Fia Fire Suit Ratings

Safety ratings and racing suit design are often intertwined.

Fia fire suit ratings.

Sfi ratings are determined by the results of several tests conducted on racing suits for fire retardant capabilities and thermal protective performance tpp. For that reason it s important to know your sanctioning body s requirement for sfi united states or fia international ratings. 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. 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.

The standard spec for racing suits is 3 2a or 3 2a 1. 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. It is certified through sfi spec 3 3 for driver accessories and undergoes the same tpp and flammability tests as the driver suit outerwear. Superior construction will yield ratings of 3 2a 3 and 3 2a 5.

Used in sanctioning bodies like nhra and nascar the sfi foundation s racing suit specification 3 2a tests a material s fire retardant capabilities. 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. This is the link to the suit that i have. I have a fia 8856 2000 driving suit which should be equal to or better than a sfi 3 2a 5 rated suit.

Superior construction will yield ratings of 3 2a 3 and 3 2a 5. 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. 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.

Fia s new level 3 qualification on bs 5839 6. The 3 2a rating does not include underwear. The only way to increase a tpp rating is through adding multiple layers. The standard spec for racing suits is 3 2a or 3 2a 1.