Fire-Resistant Racing Gloves: What the Rating Covers

Gloves are the layer you keep using after you stop the car. Your hands release the belts, drop the window net and open the door, so they have to stay protected and still work. That's why a racing glove is a balance: enough fire protection to buy time, and a palm thin enough to feel the wheel.

What the Ratings Cover

• FIA 8856-2018 sets two numbers for gloves. The back of the hand has to hold back heat for at least 11 seconds in testing, nearly as long as a suit's 12. The palm has a lower minimum of 8 seconds, which leaves room for a thinner palm with more feel.
• SFI 3.3 is the North American standard for gloves, shoes and other driver accessories. You'll see it as SFI 3.3/1 or SFI 3.3/5, and /5 gloves are usually two layers.
• Club rules can be simpler. SCCA, for example, asks for gloves of leather or accepted fire-resistant material, with no holes.

Many gloves carry both labels. The Sparco Futura, for example, is rated FIA 8856-2018 and SFI 3.3/5.

The Gap at the Wrist

The weak point in this layer isn't the glove. It's the join between the glove and the suit sleeve. Reaching for the wheel pulls the sleeve back up your arm, and any bare skin at the wrist is skin with no protection at all.

• Choose a cuff long enough to overlap the sleeve. Most drivers tuck the suit cuff inside the glove cuff.
• Check it in the car. Sit with your hands at the top of the wheel, then turn to full lock. The cuff should still cover the sleeve at every point.
• Look at how the wrist closes. An elastic wrist or a diagonal cut, like the one on the OMP One-S, holds the cuff in place without a strap to fiddle with.

Fit and Feel

• Snug, with no spare fabric at the fingertips. Loose fingertips bunch on the wheel and cost you feel.
• Pre-curved fingers follow the shape of your hand on the rim, so the glove isn't fighting your grip.
• External seams keep the stitching off your fingers. Several of the picks below use them.
• A silicone palm grips the wheel when your hands are hot. It's also the part that wears first, so check it regularly.

Care and Service Life

• Keep fuel and oil off them. As with the suit, the fabric won't burn, but anything flammable soaked into it can.
• Don't wrench in your racing gloves. Keep a cheap pair of mechanic's gloves in the trailer for that.
• Let them dry between sessions. Damp gloves are hard to pull back on and uncomfortable to drive in.
• Replace them when the palm wears thin or a hole appears. A hole is a gap in the layer, and SCCA won't accept gloves with holes.
• Check the date. FIA 8856-2018 gloves are good for 10 years from the date of manufacture.

Our Picks

All four are FIA 8856-2018 rated and in stock.

OMP First: the entry point

The First is light Nomex with a grippy silicone palm, an elastic wrist and external seams. It's a compliant glove that doesn't cost much.

Sparco Futura: rated for FIA and SFI

The Futura carries FIA 8856-2018 and SFI 3.3/5. Its fingers are stitched both inside and outside for comfort, and the palm has high-grip silicone. Sizes run from 7 to 13.

OMP One-S: a wrist that stays put

The One-S is pre-curved, with external seams and a fire-retardant silicone palm. Its diagonal cut and elastic band at the wrist keep the cuff over your sleeve.

Sabelt Hero Geckotech TG-11: maximum grip

The TG-11 is Sabelt's professional glove. Its Geckotech palm is built for steering-wheel traction, and the glove is light, breathable and pre-curved.

The Bottom Line

Buy FIA 8856-2018 or SFI 3.3 gloves with a cuff long enough to cover the sleeve when your arms are stretched to the wheel. Fit them snug, keep them clean, and replace them when the palm wears through.

For more on grip and fit, read Racing Gloves 101.