wgn

My thoughts exactly! When I started doing DEs I didn't own a nomex suit and didn't wear one. Once I decided to race and bought a proper race suit, I wear it when on track no matter what.

Hatzenbach

Just one piece of advise: don't be as stupid as I. Cheap *** that I am I went for a cheap ($400) Sparco 2 layer suit which seems to be made out of moving blankets. Super uncomfortable in any kind of weather.

mglobe

This is an interesting study in human behavior. Nearly all the replies are from people who wear suits at DE's, and yet based on my experience probably 1% of attendees actually do. Granted I see mostly people in warm climates.

I'm not questioning people's responses, nor commenting on the wisdom of wearing a suit. Just noticing that the responses do not match real world practice of the vast majority.

DTMiller

This forum is not a random sample of DE participants though.

mglobe

Nor are the responses a random sample of this forum I suspect. My feeling is that while most of the folks here don't see wearing a suit at a DE being a sign of douchebagery, and see some logic from a safety perspective, most of the same folks don't actually wear one.

Jas0nn

If you've already got a suit, seems silly not to wear it. Sure it gets hot. But I promise you fire is hotter - and it definitely doesn't care whether its a race or a DE or 100 degrees out ...

DTMiller

Yeah, I don't own one but if I did I would wear it.

But I agree there is a really small population of people who, if they believe wearing one at a DE is silly, is going to say that.

There was a guy in a 944 with full cage with race suit doing his first ever DE at an event I was at last year. I was checking out his car and saying hi and he went out of his way to make excuses for wearing a race suit. I think he felt silly. That's horrible. No one should feel silly because they are using safety gear.

KOAN

I have a suit and never wear it for DEs. I tried racing, but it was not for me. I rarely see people use a suit at DEs, but after reading all of this, I may start wearing it. Fires are extremely rare in street cars, but it only takes one to change your life in a very bad way.
Another lesson learned on RL

Martin S.

a tire barrier or a wall at 130 mph, there could be a fire...you could be knocked senseless and have to be pulled out of the car by a safety crew. Why the heck wouldn't you want to have a racing suit on at that time? Also note, the suits provide limited protection, but far better than Levis and a cotton shirt.

I have stepped back to DE in my 993, car is in somewhat street configuration...too valuable to me to risk "trading paint" with swarms of Spec Boxster "Throw away cars". For safety equipment I have:

A. 3.2A/5 19 10 Seconds...Holy ****, I need to upgrade to 3.2A/20
B. Heigo half-cage...cut out the front part
C. HANS
D. Full Face Helmet
E. Nomex shoes, socks and gloves
F. Schroth 6 point HANS belts
H. On board fire extinguisher
I. Wrist restraints

SFI Rating TPP Value Time to 2nd Degree Burn
3.2A/1 6 3 Seconds
3.2A/3 14 7 Seconds
3.2A/5 19 10 Seconds
3.2A/10 38 19 Seconds
3.2A/15 60 30 Seconds
3.2A/20 80 40 Seconds

I am at California Speedway this Saturday. Speeds seen at Turn 1 off the front straight of the Roval are 125 mph and faster, 5th gear, maybe 6th with short gears, even faster. No way I am doing this in a long sleeved cotton shirt and Levis.

rlm328

I have 2 and don't wear either at a DE. I am like Mike and drive in a warm climate, if I could I would wear shorts. While most DEs are high speed events the tracks I drive at have very few things to run into which would trap me inside my car.

I have seen single car accidents at the track but cannot recall seeing an accident involving 2 cars at a DE, under race conditions that is a different story. I have never seen a car on fire as the result of an accident (I am lucky in that respect, and pray that I stay that way). I have been doing DEs for a number of years and raced for several seasons.

While I will never tell someone not to wear one as that is a personal decision, I do not think that they are necessary at a well run DE.

Flame suit on.

Gary R.

Hey, watch it with the "throw away SPB stuff"!

Jas0nn

I was driving a car that caught fire just as I entered the pits at Summit Last year. No contact at all, purely a mechanical failure.

The worst accident I've seen on the track happened during a DE event, not a race - the driver lost the brakes going into T1 at Lightning, went over the hill at a high rate of speed and slide off sideways. The car rolled several times before ending up outside the tire wall. No fire, but the driver (and his coach) were both very lucky they were in a race car with a full cage/halo seats.

I guess the point is that accidents happen - they're accidents because you don't expect them. Not saying everyone should have to wear suit at a DE, but I don't think it would be a bad thing if more people did ...

Drew_K

This is where I come out as well. I don't think I've ever worn my suit at a DE unless it's cold.

alexaqui

This goes back to that other thread about safety threshold tolerances. We each have to make decisions based on our own personal risk levels. I personally believe that most regular DE drivers are in full denial about the risks. I do not currently have a free suit, although it is on the list. I sold my car to buy a cheaper one one that I could start investing more easily in safety gear (cage, seats, harnesses, hans, halo, etc). I prioritized the fire suit as one of the later items because I feel contact with objects is more likely than a fire. I will get to it at some point though.

Martin S.

I couldn't help myself . I have seen too much contact and wrecks with these cars involved , compared to others. Maybe I am biased...but truthfully, I just don't like Boxsters, never have, never will...in addition, all the guys I know that race them have experiencedat least the following:
1. Blown engines,
2. Blown transmissions.
3. Failed air/oil separators (It seems that dry sump cars, 1998 and earlier 911 cars, don't have these failure prone items).

Sure they're cheap to get into for a turn key race car, $25 to $30K, but those engines and trannies add up. If I were to go Spec, it would be 944 Spec, so cheap! And they seem to last...may "seem" is the operative word, I have no statistics to back up my conclusions. Did I say I don't like Boxsters?