Driver Cooling Systems

[JLawton]

Has anyone tried one of these?

http://shop.coolshirt.com/p/pc-vest-w-4-inserts-large-xlarge/industrial-systems_phase-change-cooling?pp=12


I literally have no room on the passenger side for one of the standard Cool Shirt type coolers. Can you put these in the trunk and run long hoses? They do have a 12 qt round one but I'm not sure even that will fit let alone figure a way to secure it........ especially since it will be close to $400 with hoses and shirt..... And you need to tie into a power source? Do they come with an on/off switch?

How is the core cooling systems compared to a helmet blower?

Thoughts, advice and experiences are much appreciated.

[dickita15]

Yiannis has his cool suit box in the trunk.

[Eagle7]

I currently run a cool shirt (ice water/tubes/etc). I have tried a phase change cooling vest similar to your link and found it to be minimally helpful. I used to run a helmet blower with ambient air (no cooler), and also found that to be minimally helpful. The ice water cool shirt is an order of magnitude better than either of the others. Some race weekends it literally makes the difference whether I can/will go on track or not.

You can save some money by building your own cooler if you're reasonably handy and have the time. There should be at least one build thread on this forum, and several others on the interweb. That might also give you more options for fitting it in your car.

[DavidM]

The driver cooling system is free so to speak and can be installed anywhere. Lots of people put them in the back to put the weight there.

I built my own cooler system as well. Used an old coleman cooler with a small bilge type boat pump that I picked up for $15 at Walmart. You can get the fittings for the lines from places like McMaster. Do some searching online and you'll find several links to DIY builds. I'm using a Coolshirt and beware that the different shirts had different connectors. So know what connect the shirt you use needs.

David

[jwasilko]

My old car had the cooler in the trunk. You can get extension hoses that will reach easily.

I've got the coolers & shirts from FAST.

I mounted some d-rings to the trunk floor and used a small ratchet strap to hold it in place.

[gran racing]

Reason # 342 why I need to re-do my website again (sigh) so it's easier to find stuff.

http://goaheadtakethewheel.com/rwrt/keeping-your-cool-inside-the-racecar-cool-suits-and-vests/

I LOVE my cool vest. Inexpensive, totally simple, inexpensive, easy. No failure points. Only bad side is if you use a cooler that has beer in it, you can get the beer can indents. Otherwise.... For what we do, great. I have absolutely no desire to get a cool shirt and system.

[pitbull113]

Forget the overpriced fast stuff. Buy the cool shirt and then go to ebay and get a Donjoy iceman used for way less than the fast stuff. It's made for use after surgeries and stuff but has the same fittings to hook up to the cool shirts.

[Ron Earp]

Reason # 342 why I need to re-do my website again (sigh) so it's easier to find stuff.

http://goaheadtakethewheel.com/rwrt/keeping-your-cool-inside-the-racecar-cool-suits-and-vests/
.

And I have another I made some years ago for the Mustang that is on my build thread:

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forums/showthread.php?29254-ITS-Ford-Mustang(s)-Build-Stripper-Stang-Part-II/page6

They're cheap, easy, and fun to make. Good hour or two project.

[Eagle7]

If you (or anyone) want to try the RPCM vest, I'll let mine go for about half the price of new.

[Chip42]

And I have another I made some years ago for the Mustang that is on my build thread:

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forums/showthread.php?29254-ITS-Ford-Mustang(s)-Build-Stripper-Stang-Part-II/page6

They're cheap, easy, and fun to make. Good hour or two project.

hour or 2 to assemble, twice that figuring out what you need and sourcing it. agreed on the fun and value though. if anyone needs fittings to connect to a cool shirt brand shirt, they are avaialble on amazon: Colder PLCD22006 (3/8" barb to male QD fitting - this is for the cooler) and PLCD17005 (5/16 barb female fitting to mate to shirt and cooler - these have a retnetion pin to keep the lock tab open which the cool shirt fittings do not release, so you have to disable it or use your thumb to trigger when assembling the lines - does not affect ease of dissassembly). I also sourced a huge number of adapter fittings (min orders > need) to step between 3/4" (common bilge pump outlet) and 3/8" (fittings) so have some spares if anyone needs a kit.

[240zdave]

Forget the overpriced fast stuff. Buy the cool shirt and then go to ebay and get a Donjoy iceman used for way less than the fast stuff. It's made for use after surgeries and stuff but has the same fittings to hook up to the cool shirts.

That's exactly what I did. Works great.

[mossaidis]

You need something for sure. We're not 20 anymore. Tom and I use the 12 qt cool suit setup which is good for 1 hour or so with 4 lbs of ice. The system is amazing! Easy setup but a bit pricey. Tom installed an on/off switch off a 12v battery source and grounded the other lead. He placed the switch right in the center of the dash of the civic within easy reach of the driver. Last week, I purchased the undertray, which cleaned up the look a bit, as well as the drainage accessories.

PS. the hoses that come with the cool suit shirt system/cooler are pretty long so, running the cooler from the trunk should be possible.

[Z3_GoCar]

Sew two old T-shirts together with a few pockets to hold ice packs ($1 ea at Walmart) and for less than $5 you're got a cool shirt that you can change out the packets for frozen ones. It's enough to keep your head cool and in the game.

[Ron Earp]

hour or 2 to assemble, twice that figuring out what you need and sourcing it.

I also sourced a huge number of adapter fittings (min orders > need) to step between 3/4" (common bilge pump outlet) and 3/8" (fittings) so have some spares if anyone needs a kit.

For adapters I just used hose that slip fits between the hose I need to adapt and then use a hose clamp. Cheap ghetto fix.

I've got another write up here that has some links to sources. Old one, from 08, but still applies.

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-tech-exterior-interior-ac-trim/24797-diy-cool-suit-system-ron-earp.html

Damn that old thread has a lot of link backs from many different forums.

[RX555]

Reason # 342 why I need to re-do my website again (sigh) so it's easier to find stuff.

http://goaheadtakethewheel.com/rwrt/keeping-your-cool-inside-the-racecar-cool-suits-and-vests/

I LOVE my cool vest. Inexpensive, totally simple, inexpensive, easy. No failure points. Only bad side is if you use a cooler that has beer in it, you can get the beer can indents. Otherwise.... For what we do, great. I have absolutely no desire to get a cool shirt and system.

I'm with you. I've tried both and the vests are simple and work.

[raffaelli]

I built a cool shirt system using the dyi builds floating around. Aside from the shirt I think it was about $75 all in. Grabbed a cooler from the basement and a pump from walmart, hoses from home depot, fittings from mcmaster. Works great. I didnt realize how much I liked having it till I didnt use it this past weekend.

[Eagle7]

If anyone in interested in a relatively cheap RPCM cool vest, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=191274192381