mitch236

I heard NASCAR drivers use a refrigeration unit instead of a cooler. Where do I buy one?

Jerseybean

Sears

dpressley

Pete and I have a RPC (reverse phase change) vest by CoolVest and love it. We use it for DE's and I don't know if race rules allow you to wear one, but I'd recommend it. Website is same as name if you're interested.

Veloce Raptor

Remember, the NASCAR boys typically drive for 3 hours straight. Tough to keep a cool shirt ice chest working that long.

Chulo

How do you recharge it at the track?

Gary R.

How about this? Not sure of CR rules though..



http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pro...?Product=CS210

Lemming

A cooler full of ice water, takes about 30 minutes.

I use one around the pits on hots days, well worth the investment. Under a drivers suit on a hot day, don't expect it to last much more then 30-40 minutes.

mitch236

Thanks for all the info but I am looking for a refrigeration unit that won't require trackside maintainence (unless it breaks of course). I am getting tired of always having to get ice every morning and then making sure to replenish the cooler before each run.

JackOlsen

I've looked into this. There are a lot of 12V refrigerator/freezers made for the trucking industry, boaters, and (for some reason) Australian weekenders. Most aren't appropriate, either in terms of size, weight or amp draw, for this application. And by 'this application' I'm imagining you're thinking about a powered cooler inside the car to replace the ice chest. If you're just thinking about making your own ice in the paddock, then we're talking about different things.

In my case, I narrowed things down to the Engel 14-Qt MHFD-015 Fridge-Freezer. It uses a Sawafuji swing-type compressor that spools up gradually, reducing the kind of hard current draw that could damage an alternator.

But I'm adding this to this thread in spite of the fact that I don't think it will work for the application you're describing. My plan is to plumb cool-shirt-like water lines into my seat and harness, since I recently pulled the AC on my car and need a way to stay cool(er) on 100-500-mile drives to the track through California's central valley. In actual track-day use, I'd still be putting ice into it for the instant-on cooling a 30-minute session requires. I don't think anything that's powered by 12 volts is going to be able to match the cooling capacity of a bag of ice, unless you bring an alternate power source and keep it powered (and plugged in) during the time the car is sitting in the paddock.

And to me, that sounds like more hassle than stopping at a gas station on the way to the track to pick up a cooler's worth of ice.

For what you're talking about, the little compressed air cans (is it refrigerant?) that are used instead of pumped water might be the ideal (though not inexpensive) alternative. (Then again, a 12V cooler is over $400, which would pay for a lot of those little cans.) Just get a lot of them.

Why doesn't every hot-weather track vend ice bags, I wonder. It's not like Cool Shirts are a new invention.

Veloce Raptor

Rolex Daytona Prototypes have electric air conditionin gsystems in them to reduce driver fatigue. I imagine NASCAR uses something similar, but instead of just blowing cold air, it refrigerates the water in cool shirts?

ngoldrich

When I checked into what NASCAR uses this is what I found:

http://koolboxproducts.com/index.php...pr=Shop_Online

I think I will get one and try it in the near future..

Norm

Bryan Watts

That looks to only be a helmet cooler unless I'm missing something? Helmet coolers, while they feel nice, do nothing for your core temp. Invest in a cool shirt first, and a helmet cooler secondarily for long races. If it's just for 45 min to an hour, a helmet cooler can go a long way to keeping you feeling fresh.

Bryan Watts

That's not designed to keep you cool over a period of time...mostly good for crew or staying cool on the grid. You'll need to hook the shirt to a cooler of ice water to stay cool for a longer period of time.

ngoldrich

Bryan you're right.

I do already have a cool shirt with a hood so it cools my chest and my head...

I like the shirt without the hood better for fit - so I was going to try the cool shirt sans hood with the electric air conditioner LOL...

Norm

JackOlsen

Peltier-type cooling is nothing new. I wish the Koolbox people would publish some actual data about how much cooling their stuff is able to do. For $6500, it'd be nice to see some real numbers.

I wonder how difficult it would be to plumb a water-based exchanger into a street car's existing evaporator?