Race Gear... What do you use?

Bell Infusion Top Forced Air helmet w/ various shields + in-car forced air system (primary)
Bell Dominator helmet w/ various shields (secondary)
Speedcom helmet radio gear
HANS Professional w/ sliding tethers (custom graphics coming soon)
Sparco suit (black--the best colour in the height of summer)
Sparco, Bell and Simpson gloves
Simpson (the best fitting boot for me) and Bell boots

I also use a Sparco ADV (head protection) seat and Sparco HANS-compatible belts, the ones with the 2" shoulder belts.

I literally tore through a pair of Sparco gloves in less than one season. I've tried almost all available boots and still haven't found anything as good as my old skool Simpsons.

 

Arai GP5 Helmet (I used to use Bell but found their quality lacking compared to the Arai)
Hans Professional with sliding tethers (a great upgrade to the fixed ones)
Stand 21 Gloves. My favorite by far
Sparco and OMP professional suits (I only wear the European suits. They fit my frame best)
Diadora race boots. Incredibly light and comfortable but way too expensive

I get most of my stuff out of Europe and like Demon Tweeks and Grand Prix Racewear. For Stand 21 stuff I use the US distributor in Georgia. Incredible service and excellent customer care.

 

I've not raced for some years but get to go to the track every now and then.

Bieffe F1 GP helmet (soon to be retired), custom paint
OMP nomex suit
OMP gloves
OMP balaclava
Stand 21 / OMP boots

All top brands are good and IMO it's a matter of preference, fit and budget. I used stand 21 suits for some time, it was a perfect as I had it custom made. Switched then to OMP, the cut fits me better than the other brands off the shelf (read cheaper than custom made!). Sparco is nice but I'm in between sizes so it does not work for me.

Just got today a complete OMP karting outfit. My buddy has a 125cc shifter kart team and we'll be heading to the track next week. It was a good excuse to get new stuff

+1 on Demon Tweeks and GP Racewear. The have great prices and selections.

 

Wow, that's not a dig, is it, Rob?

 

Simpson, for the fire proof stuff....

They have a big HQ over in New Bransfels, TX....ProAm retails it here in Houston.....

 

Generally second, third, fourth and fifth. First only when leaving pits......Oh sorry, that's not the race gear you were referring to.

Mix and Match. Arai helmet, as it seems to fit my head better than Bell. Sparco Suit, OMP Gloves. Shoes were Diadora which I liked, but have switched to Sparcos. Underlayer is all OMP.

 

no one has mentioned oakley. i have all sparco gear. the gloves aren't that great for the price, and otherwise the carbon-x material seems superior in all aspects to nomex. next time i buy anything it will be carbon-x.

 

Bieffe F1GP helmet (replacing when SA2010 comes out in Oct 2010 with a HANS device)
Stand 21 suit
Driving Impressions Delta 4 gloves (reverse stitched, Sparco knock off)
Oakley shoes
Various Simpson underwear.

I have a carbon-x undershirt and socks. During hot days it isn't hot. Worth the dollars, IMO. It also doesn't have a fiberglass insulation itch like other (cheaper) shirts I have tried on.

 

No not a dig in the slightest. I owned 2 Bell helmets and once I got the Arai there was no going back. My 2 big beefs with the Bell were first the poor ratchet system for the visor. I thought it to be cheap and poorly designed. Secondly the quality of the shell of an Arai is second to none. Bells are not always uniformly smooth and a lot of them have a visible join along their length. The Arais are billiard ball perfect which counts for a lot when getting an expensive fancy paint job. My helmet painter whos work goes beyond spectacular has shared the same feelings towards the various helmet shell constructions between different manufacturers.

Most important in a lid is fit and Arais fit me well. Simpsons for example do not fit me at all. Bell was ok but my current lid is best. I'll swap when the new standard comes out. F1 guys are already using Arai GP6 helmets.

 

yeah, more comfortable AND, as the most important point is safety, it actually has better fire resistance than nomex. the newer knit nomex is pretty comfortable but it's also much denser (heavier).

 

As at least a half dozen new Bells have been through my hand in the last few months, I'd suggest that those issues of past no longer exist. There is a new visor adjustment system and the finish quality of all of these helmets has been superb.

I, too, remain a Bell fan because of fit. The fact that they have an in-house, SFI-certified testing lab is another.

The HP3 is spectacular, but they seem to make it in junior sizes only (read: for those miniature human beings who race F1).

 

TeamDI is the new brand by Driving Impressions, www.teamdi.com

Some really nice stuff and priced right. These guys used to be OMPUSa and Sabelt USA, so you know they know how to do high end gear.