Driving accessories

[Kai]

All the talk of cars on the general chat forum has got me to thinking about car accessories. I have accumulated some clothing/accessory items that make the driving experience a little more fun, and hopefully more stylish. In the glove box: Â Driving gloves. Â Better grip on the wheel (especially when you're hands are sweating because you're driving a bit faster than you should.) Â By far the nicest I've seen are by Pickett. Â I visited the Dunhill store and have checked out other driving gloves, but ended up investing in the Picketts in the end. Â Deerskin palms, peccary backs, and very intricate and beautiful hand stitching. Â Available in a number of colors, I chose the two tone light/dark tan. Â My bargain ebay peccary gloves from Peccary Peru are also fun. Â 1/5 the price of the Picketts. Â They don't have the intricate stitching on the open knuckles like the Picketts, but are some pretty nice gloves for the money. In the console: Three pair of Sunglasses: Â Small lenses for when the top is up, larger wayfarer frames for when the top is down (better wind/sun protection) and a pair of "Waldo Pepper" goggles for when I'm driving way too fast with the top down. On my feet: Driving shoes. Â Cole Haan driving mocs. Â Nice casual look, close fitting, sensitive, with a nice grippy sole and heel. Â Piloti driving shoes. Â Look a bit strange, but very comfortable, with a Nomex lining, and a specially constructed forefoot area which makes them nice for heel and toe pedal work. Â On my head: A baseball cap. Â Gotta keep the sun off of my poor bald head when I'm tooling around with the top down in the hot, high-altitude sun. Â Lastly, for when I'm driving faster than I really should, I've got the full fireproof set up. My wife mocks me for getting a fully color coordinated suit, complete with gloves and red shoes (there's no place like home, there's no place like home), but hey, when you are perennially fighting for last place, you got to at least look good. Â Puts a smile on my face, just knowing that if my car explodes, I can sit in the flaming wreckage for up to 17 seconds without getting burned. Â (might come in useful for style forum flame wars too.) Â Â So, am I taking the whole driving thing too far? Â My wife certainly thinks so, and mocks my driving gloves. Â Is driving an activity that deserves special style? Â Anyone else out there with favorite driving accessories, or am I just a throwback longing for the heyday of the 1960's sports car craze? Â Â

 

[j]

Nice kit. I admit to having driving gloves and some driving mocs as well, although I bought the shoes because I liked the look and comfort. They are good to drive in, though. I recently got a pair of Cole Haan Air Venturas to wear around with jeans and such and they are much better to drive in. I've managed to learn to "heel/toe" in every kind of shoes I have, though. I justify having the gloves because I have a large steel ball for my shifter knob and it gets freezing cold and blazing hot depending on the weather. And my Ray-Bans which are kind of a square aviator style with thin metal frame I did buy in large part for driving because my Persols have a blind spot with their thick plastic earpieces. Hmm.. the red and black Pilotis would match my gloves perfectly. Where did you get them? I tried on a pair when I bought the Cole Haans and didn't really like the fit, but they were the clunky suede ones that look like bad skater shoes. I was also hoping to try the low-cut white style here:

And the Seattle Nordstrom apparently got them a while back but no longer carries them. They are more for casual wear and I don't think they have the Nomex but I like them.

 

[dah328]

what kind of car and where do you use the nomex suit and helmet?  i'll be at summit point in west virginia next weekend for a 3-day track school with my bmw 325is.  the helmet's mandatory, but the only nomex i wear is a balaclava.  i figure i've probably got lots of other problems if i'm suddenly in need of the fire-resistant properties of nomex.

dan

 

[rothko]

kai,

Are the small sunglasses Nikons?

I've been looking for a pair like that for a while.

 

[Kai]

kai, Are the small sunglasses Nikons? Â I've been looking for a pair like that for a while.

Yes, they are Nikons. They are available (relatively) cheap at Sierra Trading Post. They have great lenses and are light and comfortable. Several styles available: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq....uct.htm http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq....uct.htm http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq....uct.htm http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq....uct.htm http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq....uct.htm

 

[Kai]

what kind of car and where do you use the nomex suit and helmet? Â i'll be at summit point in west virginia next weekend for a 3-day track school with my bmw 325is. Â the helmet's mandatory, but the only nomex i wear is a balaclava. Â i figure i've probably got lots of other problems if i'm suddenly in need of the fire-resistant properties of nomex. dan

