Cool suit/helmet idea.... Options

[Steve91T]

Sometimes I like to reinvent the wheel, I don't know why.

So I hate being hot. Worst thing is wearing a helmet where I can't feel air on my face. I can't imagine what it's going to be like with a full racing suit. So my plan is to buy a G Force helmet with an air hose attachment and my wife can make a shirt with fish tank hose running through it.

I then want to mount a removable cooler of some sort in the car with a drain valve. I'm going to use the windshield washer pump as the water pump for the shirt.

So, another idea I have is instead of ducting air hot air from outside, I'm was thing I'd rather have cold air go through my helmet. I'm going to mount a small fan on the side of the cooler, pulling air from inside the car, through the cooler, then suffer through my helmet. I imagine sitting in the car staging, everyone else will be roasting, and i can flip a switch and be comfortable. I'm pretty sure I can make this whole set up for very little. I would image just a few lbs of ice and water would last the length of a race.

What do you guys use and how well do they work? What about weight?

[roy]

I hot lap with hthe AC on. But you hard core racers want to lose that weight.

[Steve91T]

This is for a CMC car. AC is already gone.

[tonycook]

Don't think the windshield washer pump will be close to adequate.

[Steve91T]

Don't think the windshield washer pump will be close to adequate.

Really? Not enough GPH?

[Blainefab]

The Cool Shirt line of products will do everything you want. I've put them in several cars, they are as light as possible, simple to install, and have not had to replace a pump yet.

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merc...ategory_Code=CS

[Steve91T]

The Cool Shirt line of products will do everything you want. I've put them in several cars, they are as light as possible, simple to install, and have not had to replace a pump yet.

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merc...ategory_Code=CS

I'm sure it's great stuff, but look at those price tags. I'm talking about something I could build for a tenth of the cost, and still work pretty well. Unfortunately the heaviest part if these cooling systems is the ice and water, and there's no way around that.

[CrashTestDummy]

The Cool Shirt line of products will do everything you want. I've put them in several cars, they are as light as possible, simple to install, and have not had to replace a pump yet.

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merc...ategory_Code=CS

I'm sure it's great stuff, but look at those price tags. I'm talking about something I could build for a tenth of the cost, and still work pretty well. Unfortunately the heaviest part if these cooling systems is the ice and water, and there's no way around that.

Yeah, but what's your time worth? And then what's your time worth to troubleshoot? And when the thing doesn't work, you're still hauling all that extra weight around, wearing an extra layer of clothing.

I've looked and looked at the DIY coolshirts, especially the one the Spec Miata guy has posted up on the intarwebs, but haven't built one yet. I do have the quick disconnects, but may just bite the bullet and buy a Cool Shirt and then try to fab up a spare shirt, or two for my wife and I. I'm thinking that's where the economy can come in.

I'll spend my fabrication time working on the new front panels and duct work for the Dummy. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/2thumbs.gif)

But that's just me.

[Steve91T]

If I had the money, I'd definitely buy one, but I don't. I was hoping to be working towards my comp license right now, but I don't even have a cage in the car. I should be able to race the 2013 season though. So, that gives me the winter to keep prepping the car.

[mesospeedy]

You could just make a shirt with some slots sewn on to it and then just get some of those re freezable cooler pouches or similar to put in before you start the race. They won't melt completely in a short CMC race. Probably wouldn't even have to be completely frozen. If you use it for an endurance race though, they might melt and the water will get hot.....not comfortable! Years ago they gave us some kind of military vest thing to try on the race crew. It had freezer pouches that went in pockets all around it to go under the fire suit. I can't elaborate on the design though, I wasn't working the particular race this happened at, just got a rundown from the other guys. They said it was great for a short time but if you didn't change the pouches when the started warming it would get unbearably hot! Just a thought, I'm sure a redneck version could be fabed up on the cheap.

[souseless]

I have tried a few homemade things to stay cool. The cool shirt can be great. For a pump we used a marine bilge pump mounted on a cooler. Large blocks of ice worked best. Cubes were too cold and didn't last long enough (for endurance racing). We froze water in plastic bottles and then cut the plastic off and dropped in the ice. Two reasons for that. we started off leaving the ice in the bottles but the labels were falling apart and plugging up the pump. The other problem was that as the ice melted in the bottle the water acted like an insulator and the water going through the shirt would warm up. tried ice packs a few times and that worked for a while and would likely be fine for sprint races. The key to the cool shirt and the ice pack shirt is to make sure that they stay close to the skin. A regular t shirt really doesn't work.

[CrashTestDummy]

You could just make a shirt with some slots sewn on to it and then just get some of those re freezable cooler pouches or similar to put in before you start the race. They won't melt completely in a short CMC race. Probably wouldn't even have to be completely frozen. If you use it for an endurance race though, they might melt and the water will get hot.....not comfortable! Years ago they gave us some kind of military vest thing to try on the race crew. It had freezer pouches that went in pockets all around it to go under the fire suit. I can't elaborate on the design though, I wasn't working the particular race this happened at, just got a rundown from the other guys. They said it was great for a short time but if you didn't change the pouches when the started warming it would get unbearably hot! Just a thought, I'm sure a redneck version could be fabed up on the cheap.

We use the freezable cooling packs a lot. My wife works at a hospital, and they throw the things out by the bucketful. We have all sorts of sizes and shapes. The freezer in our garage is completely full of them. When we autocross, we use the thin but wide ones. They go behind the driver, and work wonderfully for the minute, or so you're behind the wheel. For our LeMons races, where we'll be driving for an hour or so, we use the largest ones that will fit in the pockets of our firesuits. They also help wedge us into seats that are usually too big (for me, at least). Those do a nice job unless it's oppressively-hot outside. We will also throw a couple at the driver when they first get out of their car and get their suit off. They help cool the driver down.

They are also good for first-aid, when we get overheated drivers at our autocross events. It gets terribly hot and humid in Southeast Texas, and we occasionally get drivers who haven't stayed hydrated and are doing stressful stuff like changing tires and such. Put one under each armpit, between the legs (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) and on the bottoms of the feet, and you can cool someone down quickly.

Oh yeah, and they're great for keeping your food and water cool and not have everything floating around in a pool of water.

[CrashTestDummy]

If you're going to do a DIY shirt setup, here's about the best source I've found online:

http://roocox.blogspot.com/2009/04/diy-cool-shirt.html

He lists part numbers and shows pictures of his installation. Great article.

[mitchntx]

Once in a lifetime offer ...
I have two cool suit shirts.

One is a Cool Shirt brand - 2X - short sleeve - blue - extended quick disconnects.
$100

The other is a FAST brand - 2X - sleeveless - UnderX/CarbonX - black - extended, low resistance, quick disconnects
$200

Both shirts were washed and put away after every race weekend.

I'm sure I can get them in a flat rate box, but whatever shipping expenses there are I would want you to cover.

You can't source the tubing and fittings for that.


A bilge pump works great!
I fouled up and tossed a couple water bottles in my cool suit chest.
The water loosened the labels and the glue got in the pump.
Replaced it with a bilge pump and it was great.

[Pony Exp.305]

Nice DIY cool shirt (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)