oilbleak Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 I know that there are several threads about which helmets people need to buy for autocross type events, how they can get the correct size, and where they can buy them at. The problem is that it seems like everytime we have an event that requires a helmet, the same questions get asked and answered. To try to fix that, I figured we should start an "official" helmet thread here in the racing forum. I know that helmets are needed for drag racing as well, but I figured I'd start this thread in the Road Racing forum since you have more of a chance of banging your head in a road course than going in a straight line. There are certainly people on here that know more about this subject than I do, so if you see that I've made an error please correct me. Onto the topic at hand: Ratings: Helmets come in two main ratings, SA and M. The M rating stands for Motorcycle and IS NOT allowed on most tracks that I've heard about. The reason for this is that M rated helmets focus on kinetic protection and don't really have much in the way of fire protection. If you crash on a bike, you're more likely to get thrown from the bike like a human javelin and less likely to get pinned beneath the bike as it burns. Hence the greater focus on kinetic than fire protection. For cars, the opposite is more likely to happen (provided you're wearing your seat belt). If you crash in a car, your seat belt should arrest your movement fairly well. Yes, I know I'm ignoring the possibility of neck injuries but until Dell tells me I need a Hans device for the Lone Star Roundup I won't worry about it too much. You're not likely to go flying through the air like Superman in a car crash, but unfortunately that means you'll be closer to any fires that could potentially start. Because of that, SA rated helmets have more fire protection than M rated ones do. The number of the SA rating is the year that those standards came out, i.e. the SA2005 standards were released in 2005. The ratings (and therefore the helmets) are only good for 10 years. If you buy a SA2005 helmet, you'll need to buy a new one in 2015. You might be able to find a SA2000 rated helmet on clearance or on eBay but that rating / helmet will only be good for one year and then you'll need to buy a new one. What to buy: From what I've seen, M rated helmets are cheaper than SA rated ones which is why a lot of first time buyers look at getting one of those. But because of the differences in ratings (see above), you'll want to buy a SA rated helmet. For anything involving an automobile, SA rated helmets are safer than the M ones. When it comes to safety, you really can't be too safe - it's better to have too much protection than not enough. Even if the event you're buying the helmet for doesn't require a SA rated helmet, chances are pretty high that you'll want to do that type of event again and you'll be severely limited in the number of those events you'll be able to participate in with a M rated helmet. Face it, you bought a high performance car for a reason and you're going to want to do more events once you spend some time seeing just what these cars can do. If you live near a track or you have a local chapter of SCCA or SVT that puts on events like Solo / Autocross, you're probably going to wind up wanting to do a lot of these. Now that we've covered what rating you need, there are still a lot of SA rated helmets out there to choose from. There are open faced helmets and there are closed faced helmets. The closed face helmets offer a little more protection but they’re typically hotter than open faced ones. I know some guys that actually have one of each – they wear the closed faced helmet when it’s cooler and then switch to the open faced one for the summer. Helmet prices range from about $150 to above $1000, so what is the price range for you? That really depends on 1) how much can you afford and 2) how much are you going to use it? If you have access to events on a regular basis, I'd suggest spending a little more on a lighter weight helmet than just going with the cheapest SA helmet you can find. The lighter the helmet, the easier time your neck with have supporting it. However, if you’re only going to use the helmet once a year or so, you’d be better off going with a cheaper, heavier helmet. It’ll leave more cash in your pocket and the extra weight won’t really be a burden the couple of times you wear it each year. That being said, even if you don’t have access to a track or SCCA type events, you might live fairly close to a go-kart track where you can get a speed fix. A lot of the kart tracks I’m familiar with require helmets and you can use your own helmet there isn’t of renting one. So there are opportunities to use your helmet other than just in your car. Properly sizing your helmet is crucial to providing adequate protection. Any motorcycle dealership will also sell M rated helmets, but it’s hard to find a store that carries an SA rated helmets in stock. That means you’ll most likely wind up having to order a helmet with trying it on first. HJC has a really good walkthrough that I found really helpful when I was buying my helmet. After reading through their walkthrough, I looked at the various helmets I could order online, picked out several I liked, and then went down to a motorcycle dealership. As I said earlier, a bike dealership likely won’t have SA rated helmets – but they will have M rated helmets made by the same manufacturers with the same sizing charts. I was interested in a HJC helmet so I tried on HJC motorcycle helmets until I found the size I needed. By doing that I was able to order a helmet online and be fairly confident that it would fit correctly. Where to buy: I’m not advocating one store over another here, I’m just listing online sites that sell SA rated helmets. If you know of a site that I don’t have listed, let us know what it is. HJC Motorsports Saferacer.com HelmetCity.