Suited and booted...What kit do you have?

[deviant]

What race apparel are you guys using?

At the moment I am in long sleeve t-shirts and jeans. I use puma cats which are styled like a driving shoe but are not quite as thin soled or FIA approved. I use RPM (Revolution Racegear) brand gloves, helmet and pyrovatex balaclava...supposedly does the same job as Nomex but it is soft like a cotton t-shirt.

The gloves and balaclava are very comfy but I feel that as the helmet is wearing in and I am losing a bit of weight it might not be as comfy as it was when I first go it. It is quite heavy to.

I want to get overalls, underwear and boots so any recommendations on what to use and not to use and who to buy from?

[Smokinscotty]

A lot hinges on the level and frequency of events you run in, and the amount of money your prepared to part with.
Revolution will be able to match up your requirements to their products pretty easily. Penny's can be saved if you know what you want, and what size you are, by shopping online.
Perhaps head into revo, find what you want try it on, walk away and have a search online see where the best values at then jump in!

All the best with it!

[sailaholic]

Any particular recommendations, especially for reasonably low cost helmets

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[evil_weevil]

Ive got a 1 layer (used when doing sprints)
from revolution race gear

then bought a sparco 2 layer for doing door to door from the UK
very cheap, ended up around $415 AUD delivered
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspor ... -race-suit

OMP boots and Rays helmet,
Revolutiuon branded underwear suit thingy too.

forget my gloves brand.

check out Demon Tweeks!

[deviant]

A lot hinges on the level and frequency of events you run in, and the amount of money your prepared to part with.
Revolution will be able to match up your requirements to their products pretty easily. Penny's can be saved if you know what you want, and what size you are, by shopping online.
Perhaps head into revo, find what you want try it on, walk away and have a search online see where the best values at then jump in!

All the best with it!

I am on track probably most months and I am doing a tarmac rally series later this year.

I'm not sure that I need the latest in moisture wicking, super lightweight techy stuff but I want to take a step up in safety.

Revo do package deals with suits and underwear but I think cheaper can be had from the UK or the US.

Any particular recommendations, especially for reasonably low cost helmets

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Get to a bike helmet shop if you are not going to use it much. Make sure it is AS1698 and that it fits you properly.

Once you start to step in to it all a bit more seriously look to upgrade.

By a balaclava, saves the inside of your helmet getting smelly, greasy, sweaty etc. Sweat damages the foam over time to.

Ive got a 1 layer (used when doing sprints)
from revolution race gear

then bought a sparco 2 layer for doing door to door from the UK
very cheap, ended up around $415 AUD delivered
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorspor ... -race-suit

OMP boots and Rays helmet,
Revolutiuon branded underwear suit thingy too.

forget my gloves brand.

check out Demon Tweeks!

An OMP dealer in the UK seems to have a good deal on at the moment with free underwear sets for $500 or so plus postage.

Getting the sizing right would be the hardest part I think!

[manga_blue]

Pure merino thermal wear is pretty similar to nomex for fire properties. I think it wicks better. It's a fair bit cheaper. It's also pretty warm, which is a real bonus if you do Wakie, Winton or the Island in winter. Aldi do specials on them from time to time at $30 each for tops or bottoms. Combine that with a single layer suit, treated balaclava and good wool socks and you've got a resonably priced package that you can try on and buy from local shops.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Q_y ... ex&f=false

[Guran]

When I was getting started almost four years ago, I just went to my local Revolution Racegear store and picked up a suit package. I got the "clubsport" package which was about $790 and included RPM single-layer clubsport suit ($299), RPM boots ($199), RPM pyrovatex underwear set ($165), Sparco gloves ($89), RPM pyrovatex balaclava ($49), RPM nomex socks ($39), and RPM gear bag ($?). I got a basic motorbike helmet from a local motorbike shop. Yes, you can probably buy similar or better gear from overseas (the Aussie dollar was not as favourable back then though). However, buying local meant I was able to try each item for size before buying, and there were some strange sizings eg. XS for suit and underwear but L for gloves (and my hands are NOT huge)! You also need to make sure you get gear that has the correct FIA accreditation for the types of events you want to enter (karting gear is cheaper but often isn't compliant with sprint event requirements). The local supplier knows all about that sort of thing and can save you a lot of mucking around. You can also take the products back if there's a quality problem eg. my gloves fell apart at the seams and they replaced them for me.

[sailaholic]

I was recommended against a bike helmet as they are made for different conditions. Followed up by a statement, you only have one head, and when you need the helmet, you will care more about it being correct compared to cheap....

So yah interested to hear other thoughts.....

Found a snell 2010 rated helmet for about 250 delivered.

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[Zcootz]

I was wondering about the bike helmet part. I read the sup regs for a hill climb not long ago and they stipulated no bike helmets.

[Guran]

I was recommended against a bike helmet as they are made for different conditions. Followed up by a statement, you only have one head, and when you need the helmet, you will care more about it being correct compared to cheap....

Bet you it was a salesman that told you that. I'm happy using a motorbike helmet that complies with AS1698, noting that this is a higher level of compliance than Snell M2005. CAMS are also happy for me to do so at all speed events except International level, and considering how anal they are about safety, I think this is a reasonable vote of confidence. If I was doing door-to-door racing or tarmac rallying, then yes, I would definitely get a SA2005 or SA2010 compliant helmet with HANS device. My current helmet is M2005 and AS1698 compliant and the main difference with SA2005 is that the lining is not fire resistant. However I do wear fire retardant balaclava and underwear, as recommended by CAMS for speed events.

[deviant]

When I was getting started almost four years ago, I just went to my local Revolution Racegear store and picked up a suit package......

Yeah pricing is not always that different really having a good look at it. The sizing is the bit that worries me, I am not the most uniform shape and struggle to find shirts that fit properly.

I thought I might go for a two layer suit but maybe that is overkill or would be to hot in the warm months?

I was wondering about the bike helmet part. I read the sup regs for a hill climb not long ago and they stipulated no bike helmets.

They possibly meant no motorcross style helmets as they really are not suitable for use in a car.

[Dan]

I thought I might go for a two layer suit but maybe that is overkill or would be to hot in the warm months?

I think you'd be cooking, even at night events at Barbagallo I've been very hot and during the day even more so.

[hks_kansei]

They possibly meant no motorcross style helmets as they really are not suitable for use in a car.

Depending on the exact wording it may have even been referring to pushbike helmets.



As Guran said, CAMS are happy for an AS1698 helmet, so it's got to be good enough.

I think the main differences in the more expensive and car related helmets are lower weight, fire resistance, and also better ventilation (since bike helmets don't need as much being out in the wind)

[Jeo]

Even within bike helmets you can buy a $100 approved no name helmet, or a $1000 Shoei with the same accreditation.

[sailaholic]

Actually it was a friend that is a motor sport driving instructor and is a bit anal on safety (wears a hans device pretty much all the time on track).

Your view is still valid though that if cams allows it, probably ok.

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