Hey guys thanks for all of the answers to questions but had a new one just bought my first kart (206) and need some safety equipment whats about the cheapest helmet suit and rib protector that wont get me killed lol Thanks!
Zamp is a good place for reasonably priced safety equipment, minus a rib protector. There I wouldn’t skimp, spend the money on a Bengio or Stilo or similar.
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Check your track requirement requirement fist, some track might have used for sale too. Does helmet need to have a Snell ratings? Does suit have to be FIA certified? Normally rib protector is not required, but highly recommended and highly recommend to not cheap out, get a Bengio, ribtek and etc.
I think K1 makes the least expensive suits/gloves.
Another alternative is to prowl the clearances of the online retailers.
I had a zamp helmet that was okay but did ride up a fair bit in the wind, suits I’m honestly not too knowledgeable on, but if you can find it the bengio base rib protector is awesome. I found mine for $60
+1 on Zamp stuff. My sons and I have their helmets and love them for their value. When we first started, we got K1 beginner packs from karting warehouse (https://www.kartingwarehouse.com/k1-entry-level-karting-package). They’re affordable to start, before getting a full-on suit.
Also agree that you should get a good rib protector, like a Bengio.
You can probably find a great deal on used gear as well, looking through Fb marketplace.
i’m about as budget as it gets. most track safety regulations are pretty similar, as i’ve raced a few, under a few different organizations.
my helmet is snell approved, i forget which spec, but it’s a lower priced zamp. everybody’s head is a little different, and this particular zamp fits me well. i’ve had a budget racequip, and it rode up on me. i have an evs (i think that’s what it is) neck brace. it’s pretty small, and fairly cheap. no suit, i wear some levi’s and a $50ish RaceQuip jacket. i did splurge on the one level up from cheapest RaceQuip shoes. rib protectors, you might be able to find some used, like i did. and for gloves, i used some mechanix grip gloves. the gloves really work well. i’ve never been flagged by any officials for insufficient safety gear. the jacket and the gloves tend to wear out after a bit, i get about a season and a half on the gloves before the grip stuff wears off the palms, and the jacket has worn out after about 4 seasons. wore through in a few places on my back, but my rib protector covers it, once i’m suited up.
Several people have mentioned helmet riding up.
What does that mean? The from is l moving up and blocking your vision?
This is because of the aero dynamics of the helmet and the location of the chin strap attachment point or?
For shoe I just use clearance puma shoe. The Puma Ferrari or BMW thin sole shoe.
Depending on your local series equipment restrictions, I do know some people who really like to run wrestling shoes.
I think what is meant is that the inner shape of helmet and the head aren’t quite right and instead of staying level, the helmet chin basically rides up. Helmets are different shapes. Arai, for example, makes a couple different head shapes.
LONG OVAL (very long front-to-back, very narrow side-to-side). On this end of the scale, we have the Signet-Qmodel, offering additional forehead room for those who find that most helmets have pressure points in the forehead.
INTERMEDIATE OVAL (a little shorter front-to-back and a little wider side-to-side than the Long Oval). This next fit package comes in the Corsair V, XD-4, Vector and Vector 2 models, which begins the shift from oblong towards round.
INTERMEDIATE ROUND OVAL (even a little shorter front-to-back and a little wider side-to-side). This next fit package is represented by the RX-Q. While the “roundness” is not dramatic like an HJC or Nolan helmet it is a slightly more round and forgiving fit for more Touring applications and wider brows. The RX-Q is Arai’s newest most comfortable shape which should fit even more of a range of riders more perfectly.
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Go to the biggest motorcycle shop near you (in SoCal that’s Chaparral Powersports) and try on all of the $100-$150 helmets and all of the discount-bin dirtbike gloves. One of them will fit you.
Unfortunately, you have two choices for rib protection: buy a Bengio, or lose more money to lost time at work than a Bengio would’ve cost. The other ribvests all seem to work at first and then there’s the one day it’s hot and the rubber goes down and the bumps feel bigger and…
Three choices: Stilo Carbon Curva
I switched from a Bengio and I’ll never go back. Same or better protection and even more comfortable to me. They’re pricey, tho.
Helmet: As was explained to me the first time I went helmet shopping, "if you have a $10 melon, get a $10 helmet. Despite this after 20 years of karting I finally bought an Arai last year. Man, it is nice – comfort, great fit, and light. I got a motorcycle one – came with nice graphics so did not need to paint it.
Suit – tons of options. I like my Urace suit (disclaimer - I built their website). Tailor fit and custom design for not a lot of money. Also, very lightweight so not hot during the summer when I do 80% of my driving. I used it on a 48 degree day recently and it was fine. I was only going 206 speed though.
Here is Urace’s site - Urace.us
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Try on helmets before buying them. They are all different shapes/sizes, and spending an extra $100 to get a helmet that fits you better is totally worth it.
Don’t cheap out on a rib protector, cheap ones make everything worse. Get a bengio.
You should be fine with a cheaper set of gloves as long as they aren’t some Chinese knockoff
I’m a student too so you know I’m gonna spend as little money as possible. But those are things that were worth splurging on. In the grand scheme of things safety gear doesn’t cost much compared to actually racing, yet it’s something you’re gonna wear every time you race, and you will notice the difference between cheap stuff and expensive stuff.
If you get one extra day out of a pair of tires than you’ve just covered the cost difference between a bengio rib protector and a cheap one
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I recommend the Armadillo rib protector. They aren’t super expensive, and I’m on my 5th season with mine. My ribs love the Armadillo.
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i have the top one, picked it up used, with really no wear, for about $75 on ebay. you could probably do just fine with the lower one, that just protects your ribs.
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Ok thanks! I’ll do that
What class do you run?
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LO206 Masters, at tracks in the Cincinnati, OH area. I did wear it the one day I raced KA100, no issues with the higher speeds, either.