Alpinestars vs. Sparco Kart Suit Comparison

I recently bought a used 125cc shifter kart and I’m getting ready to go racing. I needed to pick up a karting suit as Nomex race suits aren’t permitted and my OMP suit is just a little too small. This time I wanted to be sure that I got one that fit well. A friend recommended buying the cheapest $99 suit you can find since it will get oil on it. But karting suits are a fraction of the price of Nomex race suits so I went for something a little nicer. I also saw this as a test drive for the manufacturer of my next race suit.

Suits always come in European sizes. For the record, I’m 5′8″ and change and weigh 140lbs with a medium athletic build. My existing OMP race suit, which I bought used, is a size 52. Based on a comparison chart I tracked down, this is equal to Sparco 54 or Alpinestars 50. My OMP suit is just a little too short in the torso which makes it tight in the crotch, hard to take off and a little bit distracting. I wanted something better.

Sparco

Sparco makes some nice suits. They’re also pricey. I looked at the X Light K and tried on a couple of different sizes. It has strechy panels and a really nice interior and a lot of venting to keep you cool. Some of the less expensive kart suits I looked at had very rough terry cloth linings and a few of them had exterior fabrics like those puffy winter jackets you buy at REI. I couldn’t imagine that being very comfortable when it’s 100 degrees outside. The X Light K starts around $439 in a single color and $469 for bi-color. Pretty sweet suit, fit me well in size 54. I tried the Aerospeed model in size 52 (this one is more snug fitting to avoid wind drag apparently) and it felt exactly like my OMP.

Alpinestars

I went to another store and tried Alpinestars suits. I’ve heard great things about their race suits. First I tried on the K MX-5 suit. This one felt a lot different from the Sparco with more of a Cordura/snowboard pant feeling to the material. It was a little bit on the stiff side but seemed to be built nicely. The zipper was a little sticky. This was a discontinued model so it was $199. I tried on a 48 which was exactly like my OMP and the Sparco 52: too short in the torso. The size 50 was perfect.

Next I tried the top-end MX-7. The material is similar to the Sparco – more like a soft and shiny Nomex exterior instead of the stiffer nylon feel. Remember that karting suits are to protect you from abrasion, not from fire. The FIA regulations stipulate how much you can skid along the ground before you get hurt (versus how long you can be on fire before you get burned). I tried on a size 50 in this suit and it felt every so slightly smaller than the MX-5 but still fit very well. This suit has a terry cloth lining, but a comfortable one, and the zipper operated more smoothly. This one cost $249.

Purchase Decision

Ultimately I bought the MX-7. I use a pair of Alpinestars gloves for the track so I picked up a pair of Alpinestars Tech-K1 gloves in size large ($49) and also a Ribtect 2 rib protector in size 38. The size 40 was probably a little better but it didn’t have enough adjustment left when snugged down. I feel like I’m buying a bunch of gear for a junior high kid with some of these sizes. Out the door was about $560. Although I really liked the Sparco suit, I couldn’t justify the extra $200 for what was only a moderate step up in fit and finish. There is no doubt in my mind that the top-of-the-line Sparco suit is better, but it wasn’t significant enough to warrant the difference in price. I would have liked to have seen the Shift Racing suits. I wear a Shift jacket on my motorcycle and like it but couldn’t find it locally.

Some things that you can’t really test however until you use it: how hot the suit is. It may turn out that the extra venting would have been worth it when it comes around to 100F+ days in direct sun. However I’ve worn my 3-layer Nomex oven-mitt in 110F+ and it sucked. So I figure these 2-layer lightweight deals should be much better no matter how you look at it.

I’ve never driven anything besides an indoor kart so going to a six-speed shifter that can do 90mph will be a big step up from the Spec Miata. I’ll post first impressions and a list of which muscles are in intense agony after my first test drive.

Update Feb 2013: Fixed some broken links and as far as heat goes, I don’t think it matters how breathable the suit is for two reasons. One, you’re in directly exposed air when moving so you’ll get maximum cooling as a result. I suspect breathability will be similar across most suits. Two, karts are so physically demanding that you would sweat up a storm even if you were driving it naked. I completely understand why Formula 1 drivers kart in the off-season. From a physicality and reaction time perspective, there is nothing like it.