Is it good to wear Gloves on track? Any suggestions guys???
Yes it is good to wear them on the track. One it will help to grip the wheel and two if the car ever catches fire then you ahve some protection when getting out. Here are the gloves I use on a regular basis: http://www.alpinestars.com/2009_Tech_1ZX_Gloves/pd/c/230/np/230/p/355007.html AlpineStars Tech 1ZX gloves. These are good because the seams are sewed inside out. THey also aren't so thick so you can't feel the wheel. Great fit too.
I prefer wearing gloves, there are people that prefer not too. If you aren't doing something that requires them (like racing, or driving a true race car), It all depends on your preferences. I wear gloves because I tend to have sweaty hands that can make it difficult for me to hold onto a leather wheel without using a death grip. Suede wheels are not a problem since they have a natural rough texture to them. Alpine Star gloves are certainly nice (I have a pair of Alpine Stars), but if you are just doing HPDEs in a street legal car, than they are probably much to pricey for what you really need. Just go buy a pair of gloves that fits well and is within your budget... there's no need to go crazy if you aren't going to be doing anything competitive.
I use Simpson products.. A single ply driving suit and some leather palmed gloves, not expensive. Some tracks may require a better, multiply suit.... If fireproof Rating isn't required, lot's of nice leather driving gloves out there...maybe check Griot's or similar websites??? Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think the Alpine Stars suck, just my experience. I don't cycle gloves through as much as I should and with over 100 days on track each year, I go through 'em. I like Sparco, but their seams separate, too. Seth's point about the seams sewn on the outside makes a big difference. Helps alot. Gloves are good for any on-track driver. Too many sweaty palms!
I don't have sweaty-palm-syndrome and don't wear gloves unless I'm driving a race car. Gloves put a layer of suede/leather/nomex between your hands and the contact patches, so I say 'thanks, but no thanks.' Plus, if I wore gloves while driving a road car, I'd look like the biggest poseur on the planet. For the record, my last pair of Sparcos lasted a half season. Stylish? Yes. Durable? No.
Thanks guys, good info. by the way, my F430 is fitted with Carbon driving Zone (so top of the steering wheel is carbon) does it have problems while gripping with gloves?? any experence to share??/ Image Unavailable, Please Login
I wouldn't view the carbon as an issue. You should never be holding JUST the carbon portion of the wheel. Even in sharp turns, one of your hands should be in contact with the steering wheel somewhere on the leather portion. If that isn't the case, your doing it wrong .
It was Charity Racing here, but I raised some serious money for Child Advocates over five seasons! Not very good quality by the end, the first ones were better....but we'd rework a Briggs and Stratton 3.5HP to 6700RPM! They blew up eventually of course! Fun times.....there's still two of them out in the pasture, with the Longhorns....most of them were used up, lost two, to a house fire.....I must have had seven or eight total... USA Charity Racing was the Rule Book and sanctioning group, they are still around, out of AZ somewhere, SCCA did crash rescue and said WE were more hazardous than IndyCars!!!! Probably true, given the average expertise behind the wheel.....one of my guys ran a corner worker right over, we never lived it down....retired now.... Image Unavailable, Please Login
...there was serious engine cheating going on, so I was proud to win a few....... I'll restore the karts and hang them on the garage wall, someday. When I GET a garage!!!! LOL! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Simpson equipment generally is very good. I wear their racing shoes and had a pair of their gloves as well as their racing harnesses. Currently, I'm using gloves from Driving Impressions in Dover, NJ. Nice quality stuff and very reasonably priced. Nomex, leather grips, etc. You can find them on the web with a google search.
Gosh, the last time I looked at gloves Stand21 were the standard, and the helmet of choice was the GPA model SJ. Until Gilles Villeneuve got killed wearing one - er - not wearing one because his came off during the accident. It would not have mattered, hitting a guardrail head-first at speed (in 1982) would do it to you helmet or not. I think the gloves were outrageous at $40. Oh yeah, circa 1982 or so...
My gloves and shoes (and helmet) are all Simpson, but that is because they are local and I can try them all on before buying - which I think is critical when dealing with safety equipment! Buy what you know works and don't "guess."
For actual races I use goatskin palm, single layer, seams on the outside orange gloves. The orange is very important for hand signals, but unfortunately also makes it easier for turn workers to see you flipping someone off ($100 fine and a long talk with the S.O.M.) I would be a bit embarassed to wear orange nomex at a drivers school, so maybe black would be better. I also dont wear driving shoes at a track day, and never Pilotis. I actually wear topsiders, they work very well, especially if you shave the heel. I have a suede steering wheel in almost every car, and the gloves make it last about 10 times longer. PS. Before my gloves wear out, and the single layer goatskin wear out really fast, I give them to the corner workers and they really appreciate it. I always have an extra set anyway. thats my two cents JM
Check out TeamDI, its a rather new company, but it uses experience from over 25 years in the safety equipment industry. Similar products to Sparco, OMP, Alpine, etc...they even share some of the same Suppliers. www.teamdiusa.com I use the TeamDI Delta 5's, which is similar to the 1-ZX from Alpine.