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buying a helmet for autox/track days

vshah

vshah

Lifer
So I'm registered for a few events this summer and want to buy a helmet.
Does anyone have any recommendations? looking to spend under 400.

Does anyone know of stores in the NY/NJ area where I might be able to actually try them on? Or have you bought online and availed of the return policy if your choice didn't fit well?
 
check the rules of the orgs you race with so you know what rating the helmet MUST have

that will greatly affect the price range. SCCA I think just requires the SN rating to be no more than 3(11-14 years depending on what year it is) ratings old, so I think currently anything SN 2000 is fine till the next rating is released?
 
Just bought one from amazon a month ago.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QMBHQ4
I didn't need anything fancy so I just bought the cheapest sa2010 helmet I could find. I found a helmet sizing guide through google for racequip and just measured my head. It is one of the cheaper helmets but it still seems well made and comfortable.
 
I just went to a motorcycle shop and got a fairly low-end snell and DOT approved motorcycle helmet. I think I paid like $140 out the door.
 
thomsbrain said:
I just went to a motorcycle shop and got a fairly low-end snell and DOT approved motorcycle helmet. I think I paid like $140 out the door.
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Motorcycle helmets are not approved for use in many sanctioned events. I would check with your local track and organizers before buying a motorcycle helmet.
 
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I picked up a Snell approved helmet from a local motor sports shop for $100-150 IIRC, they even threw in a free bag 😛

When I was buying SA race helmets in NYC (FSAE/auto-x) I just found the nearest sport bike shop and they had plenty of options <$300, wound up buying 3-4 helmets that various drivers liked. Just find a sports bike shop and make sure the helmet has a Snell sticker, obviously.
 
The instructors all say if you have a $200 head, buy a $200 helmet.

I apparently have a $120 head.
 
Apex said:
The instructors all say if you have a $200 head, buy a $200 helmet.

I apparently have a $120 head.
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If I was on a bike I'd surely spend $600-$1000 on a helmet. But for auto-x, in a closed car (i.e. no a tight single-seater open wheel car) where a helmet is there to protect you from interior of a car, I don't think it's quite as critical. I also think that with the appropriate Snell rating any helmet will protect you well, just the more expensive ones are more comfortable and lighter. Definitely a big plus when you're on a motorcycle or in a tight pure-bred race car doing hours of track time, but for a 2 minute auto-x run it's fine to deal with a heavier or slightly less comfortable helmet.
 
JCH13 said:
If I was on a bike I'd surely spend $600-$1000 on a helmet. But for auto-x, in a closed car (i.e. no a tight single-seater open wheel car) where a helmet is there to protect you from interior of a car, I don't think it's quite as critical. I also think that with the appropriate Snell rating any helmet will protect you well, just the more expensive ones are more comfortable and lighter. Definitely a big plus when you're on a motorcycle or in a tight pure-bred race car doing hours of track time, but for a 2 minute auto-x run it's fine to deal with a heavier or slightly less comfortable helmet.
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$1k? 😱

You can pick up a nice Shoei or Arai for much less than that 😀
 
I'd recommend getting a Snell SA helmet. You can get a Snell M, but as previously mentioned some clubs won't allow them.
 
JCH13 said:
If I was on a bike I'd surely spend $600-$1000 on a helmet. But for auto-x, in a closed car (i.e. no a tight single-seater open wheel car) where a helmet is there to protect you from interior of a car, I don't think it's quite as critical. I also think that with the appropriate Snell rating any helmet will protect you well, just the more expensive ones are more comfortable and lighter. Definitely a big plus when you're on a motorcycle or in a tight pure-bred race car doing hours of track time, but for a 2 minute auto-x run it's fine to deal with a heavier or slightly less comfortable helmet.
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anything over 250-300 is all vanity. I liove shoei's, but they arent protecting yoru head better than 150 buck HJC, they are just more comphy with other features 🙂
 
Zargon said:
anything over 250-300 is all vanity. I liove shoei's, but they arent protecting yoru head better than 150 buck HJC, they are just more comphy with other features 🙂
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Exactly my point. When I was racing/testing FSAE cars and wearing the helmet for several hours in a row, and doing around 1.4 lateral Gs in turns, it was REALLY nice to have a $600 Shoei helmet with all of its comforts and its low weight because my neck wasn't sore and my brain wasn't cooked at the end of the day. Right now for auto-x I have the $150 HJC helmet and it works wonderfully. I would not spend $600 for an auto-x helmet.
 
Zargon said:
anything over 250-300 is all vanity. I liove shoei's, but they arent protecting yoru head better than 150 buck HJC, they are just more comphy with other features 🙂
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And when you're spending hours on a bike that's the kind of shit that really matters. Obviously they all offer similar levels of protection, it's the comfort, the fit, the isolation of wind noise, and the ventilation that really matters.

I paid $379 for this a year and a half ago plus another $90 for the visor and I'd spend that money again without hesitation if this one was stolen or damaged. I had an RF1000 before this and this helmet is just so much better in every way.

RF1100.jpg
 
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yeah, I autox'd with a 70 buck KBC for awhile and it got pretty old after a long day at autox


I use a HJC CL-15 and a KBC VR2R. the HJC is older and superior to the KBC(but its sexier looking)

my exo 400 was the most comphy on my head, but it was too 'big' feeling and got heavy

RF1100 will be my next helmet hopefully, I loved the 1000 but missed out on the clearance when the RF 1100 came out :🙁
 
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I have a Bell M4 (SA2005) that I got from SafeRacer.com a couple years ago. Fit is about perfect to me. I didn't test fit it originally and went strictly on the size guide. I'll probably pick up another when this one is no longer useable.
 
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