Need Advice for Buying 1st Helmet

I'm no helmet expert by any means, but here are my $ 0.02. I've been racing/driving all kinds of different race and sports cars over the years and have bought a fair share of helmets in the process.

Snell 2005, check
full face, check

Because a helmet is thoroughly padded size is not that critical. You can be wrong by about one size (e.g. buy medium instead of large). Of course pick your size if you can.

HANS, good idea and most helmets are compatible, meaning accept the drill holes for the device.

Obviously light weight and carbon fibre would be ideal, but the question is really how important is that? My take on it is buy a decent helmet (couple hundred bucks) and spend the big bucks on a HANS. That package is probably safer than a carbon fibre helmet without a HANS. But before you buy a HANS you must know what angle you're sitting in the car. Salons are different from single seaters.

Aerodynamics? ***etabout it.

Additional airhose? Only if you drive endurance or NASCAR.

Design? I find them all about the same. Wearing glasses shouldn't be an issue if you look at some of the CART drivers. I forgot his name, was it Bourdais that wears glasses? Anyway, it is not really an issue.

PS: On a personal note: The helmet I would love to come to market is one with a built in HUD display on the visor. Fighter pilots have it, why can't we have it?

 

You won't be getting a Hans device and a decent helmet for $500. Get a neck support, at a minimum. Simpson has a decent one for about $35. Teamtech has one that is fireretardent for about $5 more. Personally, I would go with good ventilation (breathing holes over mouth) and light weight.

 

I've raced open-wheelers / superkarts with the Arai GP-5 for several years.

The helmet was originally SA2000 but is now recertified to SA2005.

It has mounting points built into it for the HANS device.

The helmet uses the double D ring fastening system.

It is extremely light weight (which is important when enduring high G loads over the course of a race), and very comfortable.

Ventilation is excellent. It has three small intake vents at the top front, and two larger exhaust vents at the rear, which can be opened and closed with a little switch on top of the vents. There are also two filtered intake vents in front of the mouth.

I've never had a problem with the helmet fogging up, even in very wet conditions.

The visor has adjustable pivot points, so you can alter the stiffness with a screwdriver.

There is a wide variety of different visors for it (e.g. different tint, iridium, etc), and tearoff strips are readily available.

My helmet came with a "PED" (Performance Enhancement Devices) kit, which are basically aero devices that you can fit to the helmet, one a chin spoiler, another on the back of the helmet. The chin spoiler apparently reduces 'helmet-lift' but I've never experienced lift with my helmet anyway. The one on the back helps buffeting in open-wheelers and improves airflow into the intake for the engine. The front device is rarely fitted, but almost all the GP-5's worn by F1 / Champ Car / IRL / A1GP / GP2 / F3, etc drivers have the rear spoiler fitted (it also looks cool ).

 

Unless it's outlawed, it will come, just like EVERYTHING ELSE has......

 

I also have an arai gp-5, its an awesome helmet. I got mine in silver. So comfortable.

 

I have worn Bell and Arai and GForce helmets. The higher end Bell (Pro/Kevlar series) are my favorite, and are in the lighter weight range of the Arai helmets. The Bell are a bit more "painter friendly" if you're going to get a custom paint job later, but any helmet can be painted. The GForce and Pyrotect (lower end Bell brand) are certainly "ok" but generally heavier because of the materials used. For kart speeds, you don't really need the spoilers and wickers for aerodynamics, though they don't hurt, and I don't like having them on a helmet I use in a normal car.

In your price range, presuming they fit well, I'd recommend a Bell M3/Pro or M4/Pro (depending on whether you prefer a smaller or larger visor opening) or if you go for the aerodynamics now, the Bell GTX. You can see them on
www.bellmotorsports.com/products.asp?sec=product&catid=3 but shop around for a good price.

Also, now that I'm a SPONSOR of FChat, let me put in a plug for helmet painting --
visit my website at www.helmet-painting.com or www.helmetpainting.us

 

Buy a HANS, Spend whats left on the lightest legal helmet you have money left over for. Get it tight, just a slight bit uncomfortable.
I LOVE my MotoQuality helmet but was not needed, just wanted. Almost a fashion statement.
Aero needed if you plan on doing the Indy 500.
Cheapest prices at demontweeks

 

A few additional tips on helmet fitment.

- you do not want it to shake around. you want it to be comfortable, but not too tight where it pinches your forehead.
- lightweight is ideal, or your neck is going to get sore.

 

Apologies for taking the discussion a bit off track, but I think you have heard by now probably all the important points already.

