Race Suits, How long are they good for ?

[mbbnyc]

I know Helmets are good for 10 years

How long are race suits good for under PCA (Or others) good for ?

Thanks

[winders]

Read this link and the Q and A below it:

5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Driving Suit - OG Racing Blog

[mbbnyc]

Thank you, So after reading that I am to understand that it is up to the club. So does the PCA place a limit on how old the suit you bring to the track is ? After that I would ask about my zone then my clubs that I run with.

Thanks that was helpful

[Tom W]

I see nothing in PCA's rules about suit dating/expiry.

I used my original suit for 6 years before I retired it and got a new one because it was starting to wear. How long it lasts depends upon how often you use it and how well made it is. My original was a top of the line Momo that I had found on sale. I used it ~10 weekends per year.

[Cajundaddy]

In PCA Club Racing, helmets, seats and harnesses have expiration dates, not SFI suits.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pca.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2F files%2Fattachments%2F2014%2520PCA%2520Club%2520Ra cing%2520Rule%2520Book.pdf&ei=zqV8VJStL8PpiAKvmoCwBQ&usg=AFQjCNF-3yG841KVLNK3YKb1-j_atMXwYA&bvm=bv.80642063,d.cGE

[mbbnyc]

Thank you very much

[Mahler9th]

Various sanctioning bodies have rules regarding valid dates for suits. If anyone needs details, please read the rules carefully. If you need further perspective, please send me a PM.

For example, as many of you likely know, some suits have FIA ratings, some have SFI ratings, and some have both. PCA Club Racing allows SFI rated suits and FIA rated suits, but in the latter case, only those from more recent standards.

You could theoretically buy a new-old-stock FIA rated suit of a type used in F1 around 1998 that does not have an SFI rating, and it would not be allowed in PCA Club Racing.

However, you can use an old, used SFI single layer suit purchased new at time the standard was created (1984 or so), along with fire retardant underwear that does not have to meet any specified standard.

When I discovered PCA changed to this rule a few years ago, I did some digging, and yes, I contacted the PCA rules leader, as some aspects made no sense to me nor the safety equipment companies I contacted. But it was too late.

Quite a few drivers had to toss perfectly good FIA-only rated suits when PCA made this move. They made a similar move regarding gloves and shoes at the same time. Again, perfectly safe equipment had to be retired from PCA Club Racing use.

[Mahler9th]

To underscore my example, note that if a suit has only an FIA rating, and that rating precedes FIA 8856-2000, you cannot use that suit in PCA Club Racing.

For the sake of completeness, I should disclose that this rule affected me at RRIV back in 2011 as I had a perfectly good FIA 1986-rated Sparco suit that did not come with SFI rating markings when it was sold. I was able to contact Sparco and discover that they had documentation that the suit met SFI regs, but at the time they weren't applying the labels.

PCA rules would have allowed me to run with a really old SFI/1 single-layer suit and some long underwear I claimed was fire retardant.

And again, as appropriate, please read and understand PCA rules regarding gloves and shoes.

NASA rules have some careful language on suit requirements as well. The last time I checked, SCCA did not.