Best Racing Gloves

Racing gloves are a very important part of the driver’s gear. They ensure the grip on the wheel and depending on the quality of the gloves you have, your performance can be increased or negatively impacted. Gloves also play a primary role in safety and you need to have a CIK/FIA certified one for professinoal racing. For simracing, fully certified gloves are not needed.

Our top pick is the Alpinestars Tech 1K gloves that you can see above. Alpinestar is one of, if not the best, racing gear equipement manufacturer on the market. These glvoes are good looking, comply with the FIA certification, they are comfy and very affordable. They are not the best gloves out there but the ones with the best value for money. This is the best choice in our opinion.

If you want to upgrade and have a little extra cash on hand you can go with the more high end Alpinestars gloves : the Alpinestars Tech 1 Start or the Alpinestars Tech 1 ZX. These gloves have a specific design and innovative materials that make them lighter and more expensive. These gloves contain aramidic fiber and also have a specific area on the palm fitted with silicone in order to increase their grip.

What To Look For In a Racing Gloves

Safety. You should look for a, at the very least, FIA/CIK certified gloves if you want to be sure of the protection it will provide in case of fire. You might not need this if you are looking for sim racing gloves.

Comfort. Gloves are your link between the wheel and you and they need to provide maximum confort in order for you to maximize your racing skills. Comfort is very important. This point is particularly important if you are looking for gloves for simracing, as it will have a critical impact on your performance.

Weight. As all the other karting or racing gears, gloves needs to be as light as possible. When particpating in a long race, heavy gear can tire the driver more quickly. Best materials are resistant and light at the same time.

Design. Exterior looks are very important. Many gloves are well designed and most of the gloves manufacturers offer various designs to choose from.

Price. For gloves, you can get very good ones for a decent price, you don’t need to spend big in order to have very good gloves. Also, you can buy used ones so long as they protect you from fire.

Top Brands That You Should Consider

Alpinestars. In my opinion the best manufacturer out there. They make good products with a good value for money. It is considered the reference on the market.

Sparco. Also a solid choice. Definitely one of the best racing brands out here. Check the Sparco Tide or Land series. The only thing with Sparco is that it seems a bit overpriced. If you have big bucks to spend, go for it.

OMP. One of the top brands out there. Some of the gloves produced by OMP are used in international racing. Go for it if you have the money.

Racequip. We recommend only this brand for entry level gloves. They make decent products.

As a general rule, if you are willing to buy the best gloves out there, focus only on Sparco, Alpinestars and OMP.

A Note About Comfort and Safety

It is very important that the gloves you will buy fit perfectly. If the gloves you are interested in are not 100% usable when racing you should not buy them! Taking your time is very important when it comes to finding the right pair. If you want to race under the best set of circumstances you should be absolutely sure about the comfort level you have while wearing your gloves. If you buy gloves that seem uncomfortable you will tend to not use them which will be a shame since you will have lost money. Gloves are one of the driver’s gear part where the comfort factor is the most important.

Regarding safety, there are a few thing to know. The top safety certification for gloves is to be CIK/FIA certified. After that, you also have CE certified gloves in the EU which proves the conformity of the product with the EN 13594. When the gloves are CE, you will see a marking on them. If you are looking for gloves in order to use them for simracing, the CE marking, or its US equivalent, will be enough.

Conclusion

Choosing the right gloves is not easy. To save you the trouble of researching, we recommend the Alpinestars Tech 1 K, which is, in our opinion, the best gloves out there for the price. If you think this choice is not for you, you should then look for another pair of gloves and pay particular attention to safety and comfort in your research. Go for an Alpinestars, a Sparco or an OMP. Don’t buy the most expensive but rather the one with best value for money.

If you are looking for other karting or racing gear recommendation, we have other pages just like this one on our recommended products section. We also have a section for sim-racing equipment. This is the best gear on the market in our opinion.