Staying Cool in hot weather

[macdude357]

I'm going to Chuckwalla on 5/30 and the temps are supposed to be around 100.

I was on Amazon and came across this:

http://www.amazon.com/TechKewl-6626-...ct_top?ie=UTF8

Anyone use one of these on or at the track? They seem to get good reviews.

[redpriest]

Thanks for the link. I think I might try to guinea pig this - especially since I have a fire resistant race suit now, it got pretty unbearable at times at Chuckwalla back in March.

[///Mobbin]

I'm interested to hear how this performs.

Lots of folks I know have Cool Shirt systems also, more $$ of course. Cool Shirt

[///M Power-Belgium]

Just be cool .

[Longboarder]

I have tracked on a hot July day at Big Willow. Even with the supercharger the engine oil stayed relatively cool (max temp was third line ~ 270 deg). The tires though...not so much.

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

I have tracked on a hot July day at Big Willow. Even with the supercharger the engine oil stayed relatively cool (max temp was third line ~ 270 deg). The tires though...not so much.

the vest goes on you, not the car

[Longboarder]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

the vest goes on you, not the car

I thought it wrapped around the engine to keep it cool.

[admranger]

The vests don't work that well. I had one like that and it was a waste of $$$. Because they don't breath/allow airflow, you can't sweat and have evaporative cooling help you.

Coolshirt system in the car is the nuts. Best money I ever spent on the race car. Tougher to integrate to a daily driver, but it's been done by clever people (not me).

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

I thought it wrapped around the engine to keep it cool.

shit now that i think of it, the shape might be for the plenum.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

shit now that i think of it, the shape might be for the plenum.

It is for humans, not cars to wear.

It uses the deltaH of melting (phase change from a solid to a liquid -- e.g., melting ice is 32 degrees F, same as water that is about to freeze -- the energy that it takes to change from a liquid to a solid, or in this case vice versa, is what is being used here. This serves to take heat away from your body (heat flows to cold). To do it right though, you need good thermal conductivity. That's where these vests fail, in my opinion. If you had pockets of this stuff in your Lulu Lemon or Under Armor skin tight clothes, then maybe it'd work better since the material is at 58 deg F (no freezer burn!).

[Longboarder]

Originally Posted by M3 Number 86

shit now that i think of it, the shape might be for the plenum.

My butt is on fire after a summertime afternoon session at ACS. Can it wrap my ass cheeks?

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by admranger

It is for humans, not cars to wear.

It uses the deltaH of melting (phase change from a solid to a liquid -- e.g., melting ice is 32 degrees F, same as water that is about to freeze -- the energy that it takes to change from a liquid to a solid, or in this case vice versa, is what is being used here. This serves to take heat away from your body (heat flows to cold). To do it right though, you need good thermal conductivity. That's where these vests fail, in my opinion. If you had pockets of this stuff in your Lulu Lemon or Under Armor skin tight clothes, then maybe it'd work better since the material is at 58 deg F (no freezer burn!).

i know

[M3 Number 86]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

My butt is on fire after a summertime afternoon session at ACS. Can it wrap my ass cheeks?

depends if ass is about 3'x3'

that's sirmixalot worthy lol

or maybe you can double wrap.

you should change to saturday and run with us!

[macdude357]

I found a slightly different model here:

http://www.amazon.com/TechKewl-Hybri...ilpage_o00_s00

They had an open box for $103 so I went ahead and bought it. If it doesn't work out in the car, I can use it for other things. I'll do an official review when I get back from Chuckwalla.

[m3bs]

I've got one from Glacier-Tek. It is somewhat bulky to wear, but it does help. You don't get the sensation of being cool, like with a regular cool shirt, but you don't get overheated, either. It does make a difference.

The vest has the added advantage of being useable for other things, like cutting the grass in 100 degree weather.

[m3bs]

To update this, I used my vest at Road Atlanta last month. 102 degrees. It helped, but all of the packs got damaged from the pressure of the harnesses, and they leaked. Pretty much useless now.

[macdude357]

Originally Posted by m3bs

To update this, I used my vest at Road Atlanta last month. 102 degrees. It helped, but all of the packs got damaged from the pressure of the harnesses, and they leaked. Pretty much useless now.

That's bummer. I'm going to be using my Quckfit Pro for the first time this weekend. We'll see how it goes.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by macdude357

That's bummer. I'm going to be using my Quckfit Pro for the first time this weekend. We'll see how it goes.

What did you think of the QFP?

[macdude357]

Originally Posted by redpriest

What did you think of the QFP?

Loved it. Really kept me solid in the seat so I could really feel what the car was doing. I didn't use the vest though. Once I realized how tight the harness was, I was afraid I'd damage the cool packs like m3bs did. In all honesty, even in the 105 degree heat, I really didn't feel that hot in the car once I was on the track.