an even higher standard?

My Arai GP5 for instance is much lighter than the cheaper helmet that I started with, but I've always assumed that, even though they both meet the same Snell standard, the Arai would be safer in an accident. In truth, I paid the money for the fit and lightness, but I had hoped it was safer than the cheaper helmet I started with as well.

That's all assumptions mind you - GPR would know more than us, given that he sells the stuff. I assume I'm wrong on that one. Oh, and GPR (or anyone else in the know here) - what's the story with helmets? Is my Arai GP5k safer than a budget helmet?

[lewis1]

helmets are abit different...
im sure arai have a massive amount of testing and development that they put into there helmets hence the expensive tag compared to other budget brands

[GPR]

the advantage of the 3 layer suit is that the layers can be thinner leading to a lighter, more comfortable and more breathable suit but still pass the FIA standards. There are different grades of nomex and other materials and an expensive suit uses the best of these grades. For example the base level sparco suit material weighs 400 g/sqm where the top of the range suit, due to be released in 2009, weighs 240 g/sqm.

As for the question about the GP5K - yes this helmet is safer and better than a budget helmet. The material and design is much more advanced which adds to the cost but does result in a much better helmet.

I have personally used the GP5K for the last 3 years and can say that it is the most comfortable helmet i have ever used.

Rob

[RobM77]

I can only assume that I've been mis-informed. However, the lighter Nomex must be a different formulation to the heavier stuff, so I suspect that it's got slightly different fire retardant properties. I should imagine that all suits exceed the minimum FIA standard by a certain amount, but I guess we'll never be able to find out by how much for marketing reasons!

One thing I can say is that my old cheap Sparco suit is hugely different in weight and comfort to the newer suits. It's like comparing the weight of a pair of jeans with that of a t-shirt

GPR - what's this Carbon X stuff then? What can you tell us about that? I've heard it's less comfortable for some, but gives better protection. Is that right?

[GPR]

Carbon X does give better flame protection over Nomex as it does not ignite. Have a look here - http://www.gprdirect.com/OnlineShop/Product.do?c=3... and the images will show you the difference.

Rob

[RobM77]

GPR said:

Carbon X does give better flame protection over Nomex as it does not ignite. Have a look here - http://www.gprdirect.com/OnlineShop/Product.do?c=3... and the images will show you the difference.

Rob

Thanks. That looks worth having!

[RobM77]

I should add that the suit comments I mentioned were just one thing. The main thing that put me off was that I was told by the salesman that I couldn't wear a short sleeved nomex t-shirt and various other non current FIA compliant bits and bobs (gloves, boots etc) because they weren't legal. As far as I know that's not true. I've checked the Blue Book on this, and the only thing that's mandatory in UK club motorsport is the FIA approved race suit and Snell approved helmet; everything else is optional. Highly recommended, but optional. Therefore, if your nomex underwear or gloves aren't FIA compliant (because they're too old, or short sleeved etc), you can still race wearing them, they're still legal, it's just that with an FIA compliancy they would probably be safer. Such things can become legal requirements for particular championships, but at Nat B level this is on a per-championship basis.

GPR - feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong. Oh, and I'll be paying a visit to my nearest GPR soon hopefully.

[CaptiV8ted]

Speak to D.Tweeks at the Autosport show. They kitted me out with everything I needed VAT free. Saved a bunch - which more than paid for my first test day!

[falcemob]

RobM77 said:

I should add that the suit comments I mentioned were just one thing. The main thing that put me off was that I was told by the salesman that I couldn't wear a short sleeved nomex t-shirt and various other non current FIA compliant bits and bobs (gloves, boots etc) because they weren't legal. As far as I know that's not true. I've checked the Blue Book on this, and the only thing that's mandatory in UK club motorsport is the FIA approved race suit and Snell approved helmet; everything else is optional. Highly recommended, but optional. Therefore, if your nomex underwear or gloves aren't FIA compliant (because they're too old, or short sleeved etc), you can still race wearing them, they're still legal, it's just that with an FIA compliancy they would probably be safer. Such things can become legal requirements for particular championships, but at Nat B level this is on a per-championship basis.

GPR - feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong. Oh, and I'll be paying a visit to my nearest GPR soon hopefully.

They may not be required for UK racing this year or next but don't bank on that staying the same for ever and you may find you need to buy the proper stuff in a year or so anyway. Why would you wan to wear a short sleeved T shirt as opposed to a proper vest under a race suit anyway?

[jasonxr2racer]

Try Jays Racewear. They can do you a made to measure suit. I went to the factory as it is near meand tried one of the rail and got it cheaper!!