Hey all, I'm in the market for a race suit and need to get some opinions from those who have them.

I was looking at the cheap Sparco Jade Top ($300) that is SFI3.2a/5 rated. Talked to the guys at Safe Racer and they told me that it is REALLY thick and heavy and hot. They guy said it was like 2" thick. That seems like a stretch to me, but maybe it's true.

http://www.saferacer.com/sparco-jade...productid=2132

What suits have you used and what do you think of it? What would you recommend that's not going to break the bank??

Thanks!!

 

I'd highly recommend trying one on. They all fit different. If you try 1 brand on, you can probably have a good idea of what sizes you'd were in the others.

For example, the Alpine Stars suits run about 1 size smaller and fit a little thinner than Sparco's and both use European sizing. Then you have Bell which follow the normal S/M/L sizes.

I'd go for the SFI 3.2. That's the protection you need and means you do NOT have to wear the insanely hot extra layer underneath. A lot of guys wear shorts or even underwear and t-shirts under these. I ended up with a Bell APEX suit that was recently discontinued so it was like 50% off. Looks for deals like this!

Saferacer is a good site. Also check out OG Racing and US Race Gear (at local NASA events).

OG Racing Closeouts: http://www.ogracing.com/catalog/3-Closeouts/232-Suits
US Race Gear: http://www.usracegear.com/page/1429089

 

i would not buy a suit for 300. Many reasons. I cant tell you and express how much is a difference in comfort + quality can be between suits.

I have a Momo Technica /if i remember right/. cost around $1000 or a little above. But It is priceless when you actually wear it . I did it in winter summer 100+ etc. The suit just simply comfy and doesnot irritate a skin ETC. Remember the quality of the material is very important. Can be very ichy or rough inside , when you got to the point to wear extra shirt under it etc. You dont want that.
I used Sparco and alpine star before, and with a same results the more you pay the suits will be lighter and more comfortable.

This is my opinion on this. I would look around 700 and above that is what i saw in the racings where the good suits start.

good luck with the buying!

and call yourself lucky, because my wife suit same as mine , because she is a women , cost over $1200 to the door.

 

Lico Platinum

Impact Racer

Sparco Sprint


What do you think of these three? Budget, but not super low end. . .

OK, think I found the one I want -

Sparco Sponsor 8
https://www.upr.com/Sparco-Sponsor-8...odel-p669.html

They have the exact size and color I want, and it's marked down to $499 from $899. Think this should be a decent starter suit? I have no way to try on anything - have to buy blind. . .

 

if you ask me , i like the sparco , it is a good looking suit, but there is any chance you can actually try them on? any store around you or something?
I think you can actually pull a stunt and tell them , you have some skin irritation for some materials, and those are irritates your skin , so you would like to try it on , and if doesn't work out you send ti back with a full refund.
They might do it for you so you can "buy" all three and send back he ones you dont like. These suits are looks completely different in person. I dont think you want to have 5 gallon *** if you know what i mean. So that is one reason why i would go for sparco. i know how they look like generally LOL

Rob

 

+1 to trying them on. I was going to fly to see a friend and drive over to safe racer but then I got a job in AR so it was down the street then made the trip. I went in there with a list of $600 suits and didn't like ANY of them. Firstly i'm short and stocky, wide sholders, big neck and a beer gut. So the sparco's fit me like sh*t because I couldn't bend over as they don't have provisions in the back to "stretch." So he hooked up an Alpine and these have 4 things I like.

1. They don't have the annoying shoulder velcro straps. The Sparco's I tried on did and you could feel them under the belts. Who actually uses them these days anyway with the Hans device.

2. The GP 09 version I got had the boot cuffs like the sparco season you listed. They stretch over my boot/laces nicely. I'm not a fan of Alpine's new cuff with material going over the top of it (think boot cut jeans). Sparco and others do these on some models.

3. It has this pouch of stretch material in the back for bending over. I no longer got a huge weggie nor had a 5 gallon *** like I did with other sizes

4. Weight. Can't say enough, enough times, about this. Driver comfort, increased safety, longevity of material and man, DO NOT SKIMP ON THIS. $1200 for 5 years is worth every penny. The better ones also come with more venting so they are cooler. The material can also have features to wick away sweat. None of us want to be polar bear drivers. Esp in my part of the country.

I don't have his card anymore but the 3 guys up at safe racer are the sh*t (Tom I think?). Treated me right from the get go and let me try on dozens of suits until I found the one I could actually walk around in, jump in and out of their miata, and not sweat my ***** off in. Mention club discount, normally they are SCCA only, but your SCCA anyway so your set for another 10%. I neg another 20% off on top of that for buying so much up front. (Full Oakley carbonx (yes with a 3.2/5 suit, not required but read the stories), suit, shoes, and the newer hans hardware.

So, the $200+++ you could save by showing up in person, being cool with them, and no shipping costs, could pay for a plane ticket and land you the suit you ACTUALLY like to wear.

 

i dont know it is visible enough but you can see my suits has a LOTS of vent area. which are priceless.




It is a big deal the venting, in summer actually you can loose focus etc because of the heat! You dont want to throw up after the race im sure .
Or lost control because you focus is not as sharp as should have been.

 

OMG , im looking the pictures i put it up, and im realizing my suit is not MOMO its OMP...
How about being stupid LOL....

 

Well, you got 2 of the letters right Thanks for the pics. That's a good looking suit!

Wish there was somewhere around MI that stocked suits

 

No rally shops in MI that stock that stuff...that's rally country, I'd expect someone to have some suits.

I've used off the shelf Momo mid-level suit. Was ok, but kinda hot.

Next had a set of custom suits made locally. They fit better, but were just about as thick as the Momo.

After that had some custom Momo suits made for the AMS/NOS team, and those suits were the ****. Super thin and lightweight, but I'm sure they were spendy.

Dave

 

If you can try on the ADV F1 Sparco suit, it's probably the most comfortable suit it doesn't weigh too much either. The straps on the shoulders are nice in case you need to be yanked out of the car for some reason(let's hope you never need them), it also has nice vents to the OMP above too.

 

Well, I got impatient and ended up getting the Sparco Sponsor 8 suit. Normally $900 but I found one in my size on closeout for $499. Even if it doesn't fit perfectly I figure it will get me through the first couple events until I can try some on in person.

 

On the "trying things on" note--is there anywhere in Texas that stocks this kind of stuff?

Luckily, I found a suit that fits and seems fairly comfy, so now I'm more worried about all the other stuff--mostly the helmet and the shoes. a) I'm a girl and b) I have relatively small feet for a girl, so seeing everything in dude sizes (many of which look a lot bigger than my feet!) is not so awesome.

 

Now that is a nice suit, judging by the picture .

 

If you cant try one on, you can always ask other racers who have it what size they are and their physical dimensions.


+10000 on alpine stars, top notch stuff, well worth the price! How could you not want the same suit the Stig wears?