Originally Posted by Lenie (Post 524718)

Congrats Dale, great Christmas gift as the most important things in life are our families. Have a Merry Christmas.

Originally Posted by tmadden (Post 524734)

That's the best gift of all! God bless the troops.

Originally Posted by Sieg (Post 524760)

Glad to hear it Dale! Merry Christmas buddy :thumbsup:

Originally Posted by compos mentis (Post 524802)

Dale,

Wow, that is great news on your son!

It's a blessing to see a picture of him too. :thumbsup:

Regarding the driver and car safety/performance/reliability upgrades, good stuff obviously and your taking the time to lay it all out in detail is appreciated.

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal (Post 524806)

We'll said Lenny and Dale I'm very happy you got the best Xmas gift of all :thumbsup:

Originally Posted by redefined (Post 524747)

I second what Greg says about the light weight suits. I have 2 also, my 'not so light' one is crazy because it's heavier and has no vents so even in 30deg days I stay warm, but I'm also soaking wet because it doesn't breath.

Go light weight but I'd also suggest 2 layers. A lot of people I know go with 2 layers AND still do the underwear layer of fireproof. Can't be to safe right? I'd rather have a light weight 2 piece suit and underwear and spend more money than get burnt. Just my .02$

Originally Posted by Flash68 (Post 524736)

Awesome Dale (regarding your son coming home!) and also awesome on the Camaro plans. I like your well thought out plan. Everyone has their own goals and agenda and you have thought hard on yours and are putting a plan together to execute. :thumbsup:

First, I would suggest going somewhere you can try them on. Not all brands fit the same apples to apples regarding sizes (like the helmets too). I first bought a "budget" suit (Sparco Jade) for about $300 (sight unseen) and it was HEAVY. I thought I was hot standing in my house with it on - I was imagining near death at Thunderhill or somewhere in the summer. So I sold it and went to the shop up at Sonoma (Infineon) and tried on several when they were having a big end of year sale. Spent quite a bit more money but got a good 3 piece (the Jade was a thick 3 piece) with MORE protection (better rating) and it felt 1/3 the size and thickness. Night and day difference. Depends on your budget of course, but as many have said, safety items are probably not the best things to skimp on.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.