What Helmet Brand are you using?

Money no object my choice is an Arai. Here are my personal opinions on the other brands:

Simpson - Poor construction and feels cheap

Bell - Strong robust helmet but the shell finish leaves something to be desired (I cannot comment if it affects strength) and the visor pivot mechanism is the worst I've seen.

Shoei - VERY heavy for a helmet in this price range. Weight should be considered as it is multiplied when heading into a wall.

Bieffe - Excellent construction and finish. An excellent value for the money without compromise. On a personal note, they don't fit my head as I would like so I don't own one.

Schuberth (SP?) - Nice fit but way overpriced. They only sell helmets because MS wears them. I see no appreciable difference between my Arai and these. Not only that, for those who want the MS lid, it is not even available. The commercial helmet is nothing like what he wears. Might as well just buy yourself a decal and put it on your helmet.

Some of the previously posted info is very good. Make sure you try a helmet on BEFORE buying it. Also try different brands. Some brands fit better than others so make sure you get the best fit then worry about style and price.

 

I also use the Bieffe Predator.
The most important thing is to try various helmets on to determine what best fits your head. Different brands are comfortable for different people. You might consider the material used for construction. The Bieffe Predator is lightweight which leads to less fatigue on track.
Gil

 

Bell here. Get a full face. You'll be glad you did if you ever "need" the helmet

 

Anyone try the new Sparco helmet?

 

Sorry Ferrari UK Mark,

Your statement is flawed. Would you rather crash in a car that falls apart or one that is perfectly solid with roll cage all the way to the bumpers? Unless you are a helmet designer you have no clue what you are saying about things like flexing and thicker face shields. There are all knids of material properties at work. For example if you have a brick sh*thouse on your head you get 100% of the impact to your brain. If the helmet gives and yields but does not allow penetration energy is dispurses out. You keep more braincells. If you have heavier face shields of questionable value you add weight to you head. Every pound of weight gets multiplied by 20lbs or 30lbs or 40lbs on your neck in the instantaneous 20G or 30 G or40G crash. That energy gos into your neck and you get a basilar skull fracture and you die but hey your face looks nice. Your opinions are respected but there are often times other things you have to thing about. Design parameters like SA2000 takes those things into account. Going outside of SA2000 is basically NOT tested. You then do not know if you thought about all the issues. Now if you really want to get into a quagmire lets talk helmet restraints!