Karting gloves

[Elaphe]

I like my Sparco Arrow K karting gloves. They are very comfortable and well made. They provide very good grip on my leather rim, but after a year of use (one or two hours a week) all the silicons inserts on the palms of the fingers are gone, so the grip now is bad. Apart from that, they look like new. I consider that spending more than 80€ on gloves every year for simracing is simply too much. Therefore, I'm looking for alternatives, either cheaper karting gloves or expensive but durable (maybe Alpinestars?). Any experiences?

 

[BillyBobSenna]

I also have Sparco karting gloves. I think gloves made for karting are not designed to last as long as nicer sim gloves. I think sim racers actually use their gloves more than actual kart racers. My Sparco Tike K gloves also seem to wear faster than I would like. I'm not in the market yet but maybe later this year. GSI? Moradness? Sparco sim gloces?

 

[stigs2cousin]

Have a look at (thin) MTB gloves. They often have the grip pads but without the for us unnecessary knuckle armor.

The pair I use was 25€ and has held up well for two years of use, on average an hour a day.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

I find that thin leather gardening gloves give great grip on my alcantara wheel, and they're about £10

 

[Elaphe]

I find that thin leather gardening gloves give great grip on my alcantara wheel, and they're about £10

View attachment 749074

Alcantara is very different from leather. I have learnt that you need silicon inserts on the palm for decent grip with a leather steering wheel.

 

[Patrick Dontigny]

I have used Alpinestars Tech1 KX-v2, they were great but they did not last with the seams breaking between the thumb and pointing finger after a few months on both gloves.

I am now running OMP KS-2R and they are so comfortable, they have stretch area at the knuckles which in my view makes them perfect for simracing. Only problem , might be the price. they are 150$ in Canada, but found them below $100 on ebay from Poland at the end of 2022.

Other option is MTB cycling gloves, which do the job perfectly and much cheaper. I ran FOX MTB gloves for a while without any issue.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Also MTB gloves don't cover the wrists which helps with ventilation.

Fire and flying debris weren't a problem on my simrig (at least until now)

 

[Elaphe]

I have just tried the economic karting gloves by GT2i but I have returned them. They do not feel as comfortable as the Sparco, the fit on the wrists is not tight enough, the cloth is not elastic enough and the silicon pads on the palm do not provide enough grip. I think I am going to order again the Sparco Arrow K. I have seen another model by Sparco called Record, which is cheaper, but it seems they do not feature the precurved shape for the fingers so I understand they are not as comfortable. Another model I was considering was the Alpinestars Tech-1 KX V3, but they are even more expensive than the Arrow K and I have no guaratees that they will last longer.

 

[Elaphe]

I have finally ordered the Alpinestars. The price difference was not high, after all. I will let know my thoughts when I have them.