Best Cool Suit?

[Bob Roth]

I am considering purchase of a cool suit/shirt setup for endurance races as we are spending 2+ hours in car. I would appreciate your comments;
1) Are they worth the hassle?
2) Any suggestions on brand and model (Good or bad)
3) Approximately how long will cooling last per cooler quarts capacity.

thanks
bob

[lateapex911]

I've done a 3 hourenduro in my 1st gen RX-7 in 90F heat, and wore a triple layer.

At the end, I was definately warm. I had 2 drink bottles and a tube, but next time I will use a pump as the sucking was (strangely enough, for me at least) a lot of work, and required concentration.

(Humorous note: before editing, I had mis-spelled the word "pump" by using the vowel "i" instead of "u"....it read a LOT differently that way! I shoulda left it.....)

I would have liked more ventilation, and
I suppose a cool suit might have been nice.

In general though, I am OK with heat, and am in pretty good physical condition. (I am a competitive swimmer, and do long distance events occasionally).

For me, I would add one if:
- I had some extra cash that needed spending,
- I needed weight in the car and liked the idea of movable, but expensive, ballast.
- I was in significantly worse physical conditioning.

If I DID get one, I would get the best and largest capacity one possible. It is MUCH worse to have one when they fail than to have nothing. I would also ensure good ventilation and good hydration, just as I do now.

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by lateapex911 (edited June 14, 2005).]

[Hracer]

If you race in the SEDIV from about May to September, I would definitely recommend a cool suit system. Last race two weeks ago in Atlanta, I believe you could count on one hand the IT drivers not wearing a cool suit, with at least one of those drivers that I know of getting extremely dehydrated and sick after the race. I am active and work out daily, but even being in good shape there is little you can do to overcome the heat in 90+ degree, humid weather. We've had the Club System 12 http://www.ltbmotorsports.com/codrcosy.html since '01 and it has been one of the best investments we ever made. I run it during the races only, but some choose to run it for practice/qualifying sessions as well. It really comes in handy when you are stuck on grid under the sun in hot weather and no breeze. It also keeps you a lot more refreshed throughout the race, which will let you focus better and improve your driving. We've run the Club System 12 in many endurance races as well and it can work for 1.5 hrs to 2 hours (if you put a big block of ice in the cooler instead of crushed ice). So I can only imagine the Club System 24 with the bigger cooler would work even better. Good luck.

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Alex
#84 ITA

[charrbq]

I've seen a lot of guys in the SEDIV and SOWDIV wear them. All except for one guy I've talked to loved them. That one had the system spring a leak, and he ended up hotter than without one and sitting in a pool of hot water. I plan on getting one and a fresh air helmet next time. If your chest (heart and lungs) is cool then your brain tends to work a whole lot better. Well, in most cases. Fatigue is less of an issue and mistakes are fewer. In the mean time, you can do like I do...take a clean, white T-shirt and dip it in the cooler before suiting up. You cool off immediately and suck in almost enough fresh air to last the whole race.



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Chris Harris
ITC Honda Civic

[HBennett]

Depending on what you consider important, yes, they are worth the hassle. Extreme heat can definitely sap your strength and concentration.

There ae two major manufacturers, Fresh Air Systems Technology and Cool Shirt. Both make a very good product. They pretty much use the same configuration. Some of the differences are (cool suit systems only):

Cool Shirt. Offers a 12 and 24 quart leak-proof cooler. The 12 quart system offers around 3 hours of cooling while the 24 offers around 6.

FAST. Offers 8 and 16 quart systems, each with a little less cooling times.

Both manufacturers systems comes with a heavy duty t-shirt with the tubing sewn on. If you are required to wear underwear, you wear it under the cool shirt. Both manufacturers offer FR tops with the tubing sewn in so no other top is required.

Howard Bennett
Racer Wholesale

[RacerBowie]

You can count me as one of the small group in the SouthEast that doesn't wear a cool suit. I just have never felt the need to. During the race Saturday the only time I felt a little hot was the full-course yellow. I can easily do 1+ hour stints in a Miata on 90 degree days.

I dunno, maybe I am just built to withstand heat better, because I am certainly not in the best physical shape of all the drivers around! (could stand to lose 30 lbs.)

Bowie

[ITANorm]

Budget "cool suit":

Cut up an old cotton T-shirt. Use the material to make "pockets" on the chest and back of another T-shirt.

Get some of the small "blue ice" thingies that come in sheets of like 20 and cut them to fit the pockets (or pockets to fit the cut out ice-it - whatever). Freeze the ice packs, and take them out of the freezer about 15 minutes before the race. That way they'll be "smushy" when you put them in.

I put a pocket over each kidney, and 2 of them down the center of the chest (where the belts don't hit them). They work quite well for a 30 minute race - and the total cost is about $15.

The only downside is that you have to have easy access to a freezer.

I think a couple of companies are making them now - but my wife made my first one over 10 years ago.

