I'm in the market for an airbag race suit and looks like a bit of a minefield out there. I've always had Dainese leathers but hear bad things about service of the bag etc. Alpinestars being the other option which I understand has 2 charges but just looking for some help really to understand it all better and make an informed choice. Thanks
A lot of it is down to preference mate I think From the people I know that are sort of ‘in the know’ most seem to regard the Dainese system as the market leader. I’m not a fan of Alpinestars kit, everything I have had of theirs has fallen to bits and not crashed very well. I’ve got an in&motion vest under my held suit which seems fine. However I’ve not crashed in it yet. (The vest that is, the suit I’ve crashed in loads) lol
I've crashed in the astars tech air. Was very good. The budget missile suit that it was under was not so great and was totalled (80mph lowside, sliding maybe 50 yds on the tarmac before off onto the grass). I replaced the suit with one further up the range. I've pretty much packed in the track for a while, but would probs buy the tech air vest again in the future, though I would pair it with a made to measure suit such as Vircos or PSI.
I use an Alpinestars tech air suit with dedicated vest. Not tested in anger but comfortable enough. I’m a 54 suit but the vest fits without going up a size. I researched it before I went ahead and settled on this set up. 2 years ago now though so game may well have moved on. You don’t feel it when wearing but suit and vest combined are bastard well heavy!
IIRC When I looked into this, I noticed that the proper track/race dedicated airbags have a much quicker crash detection and inflation time compared to the clip in vests. I went for the Alpinestars because it has 2 deployments and also possible to use the suit whilst the vest is sent for servicing. Cannot comment on durability, hence I used it only 5-7 times...I am done with track days for now.
Is the original better than the sequel? According to internet rumour, the Tech-Air Race and Street vests have more sensors than the new Tech-Air 5. So, your Race airbag could well be better than the newfangled 5. The Tech-Air 5 is the cheapest of the three – albeit the words “cheap” and “airbag” go together like Marmite and peanut butter
I was chatting to a mate who’s worked in the trade for years, he now works for a manufacturer who are making all their next years kit tech air compatible as he says it’s THAT good. I’m about to buy one in the next month hopefully and a mission 1pc to wear over it for trackdays
