EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FIA 8856-2018

The FIA Makes Significant Advances to the Industry's Gold Standard

Introduced for the 2020 racing year, the latest FIA 8856-2018 homologation standard made a number of significant improvements over the previous standard. FIA 8856-2018 is considered by most (including us) to be the gold standard for protective auto racing gear.

To help you understand what this standard requires, we'll go through the most significant updates and upgrades to FIA's homologation rule.

Fabric Burn-Through

The biggest improvement in the new FIA standard is a new, more stringent test requiring one more second of burn-through protection in suit fabric while stretched. The result is better protection for your back, elbows, knees and hips while in the driving position. Every second is critical in an emergency on track.

Forearm and Wrist Protection

FIA requires longer glove gauntlets. This offers better protection of your hands, wrists and forearms. It’s worth mentioning that many of the gloves we carry already have a long enough gauntlet and will be unchanged in that area.

Higher Ankles

FIA added higher ankle protection on racing shoes. That’s why top-end shoes now have a high ankle or built-in sock design. You still have to wear Nomex socks, which are now required to be knee-length.

How Does The New Standard Affect Me?

From a style perspective, you probably won’t notice a lot of difference vs. the old standard. Same goes for comfort. The premium brands we carry worked hard to meet the latest FIA standard while maintaining great styling, ergonomics, and breathability. If you’re buying 8856-2018 racing shoes, you’ll see a difference in ankle protection right away. But the overall fit, finish, and functionality of your favorite racing apparel will remain the same as ever. The key takeaway is you’ll be better protected in the event you need it.

Ten Year Expiration Dates Added

The last addition to the new FIA standard is that new gear has an expiry date ten years from the year of manufacture. This is a big step in the right direction, even though, for safety’s sake, we don't recommend using racing safety gear for ten years. Still, if you get gear that was made a year or even two years ago, you have a much longer window of viability than with previous standards.

Many drivers don’t realize their Nomex suits are a wear-and-tear item. Manufacturers often recommend replacing your fire suit after every 20 events. If you’re racing six to eight times a year, you should replace your suit every two to three years to maintain its fire protection. Dirt, sweat and sun exposure are hard on your suit, reducing its effectiveness. You're going to ask a lot from your fire suit if you ever need it for what it’s designed for. It's wise to be sure it is fully up to the task.

Closing Thoughts About FIA 8856-2018

We all accept the risks of being on a race track pursuing our motorsport dreams. It’s what we love to do! At Competition Motorsport, our goal is to help you minimize those risks.

Being leaders in the motorsports community and providing safety gear to racers and track-day enthusiasts, we know there’s a risk we’ll see bad things happen to good people. So we do everything we can to guide customers to reduce risk with proper, high-quality safety equipment.

That’s why we give you accurate, actionable information on the products we carry. It’s our responsibility to help educate our customers on how the products we sell help keep us all safe on the race track.

We only carry premium brands at Competition Motorsport because, now and forever, we believe you’re worth protecting!