Fia Fire Suit Ratings

Since the fia and sfi rating are equal will i be allowed to use my current driving suit or should i start shopping for a new one.

Fia fire suit ratings.

Used in sanctioning bodies like nhra and nascar the sfi foundation s racing suit specification 3 2a tests a material s fire retardant capabilities. It is certified through sfi spec 3 3 for driver accessories and undergoes the same tpp and flammability tests as the driver suit outerwear. The standard spec for racing suits is 3 2a or 3 2a 1. That is why northstar motorsports only sells multi layer suits made from nomex and we highly recommend either a three layer suit with an fia 8856 2000 rating or a two or three layer suit with an sfi 3 2a 5 rating for all types of racing.

Northstar also carries single layer nomex suits which we recommend for use only as over the wall crew suits. This is the link to the suit that i have. Tpp rating can vary within an sfi rating for example sfi 3 2a 5 rated suits commonly called sfi 5 are available with tpp ratings anywhere from 19 to 26 depending on the number of layers and the fire retardant material used to construct the suit. Sfi ratings are determined by the results of several tests conducted on racing suits for fire retardant capabilities and thermal protective performance tpp.

Fire resistant underwear should be worn with every type of driver suit especially single layer suits because it will double the minimum protection time 3 seconds. For that reason it s important to know your sanctioning body s requirement for sfi united states or fia international ratings. I have a fia 8856 2000 driving suit which should be equal to or better than a sfi 3 2a 5 rated suit. The standard spec for racing suits is 3 2a or 3 2a 1.

The only way to increase a tpp rating is through adding multiple layers. Tpp rating can vary within an sfi rating for example sfi 3 2a 5 rated suits commonly called sfi 5 are available with tpp ratings anywhere from 19 to 26 depending on the number of layers and the fire retardant material used to construct the suit. Superior construction will yield ratings of 3 2a 3 and 3 2a 5. If using a single layer sfi 3 2 a1 or 3 2 a3 suit the driver must also wear fire retardant sfi or fia certified undergarments.

Multilayer suits rated sfi 3 2 a5 or higher are highly recommended and may be worn without undergarments there are no mentions of fia approved suits in the official rules. The 3 2a rating does not include underwear. Sfi ratings are determined by the results of several tests conducted on racing suits for fire retardant capabilities and thermal protective performance tpp. The fire industry association fia is pleased to announce the launch of our new level 3 qualification on bs 5839 6 fia ao fundamentals of fire detection and alarm systems in domestic premises.