Going helmet shopping Options

[URY914]

In that case my brain is worth about $179.00.

I just went to Racer Wholesale's website and they are having a sale on thier $230.00 full face helmet for $189.00.
Such a deal.

Paul

[ArtechnikA]

A lot of people will frown on you if you take the approach of getting the cheapest helmet you can get away with.  Fuck them.

Too true. You should never spend more on a helmet than your brain is worth.

sorta. once upon a time this was an esier decision than it is now.

i don't think you're any safer in a $1000 carbon/Kevlar simpson than you are in the $350 Snell SA2000 fiberglass model. the pros spend the additional $750 (which they typically get right back by virtue of wearing the 'Simpson' patch...) because they're pulling more g's, for a longer period of time, and the 1-2 lb weight savings is a big deal.

when you're spending one minute on the autocross at under one g lateral, that $750 could probably have been better spent elsewhere. even for DE, where you're on track for maybe half an hour (still well under one g lateral) i don't think it's a big deal.

[rhodyguy]

i went into shock when i went shopping $$$. no way i would ever buy one without trying on the helmet. lots of snell 95's, beware. i drove all over 2 counties. went to a motorcycle access shop 2 miles from my house. found a snell 2000, open face (in silver) for $97 and change. i don't consider this "the cheapest" route. so fuck me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) . more prudent. do pros have to buy their helmets? i would think they get paid to wear them.

kevin

[seanery]

be sure the helmet you buy is legal.

Motorcycle helmets "may" be legal for some autocrosses,
but most DE's and TT's require an SA rating, not M.

[aufaber]

I ride a Motorcycle to work daily, a lot on the weekends and a bit on the track. I've tried a lot of helmets on and i wear them for long periods of time. The Cost is mor than weight, though that is a big part of it, it is also comfort, how it will wear over time and features.

I can definately feel a huge difference the second I put on a 700 dollar Arai as opposed to a 150 dollar HJC. Interior materials are of higher quality and they have nice features like removable padding so you can clean your sweat off of it.

Also different manufacturers fit different shaped heads better so try a bunch on. The helmet should be snug when you are buying it, it's going to loosen up over time as it breaks in to your head shape.

I have had a helmet save my face, I recomend you buy the best that will fit into your budget. Snell SA if at all possable.

-Aaron G.

[jnp914]

I have owned both Simpson and Bell SA rated helmets. The Bell Sport III I bought this spring seems to have slightly more jaw and mouth/nose room that the Simpson I had previously. Perhaps it is because of some peculiarity about my face, but at various speeds in the Formula Ford I used to race, the Simpson would touch my lips (through the balaclava). I prefer the Bell.

Re Racer Wholesale. I have bought numerous items from them, from PBI underwear to Kirkey race seats to Bell helmets. Half the stuff I received looked like it had been returned, or was a store sample. The Bell helmet had the Bell logo stickers removed from the visor strip. The adhesive residue was still there, just no stickers. Tacky. But maybe that is how they keep the prices down. But if they are seconds or returns that should be stated up front.

Get an SA rated helmet for your automotive events. Get a helmet bag to keep it in. Don't let it roll around in the trunk between events, the heat buildup is not good for the helmet. Air it out for a couple of hours after a weekend event before you put it back in the bag. Get some 'helmet fresh' spray at a squid bike shop to help keep the funk level down.

[GaroldShaffer]

Thanks everyone for the input. I will buy the best SA
rated helmet I can afford.

- Sean I would like to come down, but I can't this
weekend I am building a garage for my mother.
Maybe next week sometime???

- Garold

PS I will email you over the weekend a 1st draft of the
letter for the Oct 18th get together that I plan to
submit for my PCA regions news letter.

[seanery]

Yeah, just let me know:

We can go to Simpson, call Racer Parts Wholesale, they are here, too:
Racer Parts Wholesale

I don't know if they have a showroom.