Impact SFI-15 and SFI-20 Firesuit Fail SFI Testing

Your welcome Bill.

DT

 

i called impact today about the status of the boots that i sent back to them and was told that they'd be sending me a brand new pair in the next week or two, so this will actually be the 3rd pair that i've received from them since june.

Tim Steed

 

Impact Quality

I just saw a new 15 suit a guy had built by Impact. the stiching is poor, it does not go all the way to the sides of the jacket, alot of blank spots, the squares are not complete. but heres the fun stuff. one leg is about 4" shorter than the other and one arm is about 2" shorter on one side this suit is a joke. he has called afew times and gotten three different people claiming tobe the head person in charge of the company. One guy was trying to egg him into threatening him, (impact) this is rediculus. I will NEVER buy or recommend an Impact suit from all that I have read. MR simpson, if you are still involved in this company you are a fool or complete IDIOT. or a drunk. get your head out of your butt and run the company. what little is left. for those that have had a good experience, good. but it should be the norm, not a rareity.

 

um, what about Deist??

Seems I scrolled thru all these letters, and nobody mentioned Deist. I have owned a Desit 15 suit for a few years, my dad wore one for many years. Sadly, the rules changed a few years ago, and now my 15 suit is not legal, so I went and bought a new Simpson 20 suit. They have taken care of me above and beyond, and Desit has as well over the past several years. For those looking for a great suit, you can rest assured both of these companies will save your butt and their customer service is excellent!!

 

My replacement sfi-20 boots

I just received my Impact replacement boots today. They are definitely much thicker, but it looks like they really rushed to get them finished. The stitching on the zipper is not consistent. Its double stitched for an inch or 2 then back to single stitching for an inch or 2. I'm going to have to use them for now but I see this zipper ripping out before the season is over.
However, that being said, I am very pleased with the increased material and overall feel. The boots I returned to them were so thin I don't think they would have stopped a cigarette from burning through...
The other thing I'm not sure about is, although they have an sfi-20 label, there is no date tag. I thought 15 and 20's had to be recertified every 5 years....or is that suits only?
The boots I returned had a date tag but a date had never been punched into the tag.....
Anyway, Ive been following this thread for a couple of months with interest. I appreciate the outspokenness and concern that my racing peers have. I think this outspokenness was a major factor in getting our/my safety equipment replaced and up to par.
Thanks
Rat Poison
Nostalgia AA/A

 

From the SFI website
Spec 3.2A/10, 3.2A/15, 3.2A/20 suits
Recert period 5 years.

Driver Accessories:
Arm Restraints
Shoes (3.3/5)
Drag Boots (3.3/15, 3.3/20)
Gloves (3.3/1, 3.3/5, 3.3/10, 3.3/15, 3.3/20)
Harness Pads
Helmet Supports
Hoods/Balaclavas
Socks
Underclothing
Recert period N/A

 

Rat Poison, while it's great that you finally got your boots back, I think you're right about possible drama with that zipper. Is it pretty light weight, kinda like you'd see on a pair of jeans? If so, I've heard that various users have had the zipper fail while walking around in the staging lanes prior to getting in the car. I don't think your or my roll of duct tape has any Nomex in it!

One obvious thing I noticed about my Taylor Motorsports boots is the heavier gauge zipper that Dennis uses. And even the material the metal zipper pieces are attached to are Nomex. You might want to ask your Impact sales person if they do the same since you're probably on a first name basis with everyone there by now!

Hopefully you'll be able to get the full life cycle out of your Impact boots, but I would highly recommend considering the Taylor Motorsports version next time. And you can easily get DT himself on the phone.

 

If I were me I'd call them, and tell them that I want my money back. They should refund your money if it's a off the shelf item.

PRODUCT RETURNS & SERVICE
To return a product you purchased (please return new products in original condition and original packaging with invoice), or a product that requires service or inspection, please call 317.852.3067 for a Return Authorization Number. Please indicate the RA number on the outside of your package and ship to:

Impact Racing Authorized Return
(Indicate Return Number)
1650 Northfield Drive
Bldg. A-100
Brownsburg, IN 46112

 

Team Simpson -20 suit Recerts

I just got my -20 suit back from Team Simpson. They altered it to fit as I have lost 37 pounds so far. They also spiffed it up so I wont be called Santa Claus anymore and it was also recerted. I am not a paid spokesman for them but I have to say that I am absolutely amazed by the level of customer service they provided. I was one of those guys caught in the earlier -20 suit recert hassle and I will admit to being pretty skeptical. If their customer service and timely work is any indication of how they are doing business these days then I will gladly put them a mile higher on my recommendation list of safety equipment companies to deal with. Dave Nelson is the guy to talk to there. He and I have talked several times to make sure we were on the same page with the alterations and spiffing process. I know a few companies that could learn a lesson in customer service from him.
Dave Germain

 

i received my new boots last week and they're definately thicker, i noticed that the zipper only goes down to the ankle now unlike the other 2 pairs that i had where the zipper went down to the arch of the foot. i also noticed that the sfi tag sewn on isn't dated, it just gives the sfi rating. i'll never spend another dime on anything that bill simpson makes, i've had enough!!!

Tim Steed

 

I also returned my boots to Impact. They told me the SFI tag only had to be on the boots, it did not need to be punched.

 

I have an Impact helmet, are they OK ?

 

Before you load up for the next event, you better read this if you still own an Impact suit, even if they've "fixed" it.

http://www.nhra.com/story/2009/7/9/nhra-tech-alert/




www.gravitygate.net

 

Yeah have been wondering the same thing , Its not relevant to me , but its allways the suits and stuff like that but what about the helmets .

 

Not surprised. It's been coming.

 

Please tell me what this article said...it is no longer on NHRA website. I just picked up my -15 suit, helmet, shoes..etc at Impact last week.

Thanks...

 

Here's a new link for you.

http://www.nhra.com/story/2009/7/9/nhra-tech-alert-temporary-product-decertification/

 

I believe the helmets are fully tested rather than just swatches as mentioned above for firesuits - see http://www.sfifoundation.com/helmets.html

Helmets are also subject to other certifications, certainly in Europe. Snell SA-2005 is the big one the FIA use and I believe but am not 100% sure that the Impact Nitro meets these requirements also. Given there has been no noise about Impact helmets maybe they are manufactured in a different facility and do not suffer the same quality issues as suits and boots?

 

I figured i'd relay what i heard this morning when i called Impact I have an Impact 2007 sfi-20 suit. So i call and ask what i should do. They tell me that they will offer me a $600.00 dollar credit on the purchase of a new $1800.00 Impact suit , I ask why i should buy a new one when i already bought one new one they say i should call NHRA and ask why. Now i dont know much of nothing but i do know that NHRA didnt build the damn thing in the first place. I always bought Simpson's stuff because i thought he was the leader in safety equipment as well as a stand up guy. When he opened Impact i followed him for the same reason guess i made a big mistake. How they can pass this off on customers is beyond me.
Marc White

 

Thanks for the info Marc, what a crock of s&^t. So they want you to call NHRA, hmm wasn't the decertification done by the SFI, which is an independent testing agency? Why in the world would NHRA have anything to do with that? Sounds like they are implying that NHRA somehow "caused" SFI to decert the suits, what a bunch of bull. They just are looking to pass the buck, meanwhile the racers that trusted them with their life and paid them thousands to do so are left holding a flaming bag of poo.

Chris