I am looking into getting some race gear.

I was looking at a Sparco Sprint 6 suit, Land gloves, HJC helmet (the 300 dollar one), but am not sure about shoes. Any experience with these?

Has anyone used Sparco Race or Slalom shoes? The price gap is pretty big and I wonder if it's worth the difference...

Is there any significant difference between brands of balaclava? Which type is the most comfortable.

 

Go try helmets on at a race gear shop or vendor at a track before buying. They all fit differently. And particular head shapes work much better in some than others. For instance, HJC and Sparco helmets dont fit me well at all, same with gforce but simpson and bell helmets fit me great.

I know a guys that wear simpson and sparco shoes and like them both.

I personally prefer sparco gloves.

G-force makes the budget stuff. It's still decent gear in most respects. I wouldnt cheap out on helmet, belts, or head and neck restraints. But the other gear get what is comfortable and affordable and meets the rules. The FIA and SFI tags take care of the work of making sure you have minimum fire protection.

 

I am only coming home to the US for two or three weeks, and there's no race shops near where I live, nor am I planning on going to any race weekends, so I think my only choice is to just use an online shop with a good return policy.

I admit I am choosing mainly Sparco stuff because of vanity reasons...hehe

Shoes don't matter as much, but I would like something that is comfortable and not too wide since I may (10% chance) be driving formula cars next year... well, once or twice as the most.

I was disappointed to learn that Arai's racing helmets are much cheaper in Japan ($600 or so), but they're not the same as the ones sold in the US... they're designed for people with bowling ***** for heads.

I'm hoping I won't have to buy my own HANS, but if I do, it would probably be the new adjustable one, since it's good for any kind of car.

 

I also wonder if the Pro Cup X is worth the extra 10-20 bucks over the Sprint. It's got gusseted sleeves, which I want, but I'd prefer a solid color.

I just realized it wasn't FIA approved...which I think I would need.

 

I wonder if the Bell Vortex GT is worth the extra $200 over the HJC...