Driver Suit Care

[Sheldon Potter]

Howdy – OK, there’s a nice new Sparco Imola suit sitting in my growing pile of karting stuff.

Question is, what’s the best way to:
– …protect it from oil, gas, various other fluids like beer, grime, etc.? Sparco site says Scotchguard it – really? What about this Molecule Labs “Protector” stuff (http://www.moleculelabs.com/Products.html) or other products?

– …clean it: Sparco site says cold hand wash (or in delicate cycle, cold) with soap like Woolite, air dry (inside out for faster drying)? How often, in general?

Also:

– What about shrinkage when washing/drying? This suit seems just about exactly right as is, don’t need no steenking shrinkage.

– For kart seats with mounting hardware exposed on the driver’s side, what kind of wear and tear on the suit can I expect? How best to protect against that?

Any other care and feeding tips?

Thanks!

Sheldon

[Jeff Welch]

@sjpkarter wrote:

Question is, what’s the best way to:
– …protect it from oil, gas, various other fluids like beer, grime, etc.? Sparco site says Scotchguard it – really? What about this Molecule Labs “Protector” stuff (http://www.moleculelabs.com/Products.html) or other products?

Take it off when you work on the kart. I’ve never used a treatment. The other important thing is to always run a chain guard and keep the spinning parts clean. The easiest way to get your suit dirty while driving is to have oil flying off the axle/chain onto your suit. Also, any dirt/grime/grease in your seat will end up on your suit. Put a rag in the bottom if you like to put parts and tools in the seat when working on the kart, and clean the inside of the seat regularly.

@sjpkarter wrote:

– …clean it: Sparco site says cold hand wash (or in delicate cycle, cold) with soap like Woolite, air dry (inside out for faster drying)? How often, in general?

Whenever it’s dirty/sweaty. In general, every race weekend. Sometimes after every day of driving. I’ve always just used a machine for both washing and drying. Kart suits are made of a burly fabric, so I’ve never seen the need to treat them like a delicate wool or whatever.

@sjpkarter wrote:

– What about shrinkage when washing/drying? This suit seems just about exactly right as is, don’t need no steenking shrinkage.

I’ve never had a suit shrink.

@sjpkarter wrote:

– For kart seats with mounting hardware exposed on the driver’s side, what kind of wear and tear on the suit can I expect? How best to protect against that?

I’ve never seen much of any wear on the suit directly from the mounting hardware.

[JOHN BRADLEY]

RULE #1:DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE BEER!
RULE #2:DON’T WEAR IT; IT WON’T GET DIRTY!
RULE #3:IF IT DOES GET DIRTY, GET A CAN OF “GOOP”. RUB IT INTO THE WHOLE SUIT-LIKE THE WHOLE CAN. PUT SUIT IN ‘CLEAN’ TRASH BAG OVER NIGHT. WASH IN COLD WATER’W/ LAUNDRY DETERGENT & AIR DRY. WORKS AS GOOD AS ANYTHING I’VE TRIED!
JOHN BRADLEY

[cgordon]

Sheldon,

My first karting suit was a Sparco Imola. It lasted for 3 seasons before it wore out. The webbing under under the arms gave out after repeated washing and use. I also had the collar replaced after 2 years because it wore where it rubbed against my helmet/neck collar. My wife used Spray ‘n Wash to get grease stains out and that worked pretty well. The suit performed well in protecting me in a crash – no abrasions.

Charles

[Sheldon Potter]

Thanks everybody!

Sheldon

[Author]

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