Helmets

[richard]

Hi Everyone,

A brief ray of sunshine here got me thinking of the prospect of upcoming track days, and then the fact that I do not yet own a helmet.

I honestly have no idea what I am looking for here. There seems to be a huge range of prices, is it really worth spending big money??

Cheers,

- Richard

[Sptwoman]

You have to ask yourself "How much is my head worth"!! :D

[richard]

One of my "friends" just suggested swimming goggles so I guess some would argue "not much" :D

Point taken though.

Thing is, at what point are you into diminishing returns? In an open-top car I guess it is pretty vital, but if something gets past the roll cage on the Corse is another few mm of thermoplastic going to help? I can see good value in getting 90 seconds of flame protection, but I presume the 80 quid helmet will get me that as well as the 2000 quid ones?

I think my nearest race shop would be Castle Combe which is a few hours drive away else I would just go try some on and ask. Perhaps it will come down to doing that in the end.

[catswhiskers]

Hi Richard,
If your looking to do track days for fun and enjoyment, then I don't see any need to spend more than £80 ish.
Your in an enclosed car, with a full cage, you'll be wearing Nomex overalls and the 'real' likelihood of a serious fire, whilst I wouldn't say is impossible, it is going to be pretty remote.
Something like an OMP 'Jet Axis' or equivalent Sparco will set you back about £65-£80. Comfortable, lightweight and MSA approved too. :)

Mick

[mogul_x]

Not 100% sure if helmets on your side of the pond go through the same certifications as ours in the US - but over here at least, the Snell rating would probably be the easiest measure of "diminishing returns".

Helmets with the Snell M2000 certification and Snell SA2000 go through the same basic battery of tests, but the SA rated helmets have a thicker outer shell, flame retardant construction, and pass an additional rollbar strike test. If I were participating in circuit racing, I'd probably go for the SA rating, even if it wasn't required.

Once a certain certification level has been reached, I think cost is a factor of weight and extra features. I know there are SA rated helmets at a number of price points. A cheaper helmet will be heavier, but since a Stratos probably isn't going to pull much more than 1G in cornering, that might not be a major problem, particularly if the races aren't that long.

Personally, I opted for a closed face M rated helmet, because I was driving a open topped car in autotest, not circuit racing. In a fully closed car, I might have gone for a cheaper open faced model. I paid an additional premium because I wear glasses, and had to buy a helmet with a large enough aperture to allow me to put the glasses on after I put on the helmet.

[vojx]

Are you sure your head will still fit with a helmet on?

FWIW, i'm only 6ft, but i can't get a helmet on and sit comfortably in my Corse - the roll cage to the right intrudes. if that's the case, you'll probably have to re-angle the seat

[Sptwoman]

MMmmmm.... An £80 head eh!!!! You maybe in your safe box but there's still a chance of intrusion or heavy impact on your helmet. Me, I'd listen to advise then google it 1st, gain some info then go along and try a load on. It needs to fit compfy, have good impact qualities and be at the right price. It's a matter of choice. Once you know what fits then search for the best price like you do!!!

[chris.richard]

I use a full face helmet, as I think it'll give me some protection from rearranging my teeth on the steering wheel. Getting in to a Hawk with a helmet on involves some extreme neck flexion!

[Chris J]

You need to spend more money on helmets in the VSCC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LATwSlHdiPY

[SUSIT]

Can I refer you all to my incident of some years ago when a heavy impact to the drivers side of my replica broke my quality race seat acroos the back, not the mounts and despite a six point race harness my unprotected head hit the roll cage and yes it hurt for a few days, I would not skimp on head gear. Buy a motorsport approved helmet, prices are not that bad but most important try them on
My two pence worth
My choice - an open face Stilo will full WRC intercom set from Demon thieves- the only item i have ever bought from them and managed to get a deal.
Stephen Struthers

[chris.richard]

As Steven found out, the inside of the Stratos is sosmall that you're going to rattle your head off the front or side roll cage or the roof in a shunt, so the helmet will be scrap afterwards.

Are more expensive helmets thinner for the same protection, or just lighter? An extra cm might help.

