Broken zipper on my driving suit - replace with?

[4mulaGuy]

OK, let's skip right past the jokes here... The zipper on my suit is broken and I would like to replace it rather than buying a new suit - at the moment (need new belts, bead seat, aim dash, etc...)

Can I buy a good generic metal zipper with cotton edging and have a local alteration shop put it in? Or is the fabric edging of the zipper on a nomex suit made of Nomex? I would think it should be. If that is the case, where do I find such zippers? I know Pegasus has nomex thread.

[Charles Warner]

How old is the suit?

[carnut169]

there was a nice stand 21 suit listed recently and the seller send me a picture of it... $200 was the asking price.

[hbennett]

OK, let's skip right past the jokes here... The zipper on my suit is broken and I would like to replace it rather than buying a new suit - at the moment (need new belts, bead seat, aim dash, etc...)

Can I buy a good generic metal zipper with cotton edging and have a local alteration shop put it in? Or is the fabric edging of the zipper on a nomex suit made of Nomex? I would think it should be. If that is the case, where do I find such zippers? I know Pegasus has nomex thread.

Yes, the tape or edging on the zipper is nomex. What brand of suit? Most manufacturers will repair their suits for a fee unless it is determined to be a manufacturer defect, then it would be for free.

Howard Bennett
HANS Performance

[EYERACE]

if the suit is getting fairly old, its protection effect has reduced with time. i had the zipper go on a suit pushing 10 yrs old [probably used in near 100 races and washed who knows how many times], replaced it with a new suit and had a small fire in the car under my left thigh the very next time out - the new suit worked just the way it was supposed to do, i got warm but not burned - i'll never know if the old suit would have worked as well. the new suit was repaired after the fire.

Thank you John Robinson II for the advice to replace the old suit!

[Charles Warner]

Not only will the ability to protect a driver diminish with time/wahings/cleanings but the advancement in technology almost makes replacing a suit every 5 years or so mandatory. Skip the AIM and buy a new suit. It's better to wonder what your cornering Gs are than to know you were pulling 1.5 Gs when your fanny got burned. To paraphrase the old helmet adage . . . . . if you have a ten dollar tush then get a ten dollar suit.

[hbennett]

Not only will the ability to protect a driver diminish with time/wahings/cleanings but the advancement in technology almost makes replacing a suit every 5 years or so mandatory. Skip the AIM and buy a new suit. It's better to wonder what your cornering Gs are than to know you were pulling 1.5 Gs when your fanny got burned. To paraphrase the old helmet adage . . . . . if you have a ten dollar tush then get a ten dollar suit.

FR cotton will diminish over, say, 50 washings. Doesn't last as long as nomex but relatively inexpensive to replace. Some of the modern FR cotton suits have a higher TPP rating than some of the modern nomex suits. Nomex is more expensive but a lot more durable. If it is an old suit that is visibly worn or thin in areas from wear, get a new one. Any suits fire retardency will diminish with oil stains and such.

Howard Bennett
HANS Performance

[Maureen Harris]

If after considering the previous advice you still want to just replace the zipper, here's the contact information for VAS Enterprises:

http://www.vasracingsuits.com/shop/ContactUs.asp

Victor is a tailor who has made several custom suits for us, altered an existing suit for a friend (sewed in side panels to accommodate his "growth" ), and also does repairs.

[Daryl DeArman]

Definately go with the nomex cloth/metal zipper sewn with nomex thread.

Chemically treated fabrics (such as Proban) will deteriorate with washings and time.

Nomex suits deteriorate with contamination....not so much with age or washings.

The FIA and SFI standards both require sample materials to have been laundered more times than most suits get cleaned in 5 years or more. If the suit still looks good and it is nomex, don't bother replacing if the seams, cuffs and other closures are in great shape.

Use the money to improve your seat. AIM system is cool, but get all the safety stuff up to par first.

[4mulaGuy]

Thanks for the advice. The suit is about 8-10 years old. I bought it used (probably one season) off the Lotus GT1 Team when they were here in Monterey for the season ender. It is a very nice 3 layer suit, no branding label just the FIA stitching on the back. My guess is it was custom made for the driver.

It is a bit black in the seat area - from the seat in his car (I hope!), but otherwise relatively clean.

I know it should be replaced, but I was hoping to wait till the end of the season (I have one more race) and pick up a really nice (pro racer) used one or closeout of 2007 model - for a good savings.

BTW, the reason I need the AIM, is that my PI II does not display RPM and now other sensors are failing - water temp, etc.

I will see what the cost of replacing nomex zipper and weigh against buying a new suit now.

Thanks again!

- Rob

[Charles Warner]

I know it should be replaced, but . . . . .

What is wrong with this statement?

[Jean-Sebastien Stoezel]

This is a rather old thread, but I thought I would share my experience. The zipper on my suit broke last week-end at the race track. I was about to order Nomex thread and a zipper to have the suit repaired, but thought I'd go to the clothing repair shop at the end of my street to check first.

Instead of replacing the whole zipper they just replaced the slider. Looks like I could have done it myself, but for $18 they did a good job separating the zipper and reassembling it.

[TimH]

VAS Enterprises:
http://www.vasracingsuits.com/shop/ContactUs.asp

Over the years my size has changed to the point I no longer need a custom suit and so lost track of Victor. Back in the day he did really nice work and must certainly have a Nomex replacement for anything somebody might need.

Nice to see he's still in business.