Autosport International 2016 buying equipment?

[Erich Stahler]

Which of the four days would be best from the point of view of a member of the public looking to try on and hopefully purchase a helmet and race wear?

[midgetman]

Thursday and Friday are quieter. You don't very often get last day price discounts any more.

[The Fat Clerk]

Try and avoid the weekend

[Westysprinter]

Sorry if this sounds negative, having been several times and also made the same purchases
I wouldn't bother going at all, cost to get there, park, and the entry ticket wipe out any pitiful discount
I would just go straight to the likes of Demon thieves, Merlin etc

[Erich Stahler]

Originally Posted by Westysprinter

Sorry if this sounds negative, having been several times and also made the same purchases
I wouldn't bother going at all, cost to get there, park, and the entry ticket wipe out any pitiful discount
I would just go straight to the likes of Demon thieves, Merlin etc

Its not so much the discounts, I'm assuming all the equipment suppliers will be there, I look at it as an opportunity to try on as many makes and models, particularly of crash helmets as possible, might even buy on-line later once I know what fits me perfectly.

[Adam43]

It isn't the same as trying lots on, but most suppliers will let you send it back if it doesn't fit. So if you've narrowed it down already don't worry, but if you have a big choice then it is a good idea.

I've never found much different in feel of a helmet as long as I have the right helmet size of that one. I might have a stanaard shaped head though?

[BertMk2]

I'm planning on going next year after a few years of not bothering. I need a new helmet and a HANS device so I'd like to try as many options as possible - they're bloody expensive so I'd rather get it right. Thursday or Friday are the only sensible options.

[The Fat Clerk]

I've got to agree with you. I always try several helmets on before buying one - probably got a funny shaped head

[chunder]

You could also try Race Retro a few weeks later.

As earlier posters have said, the money you might save on an item will be recouped by the insane ticket price and parking fees.

You can go on train and park there which is cheaper, and maybe if you are a licence holder I think a day is cheaper at the NEC, but I reckon if you were job lot buying and went to a decent supplier they would do a discount anyway, they often have when i have known people buying stuff.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by chunder

You could also try Race Retro a few weeks later.

As earlier posters have said, the money you might save on an item will be recouped by the insane ticket price and parking fees.

You can go on train and park there which is cheaper, and maybe if you are a licence holder I think a day is cheaper at the NEC, but I reckon if you were job lot buying and went to a decent supplier they would do a discount anyway, they often have when i have known people buying stuff.

The parking at Autosport is ludicrously expensive but if there are a few of you in the car it's a lot cheaper than going by train. Race Retro is another option but if we stick to our current plans then we'll need the helmets/HANS before Race Retro so Autosport is our best option. We'll be getting 2 helmets, 2 HANS devices and maybe a new intercom amplifier (depending on which helmets we go for) so hopefully we'll get a discount of some sort on that lot.

The big problem for me is that after buying the helmet and HANS I won't have much of my budget left for actually competing next year. If they move towards lifeing the HANS as they have done with seats and belts that could well be me done with competing.

[midgetman]

I can't see the plastic bit being lifed but there's a good argument for regular replacement of the tethers. There is a case.for changing them every five years like seat belts. You never know how much stretch they've had do you?

[midgetman]

Also if you're buying from "a guy on the Internet" make sure they've got the FIA hologram on. There's some hooky ones out there!

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by midgetman

I can't see the plastic bit being lifed but there's a good argument for regular replacement of the tethers. There is a case.for changing them every five years like seat belts. You never know how much stretch they've had do you?

If it's anything like our seatbelts - used a total of 20 times with no big loads going through them and then declared junk. Same for the seats. Annoying to say the least. There has to be a better way. (The old seats and belts from our car are now in a trackday car - apparently they're perfectly safe to use in a trackday car but absolutely lethal in our rally car )

Originally Posted by midgetman

Also if you're buying from "a guy on the Internet" make sure they've got the FIA hologram on. There's some hooky ones out there!

Yep, there's some right old cack out there.

[silver bullet]

I have found there are always great deals to find at the ASI, try to check out the smaller suppliers, they often give the best discounts.
You can save far more than the the cost of a ticket and the parking, if you need to buy several items.

I do disagree with the people who say avoid the weekend though, Friday has been the busiest day for the last couple of years, and Sunday has been relatively quiet.