All of the major racing safety gear manufacturers have a variety of suits to choose from. All of the styles and numbers can be confusing. No matter how much you know or don’t know about fire suits or materials, there is a standard that you can always turn to – the SFI rating. SFI is a non-profit organization that was established to issue and administer standards for specialty/performance automotive racing and equipment. And the standards they publish cover everything from helmets to fuel cells. So why is the SFI rating of a suit so important? Well, there are several reasons. First and foremost, it tells you that the suit you considered has been laboratory tested and its protection level is known. Second, the SFI rating is typically what sanctioning bodies and tracks use to establish the minimum protection required for a particular category of racing. So whether you race cage karts or top-fuel dragsters, you know the minimum rating you must have to compete.

The SFI specification governing driving suits is 3.2A. This standard tests the suits fire retardant capabilities to withstand both direct flame and radiant heat. Considering both heat flux and exposure time, a TPP value is assigned based on how long the suit will protect the wearer from second-degree burns. The assigned TPP value will fall into one of six actual SFI rating categories (see table below). A common misunderstanding is that the SFI rating is the actual number of layers in the suit. But, suits with the same number of layers can have different TPP values based on the materials used.

SFI Rating-------TPP Value------Time to 2nd Degree Burn
3.2A/1----------------6-------------3 seconds
3.2A/3---------------14-------------7 seconds
3.2A/5---------------19------------10 seconds
3.2A/10-------------38-------------19 seconds
3.2A/15-------------60-------------30 seconds
3.2A/20-------------80-------------40 seconds

To further increase your fire protection, don’t overlook racing underwear, headsocks, and foot socks. And while wearing racing underwear does not turn a one-layer suit into a two-layer one, the SFI Foundation has found that it does increase the time the skin is protected from second-degree burns by about 3 seconds. The racing underwear does create another material layer of protection and creates additional air gaps. Headsocks offer protection for the exposed skin in the neck and chin area. And foot socks create an extra layer of protection for the feet. It is hard to get out and away from a burning racecar if your feet are painfully blistered. Racing underwear is available in NOMEX and CarbonX.

Until next week. Be Fast! Be Safe!
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Tim Currier
GauntletRacing.com
Racing Safety Gear
877-524-2491