ZSA Motorsport

Just figured id post up here and see if anyone knows of any new designs, new technologies in driver cooling systems, an dmaybe just use this thread as a way of discussing the various systems out there for those who might not have had experience with them.

I've tried/used/tested the tub-cooling systems from Coolshirt, as well as FAST. i personally think the fast helmet blowers are more powerful, have more impact, though the tub cooling is identical. they are good for limited stretches but they dont wow me.

i tried the system from 986 before they sold it to momo. i thought that was vastly inferior to fast and coolsuit. it claims to do more, has more coiled tubing in teh cooling area except if you didnt let the system run all the time, the tubing might freeze. again, no wow factor. the tight fitting shirts fit nice, but came off hard when you were drenched, and were non-fire rated.

at one point, we tested the dry ice system from coolshirt which seemed to have potential. wicked cold ice that could last a LONG time (though hard to source on race morning)...it didnt require electrical connections for the cooling function thus no loss in power...but that thing was a complete zero. never worked, they tried a few things, went back for a full refund.

ive read a bunch about the koolbox's and know many nascar teams swear by them. i get a bit concerned about loss of horsepower when in use , and whether they could wreck the altnerator. i think they talk about consuming 12, 16 amps on full. anyone have any good or bad experiences with this system?

Anyway, anyone else know of any systems, maybe systems sold abroad that we arent familiar with?

winders

My Cool Shirt system works fine out here in Northern California on 100 degree days. But I am only doing 30 minutes sprint races.....

Scott

txhokie4life

We built some "cool shirt" systems for our Chumps teams.
Just a pair of T-shirts with refrigerator/ice maker hose sewn
into pockets.

What we found works best is the tubes looped just under the arm pits.
Not sure if the rest is just a waste and just a source of coolant loss.

Now maybe the rest of the tubes are doing their job -- but the arm pits are
where we feel it the most and get "relief".

Based on that non-scientific experiment -- maybe some sort of modification
or redesign of existing systems would actually work better.

We've survived a 24hr race with temps peaking ~105 in the shade, who knows what it was
on the track other then F*ing hot.

Mike

sbelles

I was curious why nobody has tried a liquid cooled helmet. I didn't find much info one the google but I did find some star wars fans who were looking for the same thing for their storm trooper suits.

Veloce Raptor

What sort of cooling system is used in the enclosed ALMS cars? I know they air condition the cockpits...can this also be used for cooling inside the Nomex?

The NASCAR system is teh bomb IMO.

FrankyV

CoolShirt makes a hoody version

http://shop.coolshirt.com/c/racing-s...arments_hooded

Coochas

I've always wondered if that hoody works well. I also wonder if its uncomfortable with a well fitting helmet on. Good cooling of the neck and head would be VERY beneficial.

Der ABT

cool shirts work pretty good and definately use mine more than i thought i would.

if they went under the armpits and down the arms they would do more, when i get out my back etc are cold to the touch but where yuo get most of your heat is head, armpits, legs etc....

Really need to have the cooling near your arteries etc to get the cold to you core....

if your ever suffering from heat stroke best thing to cool of quick with is dunking your arms past your elbows in ice water....your artery comes right thru your elbow joint and is closest to the surface..you feel the cold going into your chest....try doing it in your cooler next time you get outta the car.

if cool suit had an option for where your tubing went taht would be sweet or just offer a long sleve version that covers yuor arms/armpits

Nizer

Koolbox claim no loss of horsepower. Safe to assume you don't believe this?

http://www.koolboxproducts.com/versions/koolbox8.html

Plenty of amp drain as you point out.

sbelles

Yes I know. I'd like to try one on but I don't see how it could possibly fit well under my helmet. Something built-in would be a lot easier to fit well.

Veloce Raptor

Plus, in some neighborhoods, you might get arrested. Or shot.

fleadh

I know most of the GT cars use an airconditioned seat which removes the need for a coolsuit. They also must maintain a certain maximum temp in the cockpit which is controlled by blocking off the rear of the car (in the non-mid engine cars) behind the driver and using normal air conditioning systems to attempt to control ambient cockpit temps.

In the GTC cars we have no maximum cockpit temp rules and are fully enclosed with the lexan windows. Cockpit temps get insanely hot... most everyone uses helmet blowers, coolsuits, pressurized drinking systems, and additional fans pointed at the driver. When all of that is working it's not to bad, but in my experience there's almost always something that doesn't work rite.

At Petit last year I was in the car for about 2 1/2 hours going into the night and the coolsuit didn't work (and we had no helmet blower because the team was afraid of the electrical load on the car). At Laguna last year I only did a single stint w/o a helmet blower or coolsuit and could barely function. I only vaguely remember getting out of the car...

For sub-60 minute stints or for testing/club racing I've had good experience just relying on a helmet blower. Less work and if you can get the air flow working through your helmet properly it's really nice.

-mike

MUSSBERGER

Yes but it's dry heat

Air conditioned seats would be nice.

Matt Romanowski

I played with the Kookbox at PRI. It is pretty amazing and would have no trouble keeping someone very cool. I believe it is what most of NASCAR uses.

U4EEAH

I use my hoodie coolshirt in extreme conditions and it is remarkable!!!! The cooling of the back of the neck is extreme and effective. Actually have to turn it off in staging which is never the case with regular shirt. After an enduro your neck is ice cold to the touch. I have a new, snug helmet and surprisingly, no problem. The only reason I reserve it for "extreme" conditions is all the looking like a sperm jokes in the paddock.