[BUMPnGO]

I race in Florida during the summer. There probably isn't a hotter place on earth then the Sebring Long Course ECR in late Aug. I sit on a 10"x10" gel filled pac I got a few years ago when I hurt my arm. Keep it frozen and it lasts about 20 minutes. Also use the ole ice in the glad bag trick and support it with my ample shelf inside the uni. I already know it's going to be hot, so it's really not a factor when you live with it. Mistake I have made is not hydrating enough BEFORE the weekend. You have to double or triple your fluid intake way before the race, not right before or during.

[mowog]

I have a cool suit I was considering selling. It was only used 2-3 times before I sold the sedan and purchased a convertible. I started with the kind that includes a bottle you push for a quick it of cold, but wasn't happy with having to find a decent place to mount it, and on really hot days I'd run out before the end of the race. So I sold that and bought the full cooler with pump outfit. It really worked great, and I didn't have to worry about freezing packs or running out. If you run Summit Point, I can arrange for delivery with a guarantee that you will like it or your money back. Or if you are going to be at Beaver Run this weekend, I can bring it there for your inspection. I haven't thought about a price, will consider a reasonable offer. See this link for a description: http://www.saferacer.com/rasecosusy.html

[MMiskoe]

This is 2nd hand info, but I group I know showed up to an enduro w/ home made ones once. Said they worked well. The took a pair of 100% cotton t-shirts & put them one inside the other, then looped tygon tubing around, held it in place by running seems of stitching around (careful not to pin hole the tube). They used a 6-pack sized cooler & something like a windsheild washer pump to circulate it.

They said it worked well and was pennies on the dollar compared to buying it, however I suspect it was an experiment for a particular 12 hour race, don't know how many times it got used.

We use bicycle water bottles in enduros & find that even water warmed up by the transmission tunnel helps noticably. Yes, as Jake says, pay attention when taking a toke on it. I almost went in the turn 1 gravel once due to coughing so hard my eyes were watering after pulling really hard on it & getting more than I bargined for.

Matt

[P Sherm]

A cheap alternative is to go to garage sales (or ebay?) and find the cooler/pump setup that they use for knee surgery recovery. That's what I have. All you need is to buy the Cool Shirt and it plugs right in. A couple tie downs around the back seat and viola!

Used it for the first time at HPT in my SSC race and it felt great!

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#59 SSC Neon
Wichita Region
Yes, I know it's not an IT car... yet...

[Rick_htm]

boaters bilge pump, a cooler, a t-shirt, and some tubing. add someone with patience to sew the tube to the shirt. you have a cool suit for about $50. you don't think about it during the race, but you'll be amazed how good you feel after the race.
Rick Harbaugh
ITS 240z
htmracing.com

[VW16VRacer]

http://www.icevest.com/

Built by a racer for racers and racer priced. I run two frozen pacs on my front and one on my back. Put it in on pre-grid and will last an entire 35 minute race in 80-90 deg weather. Throw them in a freezer or a cooler full of ice and the packs will re-freeze in about 20-30 minutes. Will not last 2+ hours but worth the investment if you are sprint racing. If you get the cool shirt then opt for the quick disconnects, I have seen others use them and they seem to work great.

Jon

[Turfer]

I'll 2nd Jon on the Icevest. Mulitple re-freezable ice packs come with a easy to wear vest. The ice packs velcro onto the vest.

Any which way you choose, you will be definitely fresher at the end of your sessions.

Rick

[wpspeedracer]

Also from the CFR Region...there is nothing hotter than the Aug Double SAARC and the Sept. race at Daytona.....like others have said, I start hydrating on Monday of the week before the race - min. 8-12oz bottles of water every day prior to the race. You will know when you are properly hydrated if your pee is clear. Being a former long distance runner/biker, this is a crucial prerace regime all should do. For race cooling, I use a helmet cooler where I find if I can keep my head cool, I'm fine, however, I still find myself sticking the cooling tube in my suit both before and after the race. Just the helmet cooler is several hundred dollars less than the full suit. Still, Hydrating is the most important preperation you can do. As far as liquids, water alone is best and Propel works great just prior to the race. It's somewhere between water and gatorade and I have found this works the best for me. You can actually dehydrate yourself if you drink too much gatorade prior to the race if you are not activly sweating...Gatorade is more for during the activity,not before so don't hydrate with it.

Mark


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Mark Nasrallah
944 S
#54 ITS

[94sm]

post deleted

[This message has been edited by 94sm (edited June 20, 2005).]

[buldogge]

Quick question for those of you with cool suits/shirts...

How do you route the water lines from the shirt thru/out of the driver's suit?

TIA

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Mark Andrews
ITS '92 BMW 325is
St. Louis

[HBennett]

Out the bottom of the zipper or cut a small hole in the pocket of the suit.

Howard Bennett
Racer Wholesale

[buldogge]

Thanx Howard!

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Mark Andrews
ITS '92 BMW 325is
St. Louis

[ITANorm]

Originally posted by HBennett:
Out the bottom of the zipper . . ..

Just don't get your hoses confused - Oh, wait! That was on the enduro setup. Never mind.