Is it time to replace your race suit? Let’s get you track-ready. Touchscreen is a feature, the FIA label is the approval
Conductive fingertips are genuinely handy in the paddock. They do not prove a glove is homologated, and they matter less than fit, grip and the exact wording on the cuff label.
We try these on the sort of screen you actually use. Some respond to a light tap and some want a flatter fingertip, and a screen protector changes it again. Either way the labels get checked before the phone does.
Stitching or bonding material into an approved glove changes it and can damage the protective construction. Buy the feature as part of the homologated model, which is the only version that has been tested that way.
Read the cuff labels and the holograms
The FIA clothing guidance is clear that each glove carries its own FIA label and hologram, so a pair should have two. For FIA 8856-2018 products you can compare the model and homologation number against Technical List 74 and its presentation form.
Two things people misread. The product-valid-until year on the label is not the manufacturer homologation end date, and they are frequently different. And the label on the pair in the box is the only thing that counts, not the specification on a website, because manufacturers revise ranges without changing model names.
That applies to us as much as anyone. While rebuilding this page we found one of the four gloves below is tagged on our own site with a helmet homologation instead of the clothing one. The glove is fine, the data was not, and it is being corrected.
Four FIA 8856-2018 gloves with touch-ready fingertips
All four have conductive material on the thumb and forefinger. What separates them is the palm and how much padding you want.
| Glove | Approval | Palm | Padding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco Arrow+START HERE | FIA 8856-2018 | Sparco HTX | Padded palm, vibration damping |
| Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX V4 | FIA 8856-2018 | 3D silicone print | Minimal, built for feel |
| Sparco Tide | FIA 8856-2018 and SFI 3.3/5 | 3D HTX volcano | Knuckle padding |
| Sparco Tide+ | FIA 8856-2018 | 3D HTX volcano | Knuckle padding |
The Arrow+ is the sensible starting point and the cheapest of the four. External seams, pre-curved fingers and a padded palm, which is the one to have if your car transmits a lot through the wheel. Four colourways.
The Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX V4 goes the other way. A thin 3D silicone print rather than padding, an internal seam on the thumb specifically so you can feel wheel buttons, and honeycomb aramid that breathes better than most. If you want to feel what the front axle is doing, this is the one, and it comes in more colours than anything else here.
The Tide and Tide+ are the grip-first pair. The 3D HTX palm is a raised pattern that bites on a suede or leather rim and takes the edge off vibration, and there is knuckle padding for a tight cockpit. The Tide also carries SFI 3.3/5 alongside the FIA label, which is worth knowing if you run anywhere that asks for SFI. The Tide+ is the newer version of the same idea.
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From £131.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £152.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £165.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £179.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Do not assume every colour or generation is touch-ready
Manufacturers revise glove ranges every year or two and the conductive zones are not always carried across. Check the specification for the exact model and colour you are buying, and test the actual pair where you can.
The zones are usually limited to the thumb and forefinger, so anything needing two-handed gestures or a swipe with a middle finger will not work. Screen protectors change the response, damp fingertips change it again, and a cheap glass protector is the single most common reason a glove that worked in the shop stops working in the paddock.
Bring your phone or lap timer in and try it. It takes thirty seconds and it settles the question better than any specification sheet.
Finger length matters more than paddock convenience
Try the gloves around a wheel rim, not flat on a counter. Excess fingertip material bunches under your grip and you feel it within a lap. Too short and the glove pulls between the fingers and drags at the web of your hand, which is worse.
Check the seams next. External seams sit more comfortably against the hand and are what most of these use. Check the palm material against your own wheel, because suede and leather rims behave differently under a silicone print, and check the cuff overlaps your suit sleeve properly, since that overlap is the whole point of the cuff.
Take watches and rings off before you size anything. A glove fitted over a watch is a glove that is a size too big everywhere else.
Follow the care label on the pair you bought
Clean and dry them only as the manufacturer specifies. Heat and aggressive detergents damage the flame-resistant construction and the conductive print will not survive either. After washing, look over the seams, the palm wear, any holes and both labels.
One practical note on using the feature. Take the gloves off and use the phone when it is safe and sensible to do so. The touch fingertips exist so you are not peeling gloves off while strapped in, not so you can use a screen while the car is moving or while there is live pit activity going on around you.
Touchscreen glove questions
Does touchscreen compatibility mean a glove is FIA approved?▾
No. Approval comes from the FIA label, the hologram and the technical-list entry for the exact model. Plenty of non-approved gloves have conductive fingertips.
Which touchscreen gloves do you stock?▾
Four, all FIA 8856-2018: the Sparco Arrow+, the Sparco Tide and Tide+, and the Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX V4. All have conductive thumb and forefinger.
Which one would you buy?▾
The Arrow+ if you want padding and the lowest price, the Alpinestars Tech 1-ZX V4 if you want feel through the rim, and the Tide or Tide+ if grip on a suede wheel is the priority.
Can I sew conductive thread into my existing gloves?▾
No. That modifies an approved garment and can compromise the protective construction. It also ends any argument you might have had at scrutineering.
Do both gloves need labels?▾
FIA guidance says each glove should carry its own label and hologram, so check the pair rather than just one.
Will they work with every screen?▾
Not guaranteed. Screen protectors, moisture and how flat you press all change the response, and the zones are limited to two fingertips. Bring the device you use and try it.
Do any of these carry SFI as well?▾
The Sparco Tide carries SFI 3.3/5 alongside the FIA label. If you compete anywhere that specifies SFI, that is the one to look at.
Then we check both approval labels
Bring the phone or lap timer you actually use, and your suit if you have one, so we can check the cuff overlap. We would rather compare fit and grip properly than treat touchscreen response as if it were the safety test.
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