Full face vs open face helmet in a hard top coupe

I am going to be doing some track days in my 458 and need to buy a helmet. I’ve been looking at the bell sport mag open face helmet but have seen a lot of guys wearing a full face helmet. If you’re in a hard top coupe like the 458 Italia, is there any reason to get a full face helmet over a more comfortable open face? For a spider convertible I understand a full face, but for a hard top coupe why do guys choose full face?


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Does the sanctioning body require a full face helmet?

Matt

 

Another consideration is tire clag and rocks coming in the side window kicked up by the car in front of you. I wear a full face with the visor just cracked for some air. Lots of 'stuff' comes in the side window and hits my helmet. At the end of the day, lots of junk to vacuum out of the cockpit.

 

An open face may not be acceptable for events with some groups. You will not run into that problem with a full face.


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Full face if you like your face.....

 

Went with a full face carbon fiber Stilo.


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This.

And this.

 

I'm a big fan of the Bell M8 helmet. Full face, but with an enlarged eye port. It's designed for people who wear glasses, but gives a larger aperture with the added protection of a full-face helmet.

 

I bought the Stilo ST5.


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You only get one head. Also, while rare, there are videos of cars on tracks hitting wildlife like a deer, and that is a scary thought even in a hard top car!

 

I went for the Arai GP-6RC carbon full-face helmet for tracking my 488 Spider. My thinking was overall safety coupled with lightness, and I never knew when I might be offered a passenger lap in something interesting with a soft-top or no roof.

As it happens, after sessions at Snetterton and Silverstone I got a little scared by the potentially huge consumables cost of tracking my 488 regularly... so acquired a wonderful supercharged Lotus Elise as a track toy. Of course, being soft-top, my original choice of helmet came in handy!

 

Very smart choice finding a more dedicated track car, as consumables and any potential damage to the car will put a large dent in the wallet with a Ferrari.