[strat6v]

Although i already have a full face helmet i'l be buying an open face variant for the strat. Safety kit should never be skrimped on, read the write ups, try them for size and buy the best quality you can afford.

My best mate died due to using a cheap helmet that just split in two. admittedly it was a few years ago but it taught me a valuable lesson about safety v economics :(

[jadefarms]

Can I refer you all to my incident of some years ago when a heavy impact to the drivers side of my replica broke my quality race seat acroos the back, not the mounts and despite a six point race harness my unprotected head hit the roll cage and yes it hurt for a few days, I would not skimp on head gear. Buy a motorsport approved helmet, prices are not that bad but most important try them on
My two pence worth
My choice - an open face Stilo will full WRC intercom set from Demon thieves- the only item i have ever bought from them and managed to get a deal.
Stephen Struthers
But make sure you have some padding on the rollcage too. You don't wear your crash hat on the road and in an accident a rollcage is a nasty thing to hit. Soft foam rubber is bad too, doesn't absorb the impact. Make sure it is firm enough....
Struan :(

[richard]

Thanks everyone, lots of interesting stuff there.

Whilst I agree that buying the absolute best available would be nice, it just isn't going to happen specially having just put a Corse on the mortgage to make sure money is extra tight! Basically if I become convinced safety is really an issue with cheap helmets then I put off playing for a year.

Looking at their website it seems that Merlin Motorsport at Castle Coombe have an OMP full-face helmet with MSA approval for just under 100 quid, might be worth the 2+ hours round trip to go try one on. Thats one for me and one for the wife of course, so it adds up.

I am only average height, so I should be able to fit in the car with a helmet after a little seat adjustment.

[igosling]

As a biker I obviously pay a bit more for head protection, but in days gone by on lesser two wheelers I did go down market. I think most of the comments above are spot on. A helmet with the right approvals is fit for purpose, so why pay hundreds, when you don't have to.

But......(there is always a but)
1. make sure it is a good fit. With the helmet on it should be tight. If you are looking at a full face, hold the chin bar and move from side-to-side and up-down and your head should move with it. Open face are a little more difficult to assess, but the principle is the same.
REMEMBER when you buy, buy the tighter fitting one as opposed to the overly comfy fit. Helmets will give after a while and mould to your head.

2. Comfort. Had an AGV that roasted my ears and blistered my forehead if I had it on for more than an hour. They just didn't fit my head shape. So the comment about try loads on is spot on, but try different makes as well as sizes. Also look inside an make sure there are no harsh seams in the area of the sides (around the ears), forehead and back of the head, which are the main contact points.

Hope this helps.

[Sptwoman]

Ah!!! Another biker who looks after his head!! Just like running shoes.... different makes and different shapes!!! You should take the trip Richard and sit in the shop with the lid on for an hour :D See how it feels!! They do mould to you like shoes...

[Sando]

All good advice richard, except I wouldn't make my mind up on the amount I was going to spend before I got there. Try them all on, as fit and comfort is very important and then look and feel if the the quality and higher saftey standards warrants the additional expense. Personally I think it does.

I swapped from a full face bike helmet to open face (Stilo) a couple of years ago as it was just so hot in the car in the summer it was unbearable in a full face. It's still hot even with an open face!
You may also need a balaclava to soak up the sweat and keep the helmet a bit less greasy too... can be hard work if you are going for it. :D

It's a very personal choice though. you only get one head.

Rob

[richard]

OK, thanks for all the advice. I am swaying towards open face now, had assumed I would get a full-face helmet before.

Next problem, I notice one company does sessions at Abingdon which isn't too far from me and so would be a good venue, but they say they operate a 100dB limit. Am rather worried I will be over that so:

o Is there anywhere I can get a measurement?
o Is there anything you can do about being over?

I did see one company saying they will measure your car and ask you not to accelerate too hard if you are a bit over :D

[chris.richard]

You can buy noise meters from e.g. Maplin etc.
You can stuff steel wool up your tail pipe :eek: , or attach additional silencers - see GPR catalogue p155