Didn't there used to be a system that fed cool filtered air into the helmet?
At minimum it was a hose from the outside of the car into the helmet, if not
something more sophisticated?
I'm blowing a potential money making opportunity by suggesting this, but I'd
think a blower fan with an air line running through a cooler of icewater
into the helmet (with appropriate flame traps and maybe even a temp
sensitive cutoff) would get most of the same effect as a cool shirt, without
the burn potential from water turning to steam in the suit.
When the system is on you'd pull cool air into your helmet (and lungs)
cooling a good bit of the torso and the head.
On one of the other racing forums someone had proposed the idea of dousing
his racing suit with a quart of water before the start as a way to keep
cool.. I suggested that it'd be ok unless the car catches fire.. Then the
advantage would be negated. Dry air makes a good insulator, hence the
fiberglass bats in the walls/attic. Water takes more energy to heat up, but
it conducts much too well.
Back to my idea.. With proper engineering and choice of materials it could
be done safely. Anyone looking for such a system?
Cheers,
Jim
Dallas
-----Original Message-----
From: fot-bounces@autox.team.net [mailto:fot-bounces@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Scott Janzen
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 4:29 PM
To: 'Friends of Triumph' Triumph
Subject: [Fot] the danger of fire and cool shirt systems
I've been thinking about getting a Cool Shirt (water cooled shirt
system) to keep from getting over-heated in my GT6 coupe, which I tend to do
any time the temperature is over 65. I read this article on the Miata fire,
and am pondering whether, in the disastrous event of a fire, having water
which can vaporize into steam, and/or plastic lines on the shirt which can
melt, near my skin is more hazardous than it's worth. Has this ever been
addressed - does SCCA allow these systems, and if so, how is it reconciled
with the requirement to wear fire- retardant materials?
On a related thought, I also use arm restraints. One end of these slips
over the lap belt component of the harness. If I had to make a quick exit,
these things basically don't just slip off, either from my wrists or from
the belts. Is there a better way to anchor these? I don't like the idea of
a window net in lieu of arm restraints because it blocks visibility to the
side mirror.
On Jun 12, 2010, at 4:14 AM, Chuck Arnold and/or Kathleen Kelley wrote:
For any of you who have not seen the article about the guy in the Miata and
the fire escape he made at the 25 hours race at Thunderhill -- you owe it to
yourself to follow the link below and read the article and then prepare
yourself -- I sure got a good lesson Chuck
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/fighting-fire/
Chuck Arnold and Kathleen Kelley
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