For years I have been searching for a helmet with a HUD built in and an interface. Also I have been looking for something like a LCD display on glasses (there was a commercial a few years ago about a guy trading stocks via the LCD display on his glasses while sitting in a Venice piazza), but the only thing I ever found were glasses where you then can't see through, but only the monitor.

I can't believe nobody has come up with such a thing yet. Alternatively I was thinking about at least a helmet with built in LEDs that can be programmed to show different information. I remember that being used at some point in time in F1 for fuel delivery measurement.

Any leads would be appreciated.

 

Actually, I would recommend you DO look for an aerodynamic helmet. In an open-wheeler, your helmet will create quite a bit of lift. Not only does this pull hard against your chin strap but it also can lead to a lot of buffeting (You know, shaking around. Not eating at Old Country Buffet). A formula car will bang your head around enough as it is, so the more you can do to stabilize it the better. Please deposit my $.02.

 

Funny you mentioning this. Where have you seen this technology in use? Last I heard it wasn't operational yet. A close friend of mine who is an optical engineer has told me his firm is working on this technology for the military right now. The idea is to get all the information a fighter jets HUD can throw at you displayed on the visor. Right now packaging and weight are the only problems. The military has given them specific weight and size requirements as to not break the necks of pilots incase they have to eject. The tolerences are very small as even a small difference and weight on one side of the helmet can cause severe neck damage under the intense g-loads of ejection. He aslo told me this technology would soon finds its way into civilian helmets too once it's perfected. As it stands right now, IIRC, the cost per unit is above $100,000 for them to produce but would obviously come down dramatically once it is mass produced. So I guess just be patient because the technology will soon be here.

Mark

 

If you're going to be in open wheelers, I would reccommend this too. I almost had my helmet come flying off my head on a snow mobile at about 100 mph (and yes it was my car racing helmet). They really do create a lot of lift.

Mark

 

I thought they have been using that for quite a while already. I'm pretty sure at least helicopter pilots have (since they don't have the ejection issue). 100k? I was afraid to hear that, which is probably the reason it hasn't surfaced yet for racing purposes. But I think the potential is huge once you no longer have to look down and change the focus of your eyes to read the instrument panel. Particularly with F1 and it's fully loaded LCD displays.

 

First sorry for the hijack.

Is this the helmet youre talking about? Its what the Apache Pilots where. It's similar but not quit the the same. The optical piece over the eye works just like a normal HUD on a plane. The glass piece over the pilot's eye just reflects the image displayed out of the part below it. As you can see the whole package is pretty large and heavy. What they are working on is supposed to weigh no more than a normal helmet and have approximately the same dimensions.

Mark

 

I think you missed to post the pic?

Anyhow, yes I was thinking of the Apache pilots, but didn't know it was that primitive. Somehow I remember having seen a foto in "Aviation weekly" of a fighter jet pilot with all the flight information on the visor of his helmet. Maybe that was only a prototype of things to come.

 

If you want to buy an Arai GP5, then you should consider the new GP5-W model. It is about half the cost of GP5. Unlike the ealier GP5-K or GP5-S lower end models, GP5-W uses the exact same SCL construction as the regular GP5. The only difference is a slightly wider aperture. And it has the HANS holes already drilled at the factory.

 

Sorry about forgetting the pic....here it is.

Mark
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

These documents might interest some people:

http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/845912300__L33_Approved_helmet.pdf

http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/891400263__List_25_standards_helmets.pdf

http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/826942018__List_29_App_Hans_system.pdf

http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/2128246243__L36_approved_Head_restraint.pdf

http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/563568254__List_27_App_clothing_materials.pdf

 

What information would you want displayed in the HUD?

 

Hehe. Well if I were an F1 driver I guess it would be all the stuff they have to scroll through on the LCD display on the steering wheel.

Personally I'd like to have a camera feed of what's behind me. Mirrors can only go so far, particularly when you try to block an opponent.

 

On the topic of HUD's , didnt Ralf Schumacher's helmet, while driving for Williams F1 in 2003 have that?

 

i have raced in the skip barber series since 1978...the aero-aids on a helmet are essential, especially on the long tracks, or your neck will get real sore...best one i have found is the simpson shark...no lift and very little buffeting...oh, yes, and a hans device is a must-have...

 

I've raced with Bells, Simpsons and G-Forces. Currently use a Bell.

My next helmet will be an Arai.

Don't be cheap and buy what fits best. Don't forget your balaclava.