Official The370Z track accessory thread (helmets, racing suits/gloves etc)

[AK370Z]

With Summer time right around the corner, many 370Z owners are going to take their Z to the tracks. Many of them are experienced track members with proper equipment ready to go where some are new and do not have all their equipments yet. I would like you guys to post your track accessories and where you have purchased them. Feel free to tell us what items are best in the market and also, what offers best bang for your buck. Items can be anything from racing gloves, suits, helmets, shoes, headsocks, head and neck restraints, etc.

[ChrisSlicks]

Top of the list is helmet. You won't even be allowed on the track without a SA-2005 approved helmet, M helmets are typically not allowed. The cheapest SA helmet I think you can get is the Pyrotect, you can buy them online at places like soloracer.com or at a handful of retail stores.

For a track day you just wear full toe shoes (sneakers etc), jeans and a long sleeve (some allow short sleeve) shirt - gloves typically aren't required.

If you do want gloves and shoes, the Piloti ones are good and reasonably priced. Roofing gloves although not approved for race days, work well because they give you lots of feel but help prevent the blisters.

Car safety:
- Check brake fluid, bleed the brakes if this hasn't been done in the last year.
- Check you have plenty of pad material left, 1 day of track can eat through a set of soft stock pads, consider swapping in some track pads
- Re-torque all wheel nuts to 80-85 ft/lbs. Consider removing all locking nuts for the day.
- Check battery clamp is tight and that battery cannot move.
- Remove all lose items from the car including floor mats
- Check tire pressure, it will come up as they heat up and the target temperature will vary by tire. I run 37-39 hot front, 35 hot rear, which translates to about 32-33 cold. Check the pressure at the end of each session.
- Check coolant, not an issue on a new car but if you have an older 350 that's due for a flush you'll be better off doing it before hitting the track.

Oil overheat:
You're not going to get very many laps in without an oil cooler. Once it climbs north of 260 heading for 270, time to short shift and pull into the pits. Leave the engine running and pop the hood. You can shut the engine off once it gets down to 220 or so.

Edit: I kind of went off topic pretty quickly, feel free to move this to another thread.

[ZYUL8R]

Not off topic at all, chris.

All those things i belive are a must for a track day. Before i started tracking my car for the first time i given the same advice from instructors.

I didn't use gloves on trackdays for my first few events...but on day it was hot and my hands got sweaty and i missed my turn in point as my hands slipped on my Zs leather steering wheel. After that i went out and found some oakley driving gloves.

Pargon products...a porsche supplier of parts...is local to me..so i purchased them there...i would also get my rotors and pads from there as well since i was local i got some good deals.

[The HACK]

I get my stuff from SafeRacer.com. They sponsor one of my buddy's Mazda RX8. They always have blow-outs near the end of the year, bought my Oakley nomex high-tops for $79!

Normally at a typical track day, I would wear thin-soled, comfortable shoes (Oakleys), a full-faced helmet (Bieffe Predator, it'll be out-dated by next year so I'm shopping for new helmet again), and typically short sleeves and shorts because it gets REALLY hot out where I live, and full racing suit is impractical because 1) in DE environment a full racing suit = POSEUR and 2) you lose too much H2O from sweating in the suit. If I'm feeling frisky I'll wear my Sparco gloves.

[Musashi]

I wear Simpson Helmets, a helmet a car so they match. Really like my Matte black one with the smoked out visor. You can purchase direct from their site.

Sparco and alpine star gloves and shoes. I purchased the alpine stars direct, also can get them from CDOC.

Have a racing suit but don't usually wear it. I prefer jeans and a T-shirt.

I always bring a precision tire gauge with me to monitor and adjust pressures.

And my credit card b/c everything with motorsports is gonna cost you! lol

[m4a1mustang]

When I first started I bought a Pyrotect helmet. Someone correct me on this if I'm wrong, but I believe that Pyrotect is Bell's budget label. Many Pyrotect helmets are pretty much carbon copies of more expensive Bell helmets.

I also recommend trying to find a brick and mortar store to get fitted for a helmet instead of guestimating with a tape-measure and ordering online.

Also, if you want some cheap driving shoes (not full-on racing shoes), head out to DSW and get some Puma Drift Cats. They are pretty comfy, have a good feel, look good, and are cheap (about $55).

[travisjb]

I started with a cheap helmet I bought trackside from a vendor at a PCA event... that was my first and only accessory at the time... with each year, inevitably I'm accumulating gear... I still prefer to drive without gloves, and for 20-30 min DE sessions, it's fine for most folks. I wear Piloti shoes and really like the way they fit. In fact, I often used them as casual daily or walking shoes. At the DE and TT level, clubs I run with do not require fire suit so I go with jeans or cargo pants w/ elastic ankles and casual shirt.

I upgraded last year to a better helmet... worth the money! pricey, but much lighter, good ventilation and visibility. Here's the model I use HJCHX10 Auto Racing Carbon Helmet-SafeRacer I also recommend saferacer

I usually run with a fire extinguisher mounted passenger side, but haven't mounted one to the Z yet

I have a huge plastic bin I take with me, full of various spare parts, tape, logs, tire gauge, tire pyrometer, hat, etc. Also bring folding chair.

