Where is a few good places to look for a helmet? And what makes a good helmet and some personal preferences would be cool too. I am totally new to this and know that this is my first invesment in a sport that looks to be a blast. Thanks for any info I can get.

Also what class are you running in with what kind of mods?

 

I assume you are referring to AutoX? If so you will want a helmet that has a new certification by Snell (i.e.: Snell 2005). There are deals out there for Snell 2000 helmets, but they will expire five years before the 2005. You will find two differrent varities of certifications for a helmet: SA and M. M is for motorcyle and is designed to protect your head from one big impact and offers no fire protection. An SA helmet is for autosports. It wll withstand several impacts in close proximity to each other (like bouncing off a couple roll bars during a roll) and has a Nomex liner alnong with flame retardant paint. If you are planning (or dreaming about) doing trackdays or driving schools I would strongly encourage that you spend the money on an SA2005 helmet.

Then, you have to decide if you want an open-face or full-face design. For most this is just a matter of personal comfort. I opted for an open-face this last time I bought and will be buying a full-face version to take to track days in the future.

There are a few good brands to shop: Bell, Simpson, Pyrotech (made by Bell), G-Force, Sparco, and Impact (made by Simpson).
Check out:
www.saferacer.com/
www.soloracer.com/
http://www.upr.com/

Try on the helmet for 10-20 minutes before you buy one. If you can, sit in your car with the helmet on to make sure you can sit comfortably and see every thing you need to see.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the reply. What helmet are you using by the way? I was looking at getting a HJC CS-5. Just something that will suffice and be a decent starter helmet.

 

I picked up a Pyrotect SA2005 open face for $150.

I don't know about you, but my skull is worth the extra $75 to get something better than that eggshell of a brainbucket by HJC.

 

I can get you Peltor helmets if you want.

 

Wow, good info. I would have assumed a motorcycle helmet would have covered it. Thanks for educating me!

 

heres a great place to get your helmet.

http://www.rfrraceparts.com/

I know this guy personaly the Owner is top notch and has a great racing past. many years in the game. He knows his stuff. in fact, if you contact I imagen the owner he will answer any question you put to him.

heres the helmet that I had gotten, VERY nice for the price ($109)and gets the job done!



He even hand delivered it to me for no extra charge, we ended up talking about cars and racing for like 3 hours. hes a real cool guy

 

I second the Pryotech helmets, what I decided to go with, open face for me as I really do not like full face much at all but would never ride a bike with anything but full face.

Rick

 

I just went out a few days ago doing helmet shopping and went to OG Racing in Virginia and they had about 25 helmets there to try on, and I probably spent a good 2 hours there trying on all the different kinds of helmets and putting them through the tests the manufacturer recommends for sizing - http://www.bellracing.com/imgs/howtofit.pdf - YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY THEM ON BEFORE YOU BUY!! It's the most important thing I can stress, not only is an improperly sized helmet dangerous, but that $100 helmet that looks so good to your wallet may be the most uncomfortable thing you ever put on your head. And if you're distracted by your helmet when you're racing, where's your concentration focused?

The helmets they had ranged from the $1,000+ Arai's and Bells, Simpson, Sparco, and down to their lower models and Pyrotect and G-force - I have to say if I was on a budget I would definately go for the Pyrotect SA2005 full face helmet (if you prefer full face) or get the open face, they're a very solid helmet with fairly comfortable padding if you aren't going to be wearing it for hours at a time.

Be aware that SCAA has found that through reports with vehicles that have front installed airbags in the steering wheels, they "Cannot rule out the possibility of fractures to the jaw" with closed face helmets because of the force of the airbag and the placement of the helmet. (I don't know about you, but I would rather chance a fractured jaw than my whole face if the airbags didn't go off, and the odds of auto-X'ing and getting into an accident enough to cause the airbags to go off would be quite rare.

In the end I narrowed it down to the brand new Bell BR-1 helmet in black ( http://www.soloracer.com/bellbr1.html) because it was the most comfortable over a longer period of time than the other helmets in my price range (had more money to spend than most, limit was around $300) - it has good ventilation (chin, forhead and top of head), will only fog if I constantly breath out of my mouth inside my 100+ degree car interior (yes, I purposefully tortured myself inside my hot car testing helmets to simulate auto-X event temperatures) - plus it has a new visor feature where you can tighten down the visor so it will stay open at any range of movement you choose and hopefully stay that way in the event of a crash.

Anyways, I'm satisfied with my decision even though I paid a lot more than most would for a helmet, but do yourself a favor and stay away from HJC and even some of the lower end G-force models. AND TRY IT ON BEFORE YOU BUY!!

 

IMO as long as you know your size there it isn't a big deal if your not able to try on a helmet. but then again thats just my opinion.

I just measured around the largest part of my head, got a measurement, and picked a size out. when I got it was a perfect fit. great amount of quality padding and a very snug fit.

I most resently took it on an all day track event, throughout the day I drove it for over 52 laps (70ish some odd miles) and it just felt like an extention of my head. no fog,or itches whatso ever. (a little hot sometimes but other than that...)

as long as you care for your helmet, (e.g. using, washing, and maintaining) it'll last for a long long time.

again, its all IMO

 

Though not for long periods at a time my Pyrotech never even entered my mind once it was on Sat and Sun and I made alot of runs, very comfortable, a bit stiff so somewhat hard to out on but I am very pleased with my purchase. I have seen several top drivers at events wearing the same exact model I have as well, that tells you something.

I agree, no bottom rung helmets when for not much more you can get a great one. I would be ok wearing this for track days(part of why I bought it). I prefer open face though I have no airbags in the car so that is not the reason either way.

My last helmet was an HJC and I agree, it felt cheap, got rather loose over time and just did not seem like it was all that good compared to the Pyrotech which I feel really safe and comfortable in.

Rick

 

While most of the advise Otocan gave is very sound, this statement has been all but discredited and the last I remember reading (Grassroots or Sportscar?) the SCCA pretty much backed down from this statement. There have been maybe two reported cases of broken jaws caused by an open face helmet. (I'll search for a thread I participated in on sccaforums regarding helmets when I was shopping earlier this year).

 

well, that was the last I heard, if you know otherwise, please let me know because I'm interested.

 

i got a HJC CL-15 for $128.99 including tax. i found the open face helmet uncomfy.

 

What about helmets for drag racing? Are they the same? I'm gonna need one soon cuz once I drop below 14sec mark you have to where a helmet. I'm looking for a closed face and how are the fits with the close face when you have glasses on?