buying a helmet
 

i searched a bunch and i couldnt find anything...im looking for a physical store that sells helmets of at least snell 1990 rating. I want to be able to trythem on (so no websites please) thanks for your help. a chain or type of store would be cool, and a philly area store would be fantastic

for autocross, you can use a motorcycle helmet e.g. M2000. the car race helmets are more expensive and tend to be bigger, e.g. SA2000. so a motorcycle store or equipment place should have a selection.

james

cool thanks, ill drop by one of those.

If you ask me, I would not get a motorcycle helmet. It depends on how much money you want to spend but it's your head you are trying to protect. As for stores in the philly area I don't know.

I would get a race car helmet even for autocrossing. Race car helmets are different from motocrycles helmets (ie fire retardant materials, thicker shields), but they are more expensive. (I don't think race car helmets are bigger)

I have a Bell M3 and a Bieffe F1-GP.

....my 2 cents

1) The RX-8 is the least likely car to roll...
2) Courses should be designed do minimize impact with solid objects...

Odds are very much in your favor that only an M is needed or the SCCA would require SA rated only if that weren't the case.

Sure, some say "If your head's worth $100, get a $100 helmet"... but basic SA ones are $250-$350... and I still say my head is worth wayyyyyyyyy more than that... so I don't see what the difference is for auto-x between an SA or an M rated... just for auto-x.. which, if events do occur, are at very low speeds.

The difference of $150-$250 when talking about my head are very minimal considering you can't really put a price on it. :) So in my case, cheaper is OK.

However, if a year or two down the road you want to track the car, THEN you're going to need to step into an SA helmet.

--kC

http://www.stableenergies.com/home.asp


If you willing to make a long trip to try out helmets than this is your place. They ahve helped out a lot of people esp. from the m club and pca

If you don't want to spend too much money on good helmets, you can try ebay! I bought a very good-shape simpson helmet for about $150 as a starter helmet. I forgot what model it is. It's full face and nomex lined. I tried getting an open faced one, but just find the right one. You can always upgrade later when your skills increase.

G-Force 750, SA2000 rated, $150.

Why buy used?

I like the Simpson helmet

Make me look like the Stig from Top Gear. I still can't find it in Australia. I will find it in HK and US though... very cool

They have it at the same site I posted.

Here it is $474.

OK, I gotta revive this thread because some folks at work want me to go out and track my car and I've actually considered it. I like the price on this helmet. But how do you know what your size is?

MI:

I would try to find a local speed shop and try them on. It will be worth the drive. For example, the closest one for me is about 80 miles away (Stable Energies in Garfield NJ). I have found that the same size helmets from different manufacurers fit very differently. If you wear glasses the opening size becomes important also. Also you need to figure out whether you want kevlar (less weight, more $$$) or fiberglass (more weight, less $$$).

-PaulyG

heading out with the wife for a little drive in the park (Lime Rock Park) this Friday and Saturday with PCA....

BTW, looked at the helmet on the website. You may want to consider that open-face helmets may not be allowed at some of the events in the future that you may want to participate.

http://soloracer.com/helmets.html

this is a pretty good list.. And I have to say soloracer was great when i orderd my helmet from them.

I have ordered from Stable Energies http://www.stableenergies.com/home.asp
and from OG Racing http://www.ogracing.com
Both are helpful

Dont forget the Hans device if you are planning to go really fast and would not like to have your neck snap in an accident :eek:

Please elaborate... I haven't heard of an open faced NOT being allowed... I know months ago there was talk about banning closed faced helmets in airbag equipped cars, but that's on hold for the time being...

But never NOT allowing open faced... ??

Buy an Arai or a Shoei..some of the best and most comfortable motorcycle helmets. I love my Arai whether I am racing my bike on the track or up in the twisties in the mountains..

I've bought from Montgomeryville Cycle Center ( http://www.montgomeryvillecycle.com/) up on 309. Little pricey though.

Motorcycle helmets are fine, IMHO. You're just more likely to die if there's a fire, or if you bang your head more than once (aka roll it). I haven't seen any track events which don't allow M helmets, but it's possible some clubs won't like 'em.

Whatcha plannin' on doin'? Seems all the "local" autox clubs are all 100+ miles away this year (Maryland, eastern NJ, etc.). You're a bit closer to Aberdeen then me though I guess.

I really can't fit in the dang car with my helmet anyway... unless I basically put the seat into sleeping position, drive with my legs bent up, and arms stretched all out. Never did make it to an autox last year, but I can't imagine driving like that, lol...

If in the future you want to drive go karts, open wheel cars like at Skippy School, or targas or convertibles with the top off, no open face helmet.

Of course SCCA is debating closed versus open for cars with airbags but if any objects come flying thru the windows or if you have a fire, you will be happier with a full helmet. (I have yet to see an airbag go off at the track, but I have seen plenty of broken glass). I will take a broken jaw versus my face and neck burned any day of the week. For autocross, open is fine.

Thanks everyone for all the links... I think I got a good idea of what size I would need and I saw a few models that looked appropriate for what I would be doing.

Now I have one less excuse not to take my 8 out on the track!

Buy a KBC motorcycle helmet. They are cheap, they have all of the latest snell and euro ratings, a removable headliner and cheek-pads, multiple vents, no-tool visor interchange system. You can probably get one for under 100 bucks new on ebay. Read the reviews, they are seriously good helmets. Another bonus of the motorcycle helmet is that you can get a tinted visor which is kind of nice on bright days.

You can try to guess at sizes online, but be aware that sizing is generally very specific to the manufacturer. That being said, I bought a KBC VR-1 on ebay a few years ago, found out it was too small. I bought the next size up on ebay, sold the other one, and actually came out ahead by about $5 bucks.

But if you are just doing autocross for the first time, nearly every club will let you borrow a helmet; they usually have some for passengers/novices.

In the SCCA club racing championship GT3 race at Mid-Ohio 2 years ago, I saw a guy crash, causing his windshield to cave in. He kicked out the windshield and kept racing, which was legal because he had a full face helmet. The guy even picked up something like 10 spots before the end of the race.

That's why I like the full face helmets! Would not have liked to have been in a open face type even if I could not finish. (glass and other junk hittting my face)

I have a bell M3, it's a great helmet. I would, however, suggest going to a store to ensure a proper fit. All helmets fit differently and the people at the stores are able to ensure it fits perfectly. I had my mind set on an arai, while I thought it fit, the guy at the store pointed out a couple minor fitment issues which could comprimise its safety.

You make a good point here... although now I need to find some shops in the Detroit area...

Or maybe you can recommend the shop you went to in Toronto and I can drop in there the next time I head home to Montreal to visit family...