buying a helmet - ?

I think you guys are overlooking 1 very important thing. It is not so much about speed as it is about inertia. Though you feel less protected on a bike, it weighs 400 lbs. An average track car 2,500 to 3,000. So, yes, while the car's structure is designed to disperse most of the force of an impact, the momentum which is carried into the impact is MUCH higher. Ideally, with proper seats, harness, cage, and protective equipment, you should be able to walk away from most any incident in a track car. In fact, most cases this is the reality.





As for your high side, glad you are ok and lived to tell us. As with most horrific crashes, the more spectacular the incident (Kubica Montreal 07) the least amount of injury, usually. I have a theory that all the flailing, exploding, and other horrific imagery we see from one of these accidents is just a way to disperse more energy. Well, its hardly a theory as its more a fact. Your life was saved because you tumbled so much, dispersing the energy of your crash over a further distance, period of time, etc. Sadly, it is the relatively benign incidents that cause death. A lowside on a bike, boom, down, end of game. RIP. 1 impact into a wall (Senna, Ernhardt, etc). RIP. This is because the force reacting on the body is MUCH higher with the single impact, because it is not dispersed through the car breaking apart and tumbling, or the rider flailing about through the kitty litter.


Also, I think you guys should remember that the SA rating isn't just for Auto-X in a 1991 Miata or something. Helmets bearing that rating are qualified for use on open wheeled Formula cars, and other types of extremely high-end sports car racing. Of course F1 has the HANS requirement, but there are other types of Formulas that may not: Ford, Mazda, Renault, 2, 3000, 3, etc etc.

 

Actually lindsay_ross_prosticute is right.
Remember the Force = Mass X acceleration formula?
When you fall from a motorcycle all the force is your weight X the speed you travel + Gravity....
But in an race car you can have the entire mass of the car X Speed + Gravity.

 

I agree with your theory and the Earnhardt example. Senna's death however was a freak accident: One of the suspension arms went through the visor into his brain. If it hadn't been for that, I'm sure he would have made it.

Other examples of instant deceleration and death would be Winkelhock and Bellof.

 

Car helmets have fire protection, motorcycle helmets do not. Hence, the price difference.

Get the latest Snell rating available.

 

Welcome to the conversation. That's the least of the differences.



Having already had 2 helmets, first one a low-end bell, current one a middle-of-the-line, my next helmet purchase will most likely be a low/middle ground Arai. Something in the $700 range, perhaps less if I can find one on sale. Arai has some of the best quality and performance I have ever used. I had the pleasure of using my friend's while we were karting one time. DAMN it is so nice.

 

Which proves that any helmet is still good protection on a bike.
However this was more of a rolling type accident that a sudden catastropic impact with a fixed object. In which case the kevlar etc helmets outperform.

 

I've painted a LOT of different kinds of helmets (www.helmet-painting.com) and had the opportunity to examine the visible elements of their construction. A major difference in where the money goes in more expensive helmets is the use of higher tech materials that are much lighter for the amount of strength they provide. That makes a big difference in the amount of weight you're carrying around on your neck while driving on the track. I personally use a lighter weight carbon-kevlar weave helmet, though I do have a second spare helmet that's the "standard" heavier fiberglass composite.

 

Yep, exactly why an Arai is SOOO much more money than a Bell. Even the top of the line Bells are a little short of the Arai imho. It is just so unbelievably light!


On a semi-related note, Kimi's helmet (at least in the French GP) is something I've never seen before. Or at least never noticed. It has a pull tab on the front bottom edge of the visor and a clip in the mouth region to hold it closed.

What helmet is that? I've never seen that before, or at least never noticed it.

 

`^^ Totally agree that a light weight helmet is worth the money. On paper the weight differences among helmets seem trivial but in high speed accidents the additional weight multiplies the force the neck is subject to.

The head is designed to rotate where the skull meets the column. Any helmet will alter the head's center of gravity forcing unnatural rotation stress. Again the ligther the helmet the better.

 

Here's Kimi's helmet that I am talking about. He previously used Arai GP-5s before, then this... thing starting with Australia 2007.

Anyone have a clue? It's new to me...
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All Ferrari drivers wear Schuberth helmets. By far the best in the world. They're made in Germany.

Carol

 

Yup I just came back to post that they are Schuberth RF1.

Not for sale to the public (currently). No mention if they ever will be. Wow.



It is SUPER nice. Very very cool, did some research they seem to be getting more popular because of how safe they are. Or, at least they are popular with German drivers (German company). Haha.