Three different approvals sit on our glove shelves and they are not interchangeable: FIA 8856-2018 for cars, FIA 8877-2022 for karting, and Non-FIA. How to tell which you need, then how to size them.
OMP has added three hand held extinguishers this year, running from £80 to £298. They are all FIA and Motorsport UK approved, and they contain three completely different things. Cameron on which agent belongs in a cockpit and which belongs in the workshop.
The kit you actually need for a first track day, what can wait, and why the brake fluid matters more than the race suit. Three budgets worked through, from the trade counter.
BC Racing covers 29 Suzuki fitments across 19 models, from the classic Swift through to the current ZCEDS generation. The Jimny JB64W is listed twice for good reason.
What FIA 8856-2018 is and what it replaced, why an SFI suit will not pass where FIA is required, what the layer count really changes, and the full price ladder from £192 to £1,245.60.
Sparco and OMP suits use the same numbered ladder, but OMP set each chest band about a centimetre higher. Boots are identical between the two. Gloves run the other way. The measurements, and how to read them.
A HANS relies on harness shoulder straps to hold it down, so it cannot work with a standard three point belt. What the yoke needs, what the Simpson Hybrid S changes, and the order to buy things in.
The five decisions behind a race helmet in the order they arrive: standard, full face or open face, shell material, intercom provision and size, with the full price ladder from £309.60.
Nissan is our biggest hub range at 84 kits. B-G stop at the R33 Skyline and the 350Z is MOMO only. Here is what fits what.
OMP now lists ten plumbed-in fire extinguisher systems and the names look like a random string of letters. They are not. Cameron decodes FAL, SAL, SST and the 6 and 7 suffix, and works out what an alloy bottle actually buys you.
The three decisions behind an FHR: the 20 or 30 degree recline angle, the collar measurement that sets your size, and the posts, tethers and clips that connect it to your helmet.
A customer asked whether he needs a 6x74mm boss for his Personal wheel or a spacer. The answer depends which M3 he has. Here are the two bolt patterns, which hubs are drilled for both, and the two spacer sizes that will not do the job.
Not sure what fits, which approval you need, or what to choose next? Ask Garreth and Cameron. You’ll get a practical answer from people who handle the kit every day.
