Helmets

[RdHuggr68]

I am looking for a good helmet,not sure which brand to buy. I am going with an open face helmet.Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks

[Sieg]

What is it going to be used for? Autocross? Road courses? Serious discussions with wife?

If it's the later I'd definitely recommend full-face.

[RdHuggr68]

Originally Posted by Sieg

What is it going to be used for? Autocross? Road courses? Serious discussions with wife?

If it's the later I'd definitely recommend full-face.

That was good, some autocross,maybe road courses later.

[Flash68]

Originally Posted by RdHuggr68

That was good, some autocross,maybe road courses later.

Get the full face so you don't have to "rebuy" later.

Many good brands, but fitment on your head/face is more important. Go to a place if you can and try them on to see what fits best. It's what I did and glad I did it. Different brands fit VERY differently.

[Sieg]

I'd recommend a full face since they're dual purpose. Polycarbonate helmets offer good protection and are lightweight. Good composites take it up another level. Composites transfer more shock than poly's so they depend more on the styrene inner shell to minimize concussion/brain trauma. Composites offer better penetration resistance. Composite full face helmets will probably offer better chin/face protection as they should be less prone to collapse on impact with the steering wheel.

Good ventilation is important with any helmet, especially in a car in hot weather with no AC.

Generally there are two shapes of skulls, round and egg shaped. It's critical to try helmets on before purchasing. They should be relatively tight with no pressure points and left to right horizontal rotation (losness) on your head should be no more than 11 to 1 on a clock dial.

Brand names typically draw premium but there are some equally protective "off-brands" on the market, sometimes the shells are made by the same company that supplies the brand name manufacturers.....at least that's the case with motorcycle helmets.

Also consider face shield options available, tinted shield are better than sunglasses and offer good eye protection.

You want a liner and cheek pieces that's easy to remove for washing and most manufacturers offer multiple sizes of cheek piece to tailor the fitment.

The Bell Racing Sport helmet would be a good baseline to start from: http://bellracing.com/helmets/pavement/autocross

The Simpson Bandit is another good helmet that's pretty light.
http://simpsonraceproducts.com/produ...id=10399&sort=

If you want to go big league Schuberth is a favorite in F1: http://www.schuberth.com/en/

[GregWeld]

Let me help put this in layman's terms.....

Originally Posted by Sieg

I'd recommend a full face since they're dual purpose. Polycarbonate helmets offer good protection and are lightweight. Good composites take it up another level. Composites transfer more shock than poly's so they depend more on the styrene inner shell to minimize concussion/brain trauma. Composites offer better penetration resistance.




In other words -- some plastics are better than others.



Composite full face helmets will probably offer better chin/face protection as they should be less prone to collapse on impact with the steering wheel.


In other words -- don't smack your face on anything so that this won't be needed!



Good ventilation is important with any helmet, especially in a car in hot weather with no AC.




You'll sweat like a pig in a helmet no matter what!




Generally there are two shapes of skulls, round and egg shaped. It's critical to try helmets on before purchasing. They should be relatively tight with no pressure points and left to right horizontal rotation (losness) on your head should be no more than 11 to 1 on a clock dial.


In other words -- GO TO A STORE AND TRY THEM ON BEFORE BUYING -- THEY ALL FIT DIFFERENTLY!




Brand names typically draw premium but there are some equally protective "off-brands" on the market, sometimes the shells are made by the same company that supplies the brand name manufacturers.....at least that's the case with motorcycle helmets.



A tip here -- Helmets have to be rated and tested -- Look for a SA2010 rated helmet.



Also consider face shield options available, tinted shield are better than sunglasses and offer good eye protection.





Good advice because stuff has a habit of trying to find your face....





You want a liner and cheek pieces that's easy to remove for washing and most manufacturers offer multiple sizes of cheek piece to tailor the fitment.




Because of the above mentioned -- sweating like a pig in a helmet





The Bell Racing Sport helmet would be a good baseline to start from: http://bellracing.com/helmets/pavement/autocross

The Simpson Bandit is another good helmet that's pretty light.
http://simpsonraceproducts.com/produ...id=10399&sort=

If you want to go big league Schuberth is a favorite in F1: http://www.schuberth.com/en/

[Sieg]

A tip regarding some ratings.........

This carbon fiber half helmet is DOT approved



This helmet isn't though it exceeds US standards in Europe


Which one would you rather wear?

[GregWeld]

If you're going racing --- make sure it has a SA2010 rating (it will have a sticker on it somewhere) or the sanctioning body most likely won't let you wear it.



This is the SCCA 2013 seals of approval requirements....



http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...ert_decals.pdf



Even at Optima Ultimate Street Car invitational -- and events run by American Street Car Series such as RTTC etc - Tech checks your helmet!

[Sieg]

Another factor I see discounted too frequently is helmet age. Over five years old is compromising safety IMO. If a helmet has experienced a decent impact the shell may appear fine but the critical issue is compression of the styrene inner liner which can be difficult to detect.

[Regal454]

I would also recommend going to try them on before buying one out of a catalog. I just purchased an Impact 1320 helmet and love it. After trying on the Simpson Voyager and Bandit and a Bell, it was the clear winner in fit and finish for me. Also, the Impact 1320 has a wide visor opening. A lot of drag racing helmets have narrow openings to limit your peripheral vision which is bad for auto cross and road courses.