buying a helmet - ?

Sounds like it is your 1st helmet so definitely you must try it out
if there is a close shop to you go and try it out, safer is the full face
it will feel a bit tight but you'd get use to it, also consider a neck
piece and some globes once you get hooked driving shoes , full suit, etc, will
be in order ;-) ... check reviews/prices on the net ogracing has good stuff.

 

Definitely try it on and leave it on for at least 5 minutes.. If it's the least bit uncomfortable, don't buy it! What feels like mild discomfort at first can turn into a raging, throbbing headache after 10 minutes or so! That's not conducive to good on-track performance.

I've had Bell and Simpson. Both are good.

 

Are snell2000 rated helmets still good?
I think they have snell2005s now? I'm not sure. But check on the snell rating and what the event you're going to attend will allow.

+1 on trying it out!!! Leave it on for 5 - 10 minutes and see how you start to feel. It's supposed to be very snug. But shouldn't be to the point where you start getting a headache. If you wear glasses, pick up some contacts, or talk to the sales person about finding a helmet that's a wee bit more loose to allow your frames to fit.

Open face is fine and a bit cheaper. Doesn't look as cool, though And obviously has safety drawbacks.

I like closed face helmets myself. A bit more expensive, but worth the price, for the Darth Vader feel alone, if you ask me

If you have an indoor/outdoor karting place near by... try stopping by, try on their helmets, and do some laps. That should give you a good indication of what's too tight/loose, etc.

And driving gloves would be a good thing to pick up as well. Sweaty palms can be slippery.

 

The whole Snell rating is killing me: I got about 5 helmets and none is good anymore either because of age (yeah right) or because of function:

There are different Snell ratings for motorcycles, karts and cars. Telling the difference is easy: The car helmets are the most expensive ones...ouch!

So once again I have the pleasure of paying $ 250 to add yet another helmet to my collection. And all that for a couple of laps on a track doing about 60.

 

all brands fit differently, I would recommend going down to your local race shop and trying a few on. I would also suggest going with a full face helmet, some tracks do require it, as do some schools, and if you ever wanted to step up into competition you would need a full face most likely.

 

WWW.HELMETCITY.COM

They have great prices and sizing charts. I bought one I wasn't happy with the size and they paid shipping for the return. At least check out the sizing charts.

Our local track is allowing m rated helmets this year for open track days. I'm mad because last year I had a garage full of motorcycle helmets but had to go and buy an SA helmet. Check the rules at the track or orginization you're tracking with. The difference between an auto helmet and motorcycle helmet is the lining is Nomex in an auto helmet.

 

Great source, thanks! Finally a helmet under $ 200!

 

How much is your head worth to you?

 

I need the helmet for one FCA track event where I'll be doing parade laps. Hardly an environment where you need a helmet to begin with. Besides: I got plenty of nice helmets, but they lack the official Snell rating, or are motor cycle helmets. So buying a Snell SA 2005 is complete overkill, but I got no choice.

Now if I were to go racing, that'd be a totally different story.

Funny thing is, I have driven all kinds of race cars with my helmet (see avatar) including F1, but FCA wouldn't let me on their track in my own 308 without the Snell rating. Ironic, isn't it?

 

Per Dr Evil ;
One Billion Dollars !
Got anything in stock ?

 

!
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I am a firm believer that people are over paying for helmets. Just because it costs more doesn't mean you're getting more protection. They all meet the same standards.

True they are minimun standards but you'd have to do an awful lot of research to determine if you are actually getting more protection.

 

I totally agree.

Many helmets are made of basically the same materials and they do about the same job.

Things only get fundamentally different once you're bringing a HANS device into the equation.

The discussion about individual helmets is a bit academic and reminds me of folks discussing the advantages of airbags while they're not even using seat belts.

 

I do love my MotoQuality helmet.
Dont remember what it cost but woth every penny in owner pride.
Another movie quote;

My Prescious !

If your going to go upmarket try demontweeks.com for best price.
I got lucky, it fits like a glove, er helmet.

 

Its rubbish to think that a cheap helmet is as good as an expensive helmet. you get what you pay for, I have had cheap helmets in the past (I probably have pieces of them laying around somewhere) they dont hold up when you need them.

 

That's why I'm surprised that more tracks/organizers won't allow "M" helmets supplemented by a Nomex balaclava- intuitively, this would seem like a viable alternative. Not my problem, as I bought a new Snell SA '05 late last year . . .

 

+ 1,000!

 

That's one of the many differences. In addition, M rated helmets have to disperse the energy of an impact 1 time (boom... hit the concrete), while an SA helmet has to endure multiple impacts while you rattle around in your cage (boom... main hoop, boom... A-pillar bars, boom... halo bar, etc).

Ideally you don't want to hit anything, and most times you don't, but its the possibility of having to withstand multiple impacts that earns the SA-rating, and its pricetag (nearly 3 or 4 times that of an M rated helmet).














Anyways, I have a Bell K1 Sport. Its based off the Dominator, but its a little bit heaver FRP shell vs. Carbon/kevlar). It also differs from the K1 Pro (karting K certification) which does not have nomex or the SA-rated padding which allows it to be lighter as well.

The reason I got the K1 sport is because of the SA2005 rating and the design with the Small eyeport (no glasses). I wish it didn't have the Open-cockpit chin spoiler, but I suppose its not a huge issue, since I wear it for karting as well (thus at least validating why I have an open-cockpit helmet in a closed roof car sometimes).



Started off as a $349 K1 Sport.
Plus countless hours designing it.
Then a couple more hundred dollars in supplies.
Plus an experienced friend who helped.
Plus an Airbrush, then my HVLP gun with some 4:1 automotive clearcoat.
To finish it off I got a blue iridium tinted visor (DAMN effective on those hot bright Willow Springs days!)

Currently I have added a few more things, like adding to the scheme with a seafoam complimentary colour. But the changes are all in vinyl so nothing is permanent. If I like it a lot, I'll mask it off again and add in the last colour, then re-clear the whole thing. Kinda a lot of work. If I go through that, I might as well get another helmet and paint that one something new and different.

Here are some pics:
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While I understand your point, it makes absolute no sense whatsoever that a motorcycle helmet has lower limits compared to a car helmet. In a car crash I have an entire vehicle around me to dampen the impact. On a motorcycle all I have is the helmet. It should be the other way round.

 

I agree. Legislature rarely deals with common sense, no? I've seen many M-rated helmets crack at the first major impact. SA ones perhaps dinged or scratched (if its bad enough, it should still be replaced with a new helmet though).

 

So based on this a motor cycle guy really should be wearing a car helmet.

At least you gave me now some rationale on why to accept the higher costs for a SA helmet and I will have to retire my motorcycle helmets for good. <sigh>

 

Taken from a quick search, just to show you I'm not full of it:

 

Boy I agree with this. One time I came off the bike at about 90 MPH (high side). The initial impact ground a big flat spot on the helmet. Then I saw sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground, Etc.,Etc. Each time I tumbled over the helmet was impacting the pavement. I don't think that you would see more impacts in a car


P.S.
It was a very inexpensive helmet. Ghibli was the brand name.

 

Thanks- despite having spent almost 30 years hanging around race tracks, I was unaware of these additional differences. Seems ironic that bikes, which scare the Hell out of me (I have this illusion that my roll cage actually means something, so race cars don't seem intimidating), are allowed to get by with the "M" ratings when they have so many "deficiencies" relative to an SA helmet.