Time Trial Accessory Recommendations?

jrdavid68 · 06-17-2003, 09:44 AM

I am going to start attending Time Trials this year, I will be at Thunderhill 7/26 for the High Speed DE, and I am looking for some recomendations for the "stuff" I need to acquire.

I won't need a racing suit right away, but I will need: 5-point seat belts, gloves, shoes and a fire bottle mounted somewhere in the car. My car is a completely stock 1986 Carrera Coupe. I have a friend that is going to give me a harness bar.

It appears that I could spend hours on the 'net looking for stuff and feel a bit overwhelmed. Our host has a section in the on-line catalogue for racing stuff that is "coming soon". I would like to purchase whatever I can from PParts.

I am looking for recommendations from the seasoned race veterans on this board on what to look for including quality, price and where to go to get the stuff. FWIW, I anticipate, in the years to come, I will attend two or three TTs per year as time permits.

Moderators, feel free to move this OT if necessary.

Thanks for the help!

Lothar · Lothar's Garage

JRDavid,

You need to check with your club or sanctioning body regarding required and permitted equipment. I can only speak to the rules that are used by our local club for TT events.

A removeable harness bar would not be permitted. I would not use a harness bar under any circumstances, as it puts you in greater danger in the event of a rollover than if you had nothing but your three point seatbelt.

A roll bar with diagonal support is required for Time Trial and must meet SCCA guidelines. It is optional for Driving school portion. Driving gloves and shoes are not required and a fire extinguisher of at least 2.5 pounds, securely mounted should be required.

A helmet with appropriate SA95 or SA2000 rating is common.

Regarding your car:

Adequate brake fluid rating Dot 4 or 5 flushed right before the event.
Brake cooling is recommended (I can sell you a new OG racing kit from my spare parts inventory if interested)
Thorough tech inspection as required by your club.

jyl · jyl's Garage

Pay a visit to Bell Motorsports in Oakland (they're in the phone book). It is a sort of warehouse where they stock (and sell) Bell and Pryotect gear including helmets, suits, gloves, harnesses, shoes, etc. Disadvantage is they don't have other brands. Advantage is the prices are reasonable and you can actually try the stuff on. I had no idea what helmet size I needed, so I went there for my lid. Do go well before your DE as some sizes are occasionally out of stock.

dtfastbear · 06-17-2003, 07:38 PM

Hey jrdavid,

I'm instructing for the 7/26 event. Welcome on board!!

My wife and I TT an '86 Carrera cabriolet, so any set up help that you need, just let me know. Brey Krause makes a really nice fire-bottle mount that mounts under the front of the passenger seat. You're welcome to check mine out some time - I live in Greenbrae and work in San Mateo - so I can catch up with you either North or (mid)South Bay.

As for where to get the stuff you need, there are a bunch of sources. Wine Country motorsports is excellent, as they have a lot of stuff in stock and you get to visit Sears Point while you're there

I/O Port racing is an excellent Bay Area source, but is pretty much mail order only (no real showroom). Frey Racing is in the East/South Bay now, I think. Bell Motorsports, also mentioned in a prior post, is good, too.

If you need any help with brakes, fluid, bleeding, pads, etc. let me know. I've got waaaaay too much experience with these things on an '86 already...

Dean
GGR #908

jrdavid68 · 06-17-2003, 08:29 PM

dtfastbear, jyl and lothar,

Thanks for the responses guys! I talked to someone at Bell Motorsports today and am going to try to get there soon. Since I live in Castro Valley, I think they will be the easiest to visit.

dtfastbear, thanks for the info! I found the following for the Fire Bottle mount, would you recommend the bracket to get the extra seat travel? I have power seats.

Greenbrae to San Mateo - isn't that a pretty tough commute? I live in Castro Valley and work in SF south of Market, but I generally take BART - no hassle - usually.

http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r2016.php

Wayne! - can you get this for me too and meet or beat the price?

Back to shopping!

Thanks again guys!
JrDavid68

makaio · 06-17-2003, 09:39 PM

David, make sure and ask the BK guys if they garantee it will fit your seats. I had one that wouldn't fit my factory sport seats in my SC, and was told there mounts will not work with the power seats.

dtfastbear · 06-18-2003, 06:41 AM

That's the bracket I have, jrdavid. It fits my factory sport seats just fine, but I don't think they were offering the extend-o-bracket when I bought mine. The bottle is tight against the front of the seat and it makes the seat angle and slider handles almost impossible to use, so the extender might be worth the 10 extra dollars. I never adjust my passenger seat, as it is back as far as it can go (up against the rollbar) and it just stays there

The commute isn't bad now. In the late 90's it would have been undoable. Ah, gotta love the crappy economy.

Dean

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Even though I live in CA....I can't tolerate heat and confined sweat conditions. It sends my blood pressure to dangerous levels.

The "cool shirt" was a must for me. It is an undershirt that has plastic tubing with an attached cooler filled with ice water. It circulates and keeps you body temps down. Triple layer nomex in the summer w/o AC was not a fun thing for me.