CarbonX & New Race Suits.

I've been re-reading threads here about race suits and am currently prospecting for a new suit. Coolness and safety are my two primary drivers as opposed to expense. My use will be club events with a plan to start competitive racing this year.

Having done some searching, it appears that there is a vogue new product called CarbonX (http://www.chapmaninnovations.com/products/carbonx.php) and there is lots of underwear available in this material. Oakley's race boots also use this material.

I haven't seen any suits in this material though, which given its properties might be surprising. I wondered if anyone here knew more about it. It is:

CarbonX is way expensive to make a suit out of?
Its great as underwear and therefore you don't need a suit made of it?

It doesn't look like a regulatory thing, the regulations on the FIA website seem to make no mention of any particular product.

 

The coolest suit temperature wise was the Sparco Xlight 300, now superceded by Xlight 270 for 2006. Both are FIA approved 3 layer suits, but are much thinner and lighter than regular 3 layer suits. In hot sub tropical weather where I am, it makes a huge difference.

I have used various Sparco and OMP suits and the Xlights are by far the best for hot weather.

I do not know of any one making suits out of CarbonX. Underwear made out of the stuff sounds very interesting, but I'm not sure if even the underwears are FIA rated or not, at least it does not say so in the catalogs I used.

 

I would check out the ratings and requirements for whichever sanctioning body you plan on running under. And while Carbon-this or that sounds sexy, don't waste unnecessary cash on something like that. Ask Jon Koford what kind of suit he's currently using.

 

Thanks for the replies guys - the Xlight Sparco was the one that had interested me.

My most local motorsport retailer (who I've used before) doesn't carry sparco, but does car the "PUMA Light Cat" as their high end choice. It looks like its a two-layer but still somewhat heavier than the Sparco. Puma 360g/m2 vs Sparco 298g/m2.

Both classed as SFI/5 within $50 of each other on price.

I think I'm going to find a Sparco retailer in MA to go try on a suit there.

 

Check these guys out, too. They're outside of Chicago but if they can beat local prices, they'll have whatever you need at your door in a day. They're a top outfit.
http://www.northstarmotorsports.com/

 

Nomex may have been around longer, but it seems hard to argue with Carbon X's superior fire resistance properties.

I have a Carbon X suit

I also have Carbon X gloves and Carbon X shoes, and Carbon X balaclava and underwear.

Here is what I have learned from using Carbon X.

The material seems more comfortable than Nomex for underwear. It "wicks" better than my Simpson nomex.

Carbon X is not as durable as Nomex. I wore holes in the heels of my Carbon X socks during normal use. This never happened with my nomex socks.

Because of durability issues, Carbon X race suits are typically made of two layers, with the inner layer of Carbon X and the outer layer of Nomex.

CarbonX only comes in black.

Lots of people are selling CarbonX underwear.
The only Carbon X race suit maker that I am aware of is Design 500.

http://www.design500.com/

Their suits are custom made, which was nice for me, as I have a long torso in comparison to my other measurements.

The other nice thing about a custom made suit is that you can get it with the stuff you want. I had mine made with arm restraint anchors sewn in.

I also had it made with inside pockets for holding cool packs. I use cool packs sold by these guys:

http://www.coolsport.net/index2.html

A set of two cool packs will keep me cool for about 1.5 hours. I keep an extra set as a spare and this keeps me cool for most of the day while I am driving.

Overall, I am very happy with my CarbonX suit. It has completely replaced my Sparco nomex suit.

 

It may help to mention the type of racing you do. Obviously in some cars heat will be a bigger issue than in others.

 

I'm currently doing track days in my CS, but am planning to run the targa newfoundland this september, I used to race Karts.

But if I'm actually going to race, I can't see any point in got getting the best fire protection I can afford.

Intriguing on the custom suit side, I'm also long of body and short of leg (and rather rounder of middle than I'd like).

 

Custom suits are fantastic and worth the effort. That what I did for my first suit and it was awesome. There's nothing like a bespoke racing suit!

 

Particularly with something like the Targa Newfoundland, you will want really good fire protection. You won't be on a track with corner workers just a few yards away. There will be emergency personnel, but they will be much more widely spaced than at a track day, and it will take them a lot longer to get to you. I do open road racing, which is similar, and figure that if my car is on fire, I will likely have to get out on my own. I want the best fire protection I can get. If I were you, I would also consider a self-actuating fire supression system. That way, if you are unconscious, the fire system will go off by itself if it needs to. I have one of these in my car and it gives me some additional peace of mind.

 

Good point - a quick search reveals circa 600$ for a engine/fuel cell/Cabin system. I'm sure some cost to fit, but not an outrageous cost.

 

I'm using a 10#, 3 nozzle system from these guys:

http://www.firebottleracing.com/The%20Facts.htm

When you get the system installed in your car, you might want to replace the rigid aluminum or steel tubing with braided stainless steel covered flexible tubing. It is less prone to kinking and rupture than aluminum tubing. A little more expensive, but (I think) worth it.

 

My opinion from using nomex and carbonx is. Carbon x is the superior underwear. It's primary property is wicking moisture away from the body. This keeps you cooler and prevents steam burns in a fire. Nomex does not have this later property but has similar fire resistence but steams burns can happen. IMO I like nomex in the suit because nomex is more durable but I like carbonx on my skin. I also like the Simpson carbonx full sleeve mock t for the neck coverage and comfort from chafing. Mock t design offers one more layer between you and the shoulder belts. I do not like the simpson carbonx longjohns. They feel like someone trying to pull down your pants. I like the simpson carbonx socks they have a nice cushy feel and you don't feel like you have sweety feet. If you want a cool suit try the stand 21. S21 does quite a bit of research into heat exhaustion of drivers. I spent a couple hours at a seminar with S21's ceo and was very impressed by what S21 does in terms of dealing with driver heat stress. S21 is expensive so don't try in on unless you are ready to buy. I made the mistake of trying a S21 helmet and now I own one. So beware...these are great products. S21 is the Ferrari of drivers suits and helmets. Once you try it you will know why.

my .02 cents

 

so is the sparco X-light the best overall suit? (i'm planning on buying a new suit)