First helmet suggestions please

First, the OP is looking for a helmet for racing school, followed by some light tracking or (please, no!) cone-chasing. A HANS ain't gonna help him in a street car.

As for weights of helmets, that not true, either. An entry-level Bell, for example, is markedly heavier than their top-of-the-range. A lighter helmet has many benefits over a heavier one.

 

+1

Spot on.

If that were true, then why would they sell HANS devices for street cars? There are two different HANS devices depending on the angle of your seat. One is especially for street cars. The last RACER magazine had an amazing offer for about 700 bucks (IIRC). Lowest price I ever saw for a HANS.

 

Hans device for street cars? Haven't seen one of those yet, how do they work?

(The Hans I know requires the harness to hold it tightly to the body.)

 

Andreas, for a HANS to work correctly, you need the correct seat, the correct mounting of the harness and, of course, the correct harness. Effectively, this means you need a race car, production-based or otherwise. I shouldn't have to explain this. If one is autocrossing (ick) or tracking a car with street seat belts, a HANS is irrelevant. By the OP's intent, it certainly doesn't sound like he's going to have any of these elements installed in his car.

Plus, in 2008, HANS are fitted more accurately than just seat angle. Incidentally, they actually have an unofficial "Tony Stewart" model, which is a 30 Large. I have worn both a 20 Medium and a 30 Large in the seats that I've used. Both seem to fit so well that I don't have a favourite.

 

Saw the part about club sedan racing and assumed this was a purpose built car.
Not a street car.
Yes HANS needs a full harness not found in typical street cars.
At solo speeds any will do.
For Skippy ( I am assuming formula cars ) see if they have a HANS for rent to use with their helmet.

 

To me, weight is everything. Cheapest SA helmets are quite heavy and I couldn't put up with them for a few hours a day. I'd rather get the lighter helmet for a few or several hundred bucks more, even if I don't use it as much as a shiny exhaust. The weight off of my shoulders (literally) allows me to focus more instead of focusing on holding my head up.

 

Agreed on the racing seat belts. But that doesn't exclude street cars. Just not "street" belts/seats. I have actually been thinking about a HANS for track days in my street car.

The point remains: Invest the money saved on the helmet (as long as it is Snell 2005 approved) in a HANS device. Your overall protection is better than all money just in the helmet. Also make sure the helmet has mounting points for the HANS (this might be part of the Snell approval anyway).

 

When I was shopping for a helmet the differance in weight for the hand made carbon/kevlar/un-obtanium helmet weights and the
fiberglass or composite (can this mean plastic ? ) helmets was not that great.
The differance in price was.
Weights and prices should be listed.
PS if you know your helmet and size demontweeks has great prices online for all apparel and helmets.
I did go high end on the helmet.
Hans devices were 2k !

 

Ross, autocross is a different discipline than racing, or casual tracking, for that matter. It leads to fast hands and low eyes, both of which are bad habits for the track.

 

But I always find that autocrossers are much faster at the track, can adapt quickly and overdrive the car much better than someone who just goes to HPDEs. I'm not talking about wheel to wheel racing here... just track enthusiasts.

Glasses can be a concern too. But even with the narrow eyeport in the F1GP (slightly modified for breathing!), it isn't a problem. One problem is, you cannot see anything below the dash in this kind of helmet. The only other problem I have, which is shown in this picture - my glasses fog up! When I go karting with this helmet, I use painters tape and tape my nose and side of my face to the bottom of the eyeyport itself. This prevents some fogging up. I've been using this helmet for years, and it will be soon to try on a different full faced nogging protector. I'll probably go with a Simpson Bandit or something similar.

Oh, almost forgot, lenses. While not absolutely important for everyone, it is important for guys like me who prefer wearing glasses over contacts at the track. I don't get the choice of having sunglasses or amber glasses I can put on behind a clear helmet lense. I have a few, but for overcast and rainy days, the amber helps out greatly.
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Yeah, I have an iridium tinted visor. It helps SO much. I take good care of it and clean it between sessions (time permitting) etc. As I prepared to type the next sentence, a point that has been overlooked dawned on me... The helmet bag. This is very important and overlooked, imo. When i won a Sparco helmet bag, i was super happy, and I still use it. But its not lined, its just lightly padded, and keeps dust off, etc. I still need to use a helmet sock over the actual helmet to reduce the risk of scratching, etc. My friend has a really nice wool-lined helmet bag, and its very worth it. I also keep my spare visor in there (in a visor sock) to bring to the track, in case the sun goes down or its foggy/cloudy I'll have a clear visor to wear.

here's my Bell K1 Sport SA2005 with Iridium visor. Note the reduced amount of openings due to it being a formula helmet. Perhaps on a very humid day, I might have issues, but so far, i've never had a fogging issue, but that is also due in part to my visor. The good visors are treated with anti-fog, and are of a much higher quality than the stock visors, imo.
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You can buy the HJC version, which is the same as the Schuberth helmets most ALMS or GP2 drivers wear - search HJC AR-11, they are good helmets and not too pricey.

I would have got an Arai GP5 but got a sponsorship for the HJC helmet...

In regards to a HANS device for a skippy school, you won't need one. Just use a simple neck brace if you want. But the way you sit in the Formula Skip Barber, the HANS will be uncomfortable.

Robbie Montinola
www.montinola.com

 

Cool to know. That looks different than the Schuberth I was thinking of, but its a very nice product. And yes, the prices are amazing. Carbon fibre for that price? Wow. How do you like yours? Also, just noticed that you drive Star Mazda? Very cool. Do you guys run 13B or 20B engines? How much modification is allowed off of the "spec" engine that everyone gets?


Edit: I was thinking of the Schuberth RF1. Which, to my knowledge, is not available to the public.
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HJC helmets are nothing like Schuberths. Sorry, but I'm not protecting my head with a helmet manufactured in Korea or China. Thanks, but no thanks. Schuberths, on the the other hand, are engineered and manufactured in Germany.

 

yeah that helmet is not available to the public... but there other helmet lines that a lot of the ALMS drivers (Audi drivers/porsche drivers) are using is the same as the HJC AR-11 (exactly the same, just branded HJC in the US). Its a good, light helmet that has worked well and comparible to the Arai GP5. However, I still feel the GP5 is more comfortable for my head size (I'm in between a Med and Lrg in HJC, so my Med is a little tight). I didn't get the carbon since it wasn't out yet, but I know a few people who are very happy with it.. for the price, its a great helmet, especially for people who are only going to be doing a racing school and a few track days.

here's a shot of my helmet -

in regards to the star mazda series, the new car runs a renesis 13b from the RX8. its a spec engine and you can't do any modifications other than the approved series parts like a K&N intake, exhaust, etc.. You have to order all the parts from the series and the tech inspect each car to make sure no one cheats.

thanks,
robbie

 

Nice helmet design, who did the custom paint job?

 

thanks, Alex from Axcel Fast Graphics in Arcadia did the paint job.. does really good work and you can also buy helmets from him if needed - check them out --> http://www.axcelfastgraphics.com/


Robbie