How much do you spend on safety gear?

I have not been on track in a while and I will be replacing all my gear.  Some of it has aged out .  Some of it wont fit me anymore and some of it is just worn out.  I will also probably be adding a fire extinguisher setup as well as new belts and more than likely a new seat.  Helmet, Hanz, fire suite, gloves, shoes, underwear, balaclava, the list is long. 

Anyway this is going to be a noticeable  line item in my play money budget and I was wondering what others usually spend.  By the time i am all in I will be in the 3k range.

If you have an existing HANS it can probably be recertified.

$3K sounds cheap for everything on that list, frankly.  

A good seat is a long dollar.  A reasonable seat is not really bad.  

A good suit is a long dollar.  A reasonable suit is not really bad.

I could go on, but I think you could be in pretty adequate equipment for $3k.  You could also spend $10k.

dean1484 said:

I have not been on track in a while and I will be replacing all my gear.  Some of it has aged out .  Some of it I wont fit i anymore and some of it is just worn out.  I will also probibly be adding a fire extinguisher setup as well as new belts and more than likley a new seat.  Helmet, Hanz, fire suite, gloves, shoes, underware, balacava, the list is long. 

Anyway this is going to be a noticable line item in my play money budjet and I was wondering what others usually spend.  By the time i am all in I will be in the 3k range.

My HANS was $100 used (FIA) and replacement straps were $30 to keep it certed

Helmet was about $600 from Ireland (it's a Stilo WRC, so more like $1k here in the US). For road racing, I would have gotten a less expensive helmet. 

Just got a new seat (OME HTR-E) for about $500 from Ireland. Of course a rally car needs two of them. My current Sparco Evos were $400 for the pair, used, off CL. 

My suit got for about $200 for a $600 suit since apparently nobody likes bright red Alpinestars suits....lol

Harnesses were about $150 each as I recall from Saferacer. Ugly colors are cheaper ;)

I like nice gloves so I think I spend 120 on some Alpinestars

Shoes, another 100 or so (Alpinestars)

I done were nomex underwear since my suit is multi-layer and it's not required for rally

I have an Alpinestars balclava, but I don't wear it much

I'd say my personal gear was around $2k for nice, mid-range stuff, but I certainly could have knocked $500 off that by getting slightly lower-end stuff (G-Force suit, cheaper helmet, etc). My codriver has his own stuff except harnesses....

I buy my smaller stuff locally (OG Racing)

I buy my helmets and seats from Murray Motorsport in Ireland, usually when they have sales like Black Friday. 

Just keep your eyes open for previous-year stuff and/or colors that are less popular, and you can find some great deals. 

I always say $2k. You can spend more, you can spend less, but the average for a group will be about $2k. That is personal safety gear and not seats/harnesses/fire suppression which I consider car safety. 

Never been on a track (hope to fix that )

So I'm a complete noob. 

But does gear really go bad?  I ride motorcycles so I understand swapping a helmet that's been bashed.   But does a seatbelt go bad?

I do love absorbing information so thanks for solving my ignorance. 

TrulySpooky said:

Never been on a track (hope to fix that )

So I'm a complete noob. 

But does gear really go bad?  I ride motorcycles so I understand swapping a helmet that's been bashed.   But does a seatbelt go bad?

 

I do love absorbing information so thanks for solving my ignorance. 

 

the certifications on belts and helmets and HANS expires. 

when you buy stuff, spend a bit extra for FIA certed stuff. SFI is a scam with super-short certs (2 years on harnesses vs. 5 for FIA)

Seats may expire in some kinds of motorsports (not rally, if they're FIA)

Helmets usually expire in ~10 years

Suits/clothing doesn't generally expire

Sorry for the confusion the 3k is for me only. The stuff for the car like belts and a seat are on top of that. 

I've got almost two complete sets of gear so I'll go through the most recent stuff.

Helmet $350

Close out Sparco suit $399

Nomex underwear (it keeps the suit cleaner) $200

Gloves $95

Shoes $95

Adjustable HANS  $600 (my original was $750 but it won't work for my Formula 500)

Arm Restrants $50

Belts $125

So that's a shade over $1900 without even including the fuel cell ($600) and fire system ($300) 

The ironic thing is I got $4500 in Formula 500, so the safety gear cost nearly half as much as the car. I'm also getting ready to pour a seat so so add another $300 for the F500. I've got $9000 in the Datsun after 30 years and the safety gear is a third of the price if  count the cost of the Autopwer cage

If you buy everything on close out you can do it way cheaper than my current gear. If you buy the bargain helmets and head & neck restraints you could probably manage the personal gear for $800-$900.

Some of my gear is up for replacement about now too, but I don't think I'm vaguely close to $3k in.  Let's see:

Helmet - $250??  I forget, bought it about 2 years ago, but that's about ballpark.  It's 2015 rated, so I've got 6 more years of use in LeMons

Neck restraint - $250  - Zamp.  Is 5 years old, time for replacement this year

Suit - $150.  Ebay.  Used one piece NASCAR suit.  It's glorious, I love it.

Gloves - $40 - clearance at one of the racing gear sites

Shoes - $50 - ditto above

Socks - $20?  Don't even remember, but they aren't expensive

So that puts me at about $775 maybe and I feel good in all the equipment I have.  As I said, time for a few new pieces this year...neck restraint, socks, gloves and shoes.  Going to buy clearance again from the racing websites.  I don't care if it's color coordinated or stylish.  If they protect my butt, I'm happy.