I drive a 04 Dodge Viper. I use the suit occasionally at the track (fast tracks only, like Pueblo, PPIR or La Junta) The suit is 3 layer, and really really hot in the Summer time, particularly because I'm typically wearing it with full length nomex underwear. I lose a lot of liquid after an hour on the track in that suit. Hopefully, I'll never have to test it's fire resistant properties. Currently, I'm getting ready for my first open road race this August in Nebraska. Perhaps the Silver State next Fall. Going to Pike's Peak International in two weeks for a sports car club event. J: The best place to get a good selection of Pilotis is from a racing store. You can also get them at good prices on ebay occasionally. My Pilotis fit me quite well, but I've got pretty wide feet (E width) I like those white ones, (I think they're the "Mulholland" model) I just haven't seen them on sale yet. Perhaps Nordstrom has some sort of exclusive right now. To be honest, the nomex liner is a little bit silly in a casual driving shoe. Unless you are wearing a nomex suit, etc., a normal leather shoe will likely be the most fire-resistant item of clothing you are wearing for casual driving. When I'm driving seriously, I don't wear my Pilotis, I wear my silly looking red high-tops. Glad to see some other enthusiasts on the forum. http://www.speedwaremotorsports.com/clothing/piloti.asp http://www.autosportcatalog.com/inde...id/778/sc/2737 http://johnsonshotrodshop.com/Merchan....=PILOTI http://www.foxvalleymotorcars.com/drivingshoes.html

 

[j]

Speedware is pretty close to me and I've been there. I'll have to go back sometime and check out their shoe selection. Nordstrom doesn't have those anymore and Piloti hasn't updated their site lately to reflect that. Nordstrom will order them though and they have a good return policy, so I might try that.

dah328: what year is your is? I have a '94 and love it. I'd love to take it on a track sometime but it definitely isn't fast enough to break out the Nomex. I'd have to put harder tires on it to drive it properly on a track though, as my 225 yokos are too sticky for the (low) power that it has. Unless it's damp it's pretty hard to get the tires to break loose properly.

 

[dah328]

dah328: what year is your is? I have a '94 and love it. I'd love to take it on a track sometime but it definitely isn't fast enough to break out the Nomex. I'd have to put harder tires on it to drive it properly on a track though, as my 225 yokos are too sticky for the (low) power that it has. Unless it's damp it's pretty hard to get the tires to break loose properly.

mine's a 1988 which is the previous model (e30 chassis).  before i moved to nyc, i had an M3 which could, as you put it, break the tires loose rather easily.  i have an upgraded suspension on my current car and am actually running 225/50/15 yokohama AVS-ES100 tires.  they're sticky, cheap, and handle pretty well at the track.

your car is a great-handling, solid car.  with a skilled driver, it's plenty fast, too.  at the track, it's about how fast you are in the corners, not how much horsepower you have to drag race down the straightaways.  you should definitely try it some time although i must warn you that it's rather habit-forming.

regards,

dan

 

[j]

I have the exact same tires. And in fact, I have an 87 325i that I don't drive anymore so I know the e30 pretty well. It actually handles better than the e36 in my opinion and with upgraded suspension probably a lot better. I do (on the e36) have the sport package (a little lower and stiffer) and the LSD so it's as good as it will get stock. When the $4800 magically falls into my lap out of nowhere I will put an ESS supercharger in it and then it will be worth taking to the track. Until then I will have to be content blowing away Geo Metros in the corners.

 

[Timothy]

Kai are those red hightops by Sabelt? I've been interested in picking up a pair for a while, though have yet come across anywhere that sells them. The driving shoes I do have are 2 pairs of mocs by Prada and by Tod's. I also have a pair of gloves I love which are from Saks (don't know who made them for Saks though). They have tan leather palms but the top of the gloves are woven thick threads of off-white cotton which is a great feature because it allows my hands to breathe better and less sweating. Plus the fit is perfect, almost like a second skin.

 

[Kai]

Kai are those red hightops by Sabelt? I've been interested in picking up a pair for a while, though have yet come across anywhere that sells them. The driving shoes I do have are 2 pairs of mocs by Prada and by Tod's. I also have a pair of gloves I love which are from Saks (don't know who made them for Saks though). They have tan leather palms but the top of the gloves are woven thick threads of off-white cotton which is a great feature because it allows my hands to breathe better and less sweating. Plus the fit is perfect, almost like a second skin.

The red high-tops are made by eXtreme racewear. They are pretty much a no-name brand, but they were cheap (less than 1/2 the cost of Sparcos) and fit well. They meet FIA fire resistant standards. I picked them up online at: http://www.troyerracecars.com I used to have a pair of string-back driving gloves that you describe, back in the days when I drove a Triumph Spitfire. Made me feel very British. I haven't seen a pair of string-backs in a while. I went to the Tods outlet store a few months back looking for some driving mocs. Couldn't find anything in my size that I liked. I'm due for another trip down there to check again. I like their shoes, but just can't bring myself to buy them at full price.

 

[NavyStyles]

The extent of my driving wear:

Sunglasses
- Brown tinted aviators
- Black oval-shaped Kenneth Coles

Driving gloves (because the shifter and steering wheel heat up easily).