So I'm taking a run at some TT this year, but this requires a pair of leather or SFI rated gloves. I might as well go SFI considering the price gap isn't too far from the basics. The question is which gloves in the $100 range do you recommend AND are colors like red or blue distracting while on track? My interior is all black, so I'm afraid any bright color may be a form of distraction to the eye. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
I've raced with bright red gloves for years, and don't find them distracting at all, even in the Fox which has a really high steering wheel.
I like them because they make it easy for other drivers to see hand signals, and they also make it really easy to critique your hand movements when you're reviewing in-car video.
I also have red gloves. Never notice them. I have developed an afinity for gloves with the finger seams on the outside. That's my only real preference.
I like outside seam gloves. However, I keep ending up with alpinestars midrange glove (about 100$). They last about a year before I tear a seem in the palm.
Steering wheel covering also makes a difference. I have two pairs of gloves, suede grip and leather grip. If the wheel is suede, suede grip gloves. Leather wheel, leather grip gloves. I have found if leather on suede things can get slippery and vice versa. Just something to keep in mind.
wvumtnbkr said:I like outside seam gloves. However, I keep ending up with alpinestars midrange glove (about 100$). They last about a year before I tear a seem in the palm.
Exactly same here - I've gone through 3 pairs of the Tech-1 line, and keep going back because they fit me so well and the price point is good for me.
So I've done the higher end Sparco gloves in addition to my basic G-force gloves. While the higher end glove felt nicer when you put them on, once I start driving I can't say that I noticed either way.
I do likely brightly colored gloves as they are indeed more noticeable when pointing people by. As I race slower classes in my run groups, I do a lot of pointing people by.
I've been using the Racequip 351 glove for a couple of years and like them. Good grip, comfortable, and easy on/off. Single layer nomex/leather, rated SFI 3.3/1, ~$40.
After nearly 40 years of riding motorcycles, I've had many, many gloves, some with the seam on the outside, and some on the inside. Comfort was more a function of a quality glove and a good fit than the seam placement.
I hate wearing gloves when I drive and don't wear them unless the sanctioning body requires them. When I have to wear them I prefer bright colors so that hand signals (both officially sanctioned and unsanctioned) are more visible. They're also easier to see when reviewing in car video.
I wear the cheap Geforce G5 gloves for track days and autocross. A bit thick all around but once broken in they really feel great. I would love to try the gloves with the seams on the outside though. Seems like you would have more comfort between the fingers while moving your hands about.
I never thought about hand signals though and im now curious to switch from black over to a red or blue for better visuals for others.
collinskl1 said:wvumtnbkr said:I like outside seam gloves. However, I keep ending up with alpinestars midrange glove (about 100$). They last about a year before I tear a seem in the palm.
Exactly same here - I've gone through 3 pairs of the Tech-1 line, and keep going back because they fit me so well and the price point is good for me.
Story of my motorcyle life too. I'd love to find something other than Alpinestars but the stupid things fit like they used my hands as the template.
There's a lot of stuff I never considered with a glove purchase, so thanks for all the input. I decided to try out the Alpinestars mentioned above but the 2020 version in red. I imagine they will do the trick and hopefully be comfortable. Best of all people can see my hands for point bys.
In reply to captainawesome :
Another thing to think about is waving to corner workers. I was taught to ALWAYS wave to corner workers on the cooldown lap, as well as the out lap if it's appropriate (group, conditions, etc.) and the way to wave to them is closed hand, open hand, closed hand, open hand. If you have high contrast between the glove and the palm, the wave looks like a bright winking action to the corner workers, they see you, acknowledge, and wave back. This is both to make sure you know where the corner stations are and cement that in your memory and to help with the relationship between corner workers and drivers. Those poor bastards sit out there in the sun/cold/rain/heat so we can safely do what we love and making sure we see and appreciate them is important.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Yeah I've been taught to do similar. Not the blinking version, but a wave. First lap I wave at each corner and after the checker I do the same. It really does help put into memory where to look for flags and agree it's a way of saying thanks for doing what they do. I think the bright red gloves I have will help them see me.
Another fan of brightly colored gloves.
I use these.
I have Alpinestar gloves and the fit is perfect - much better than some others I've used. I've had them in blue, red, and black. The upside to bright colors is they're less likely to get lost, or misplaced.
That said, since they aren't actually required for rally, I usually find myself taking them off on stage and just driving bare-handed. For track, I like bright gloves in case of wave-by's (other driver can see them better). And don't get the same color gloves as your teammates (or co-drivers), else you may end up trying to cram on a MEDIUM glove onto your XL hand before jumping in the car lol.
I posted a similar thread about a year and a half ago, with similar replies that were very helpful. Im a very novice novice, so my opinion and experiences are far less than many on here. But I will say that I ended up going a cheap route (SFI not a requirement, just wanted something for TNIA), and getting some mechanix gloves off of amazon. I went with florescent yellow, which are, well, very bright. I have not been distracted by them and I chose them to, hopefully, make point-bys easier to view by other drivers on the track. I wanted to make sure that the people behind knew that I was giving the go-ahead for them, thought something really bright would help.
Ive been pleased with them for the TNIA once a year - again, very little experience. But when I get a 'better' glove I'll likely stick with something bright.
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