Choosing a race suit.

Most race suits carry an SFI 3.2A label, an FIA 8856 label, or both. Each system has its own validity rule, and clubs set their own minimums on top. So start with what your events accept, then read the label on any suit you consider. Everything below is as of October 2026.

Step 1: find out what your events accept

• SCCA Time Trials (Safety Levels 2 and 3): FIA 8856-1986, 8856-2000 or 8856-2018 suits, or SFI 3.2A/5 and higher. A 3.2A/1 suit is allowed only with fire-resistant underwear. The page sets no suit age limit or recertification requirement.
• SCCA Race Experience: a suit covering neck to ankles and wrists with an SFI 3.2A/1 or SFI 3.4 (or higher) label, or FIA 1986 or 8856-2000 homologation. SCCA strongly recommends one-piece suits.
• FIA International Sporting Calendar events: Appendix L 2026 (Chapter III, Article 2) requires overalls homologated to FIA 8856-2000 or 8856-2018. A named list of championships, including F1, WEC, WRC and international GT3, already requires 8856-2018 only, and from 1 January 2029 every such event does.
• Drag racing: drag racing bodies enforce SFI dates, according to JEGS's 2024 list written for NHRA.
• NASA and IMSA: we could not read the current rule text. Check your event's rules.

Step 2: read an SFI rating

The number after 3.2A reflects a TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) value, which measures how long the material holds off a second-degree burn. The rating also decides whether SFI requires recertification. Recertification periods are from the SFI Foundation's specifications page; TPP and time values are from SFI-sourced tables published by Drag News and 90 Racing.

An Alpinestars blog (April 2026) gives wider time ranges for each rating, for example 10 to 19 seconds for 3.2A/5. For 3.2A/10 and up, an SFI-attributed notice hosted by IHRA says recertification is done by the suit's original manufacturer. How the five years is counted to the day is not settled in what we could read, so: recertification is due in the fifth year counted from the year on the SFI tag; check the tag and your sanctioning body.

Step 3: read an FIA label

• 8856-2018. FIA Technical List 74 says a garment is valid until the date on its own homologation label, and the FIA 8856-2018 standard (Article 8) puts the end of validity at ten years after the year of manufacture, shown on that label. Read the year on the label rather than working one out.
• 8856-2000. Demon Tweeks says new items could no longer be made to 8856-2000 after 8856-2018 took effect on 1 January 2022. Under Appendix L 2026, 8856-2000 suits are accepted outside the named championships through 31 December 2028 and removed from 1 January 2029. Overalls with the label used before 1 January 2013 are not valid after 31 December 2022 (Technical List 27).

Step 4: underwear and layering

An SFI 3.2A rating covers the suit only; underwear is certified separately under SFI 3.3. In an SFI lab test dated 11 March 2015, a typical 3.2A/5 suit alone gave 10.8 seconds to a second-degree burn, and 16 seconds with SFI 3.3 underwear beneath it. A polyester shirt under the suit melted and stuck to the skin, and a cotton shirt did not melt but added no protection time.

At FIA events, Appendix L 2026 requires long underwear and says the neck, wrists and ankles must always be covered by at least two layers of safety equipment, with set overlaps at the neck and waist.

Fit and care

Do not size a suit tight. The SFI-sourced Drag News article says a suit that is too tight squeezes out the insulating air gaps, and Appendix L says garments must not be too tight. Follow the care label. Drag News also advises not wearing the suit while working on the car, because fuel and oil soak in, and discarding a suit after any fire involvement. At FIA events, printing or transfers may be applied only by the maker, with a certificate for customised 8856-2018 items.

Our picks by situation

Before every event

There is no single expiry rule for race suits: it depends on the label, the rating and the body running the event. Before every event, check the current rules of the event you are entering and the labels on your suit and underwear. Our gear expiry checker shows the published rule for each label, and choosing gloves and shoes covers the rest of your racewear.