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellcobra Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 Great post and right on. I know the SA rated helmets cost a little more, but it is a safety issue with those who require SA rated helmets. All events run by Track Guys require SA rated helmets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WP64 Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 I bought a new SA2005 rated helmet last year from Jegs, I went with Bill Simpson's new company, Impact Racing, and bought their Charger helmet (SA2005 rated). The Charger has a wide eyeport that's flat on the bottom, its chin protection is lower than their least expensive Super Sport helmet (SA2005 rated) but the eyeports are similar between the two with the Super Sport being a little taller. The Super Sport is a great entry level value helmet and all Impact helmets are made in the USA; their interchangalbe cheek pads make fitting the helmet easy and most of their helmets have eyebrow vents and good air circulation. The other thing that I like about Impacts helmets is the gasket on the helmet that seals the visor, they use the same gasket in all their helmets and it's very nice, seals tight and wraps over the helmets edge so its on there securely. Oh, one last thing, the Impact stickers come off the visor and helmet easily should you not like them. Charger in black and Super Sport in silver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilbleak Posted August 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 I bought a new SA2005 rated helmet last year from Jegs, I went with Bill Simpson's new company, Impact Racing, and bought their Charger helmet. The Charger has a wide eyeport that's flat on the bottom, its chin protection is lower than their least expensive Super Sport helmet but the eyeports are similar between the two with the Super Sport being a little taller. The Super Sport is a great entry level value helmet and all Impact helmets are made in the USA; their interchangalbe cheek pads make fitting the helmet easy and most of their helmets have eyebrow vents and good air circulation. The other thing that I like about Impacts helmets is the gasket on the helmet that seals the visor, they use the same gasket in all their helmets and it's very nice, seals tight and wraps over the helmets edge so its on there securely. Oh, one last thing, the Impact stickers come off the visor and helmet easily should you not like them. Charger in black and Super Sport in silver WP, Thanks for the information, I've never seen this company before and now we have another option for helmets. It probably doesn't matter for 99% of us on this forum, but are these helmets compatible with a Hans device? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WP64 Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 WP, Thanks for the information, I've never seen this company before and now we have another option for helmets. It probably doesn't matter for 99% of us on this forum, but are these helmets compatible with a Hans device? Matt Yes, they will install Hans posts at the factory for $42 + shipping.. I believe the Hans has to go to the factory with the helmet for proper fitting/attachment of the posts. Impact Racing helmet accessories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSX4802 Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 Pocono Stock Car Experience uses Pyrotect, just bought one for the bride, nice helmet -$150. I believe it is a subsiderary of Bell. b. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WP64 Posted August 12, 2008 Report Share Posted August 12, 2008 Pocono Stock Car Experience uses Pyrotect, just bought one for the bride, nice helmet -$150. I believe it is a subsiderary of Bell. b. Is that Pyrotects M rated "Sportsman" helmet? I haven't seen their SA2005 rated "Air Flow" helmet for less than $209.00. If you got the 'Air Flow" helmet for $150 you got a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 I have a simple rule of thumb I tell people. If you are going to only autocross for the next 3-5 years then a less expensive Snell M rated helmet is fine. If you have any anticipation of moving up to run track events, first check with the sanctioning body putting on the event, but the trend these days is for an SA rated helmet. If you get a M rated helmet and want to do track events, you may be severely limiting your options. After 3-5 years you will probably replace the helmet either because of wanting a different one, or because they just get old and show the age and wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT500Droptop Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 At some open track events you can use a helmet that is M rated as long as you wear a Nomex hood under the helmet. So if you already have a good motorcycle helmet and only run a few open tracks a year it is a less expensive option to buying a new helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svttim Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 At some open track events you can use a helmet that is M rated as long as you wear a Nomex hood under the helmet. So if you already have a good motorcycle helmet and only run a few open tracks a year it is a less expensive option to buying a new helmet. This is not always true. Be sure to check with your sanctioning body before venturing out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT500Droptop Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 This is not always true. Be sure to check with your sanctioning body before venturing out That's why I said SOME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 I have 2 SA 2005 Helmets. One open face and one closed face. Bought them both at Summit Racing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 I have 2 SA 2005 Helmets. One open face and one closed face. Bought them both at Summit Racing. +1 One for me and one for my scary driving wife. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne38 Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 One additional idea, locate the circle track race parts vendor near your location. They usually have several helmet brands in stock that you can try on for fit before purchasing. I go here http://www.smiley ing.com/ I have found a helmet brand and model that fits much more comfortably than others. Cheers, Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Posted November 17, 2008 Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 I just realized that this helmet thread did not have the source for helmets listed that I have used since the 70's http://www.racerwholesale.com/ Great service and great prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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