Just purchased traqmate + chasecam setup, that could be considered an accessory. Not much testing time yet, but I have used it and the software is a snap... RECOMMENDED. previously was using robic stopwatch and/or buddy on side of track

I have an air canister and hoses, but I usually just bring my bike pump for tires ! I get a lot of looks but it works nearly as fast with less crap to haul around !

[ChrisSlicks]

I use a Slime air compressor I bought from Autozone, it is pretty quick at getting the pressure up compared to some compressors and it is still compact. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Slime-COMP06-P...-Duty-InflatorSlime air compressor

I'm using an Accutire racing tire gauge which I'm pretty happy with overall. Its only downside is that the bleed is a little slow.
Accutire Racing Tire Gauge - Amazon

[molamann]

HJCHX10 Auto Racing Carbon Helmet-SafeRacer

^
WTF?

I thought I was quite acquainted with helmets since I've been riding for almost 4 years now and I didn't even know HJC even made helmets that expensive. I mean is there a difference between motorcycle and car helmets? My Arai Corsair helmet is considered one of the top of the line motorcycle helmet and it was only around $750 whereas the most top of the line HJC motorcycle helmet I recall was maybe $400.

[m4a1mustang]

Originally Posted by molamann

I mean is there a difference between motorcycle and car helmets?

# What are the key differences between SA and M Rated Helmets:
# SA standard requires flammability test while the M standard does not.
# SA standard has rollbar impact test while M standard does not.
# SA standard allows narrower visual field than M standard (Some SA helmets aren't street legal).

From: soloracer.com

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by molamann

HJCHX10 Auto Racing Carbon Helmet-SafeRacer

^
WTF?

I thought I was quite acquainted with helmets since I've been riding for almost 4 years now and I didn't even know HJC even made helmets that expensive. I mean is there a difference between motorcycle and car helmets? My Arai Corsair helmet is considered one of the top of the line motorcycle helmet and it was only around $750 whereas the most top of the line HJC motorcycle helmet I recall was maybe $400.

That is their top of the line carbon fiber helmet. Equivalent SA helmets from Simpson, Bell, Standard 21, and Zamp will all run around $1,200.

Don't know why SA helmets typically run more expensive than M helmets, most likely due to economy of scale would be my assumption. There are more motorcycle riders needing helmets that pass the Snell M standards, than there are car enthusiasts/race car drivers that will need Snell SA standard helmet. And there are subtle differences between the two standards, I believe M helmets are subject to higher impact loads while the SA helmets must meet certain fire proofing standards. Both standards are listed somewhere on the intarweb.

[NIZMOZ]

Correction. SA2000 helmets are still allowed and used on road racing tracks.

The Snell 2000 certification should expire 12/31/10. But they have been known to extend it like the SA1995 one.

[dkmura]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Don't know why SA helmets typically run more expensive than M helmets, most likely due to economy of scale would be my assumption. There are more motorcycle riders needing helmets that pass the Snell M standards, than there are car enthusiasts/race car drivers that will need Snell SA standard helmet. And there are subtle differences between the two standards, I believe M helmets are subject to higher impact loads while the SA helmets must meet certain fire proofing standards. Both standards are listed somewhere on the intarweb.

SA-rated helmets must pass multiple impact tests that M-rated helmets do not. Snell ratings are based on their use, and Special Application (SA) helmets are typically used for auto racing. In the event of a major car crash (vs. a bike crash) there's a higher chance of multiple impacts (ie. rollovers) in which the helmet needs to protect the head repeatedly. The M-rated helmet is rated to take one major impact only. As you mention, a fire resistant interior is part of that rating, but if you ever need THAT, you're in bad shape already! Passing those tests adds up to a more expensive helmet!

[ianthegreat]

Originally Posted by dkmura

SA-rated helmets must pass multiple impact tests that M-rated helmets do not. Snell ratings are based on their use, and Special Application (SA) helmets are typically used for auto racing. In the event of a major car crash (vs. a bike crash) there's a higher chance of multiple impacts (ie. rollovers) in which the helmet needs to protect the head repeatedly. The M-rated helmet is rated to take one major impact only. As you mention, a fire resistant interior is part of that rating, but if you ever need THAT, you're in bad shape already! Passing those tests adds up to a more expensive helmet!

So I guess a motorcyclists head bouncing up and down the road doesn't qualify as multiple impacts

I hate that SA are so expensive

[bullitt5897]

Originally Posted by dkmura

SA-rated helmets must pass multiple impact tests that M-rated helmets do not. Snell ratings are based on their use, and Special Application (SA) helmets are typically used for auto racing. In the event of a major car crash (vs. a bike crash) there's a higher chance of multiple impacts (ie. rollovers) in which the helmet needs to protect the head repeatedly. The M-rated helmet is rated to take one major impact only. As you mention, a fire resistant interior is part of that rating, but if you ever need THAT, you're in bad shape already! Passing those tests adds up to a more expensive helmet!

I hate to call ya out but I have first hand experience of multiple impacts on a M rated helmet... Motorcycle riders who highside often have 4+ impacts to the skull as we are tumbling through the air slaming are head and limbs against the pavement at speeds excessive of 80mph. Not only that but the distance our heads travel are far greater than that of an individual in a car. I have highsided about a half dozen times and every time I had several impacts to the skull. This is why I pay for a $700 helmet from Shoei.