EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FIA 8856-2018
THE FIA MAKES SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE INDUSTRY 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 Competition Motorsport, 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.
HAND PROTECTION
FIA requires longer glove gauntlets. These offer better protection of your hands, wrists and forearms.It’s worth mentioning that many of the gloves we carry already had 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 IT AFFECT ME?
NEW EXPIRATION DATES
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 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 or 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
Being leaders in the motorsports community, providing safety gear to racers and track-day enthusiasts, we know there’s a risk we’ll see bad things happen to good people. We do everything we can to guide customers in reducing 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 will keep us all safe on the race track.
Which is why we only carry premier brands at Competition Motorsport. Now and forever, we believe you’re worth protecting!
