Cheap track day helmet

Where do you recommend looking for an inexpensive helmet for a TNIA trackday event?

I hope to do one-three events this year and maybe an auto-x or two

Amazon. Search for "SA2020 helmet". Zamp, Conquer, Racequip all sell helmets just under $200. 

I chose a Zamp when I was looking a couple of years ago and I've been okay with it. One of the reasons I picked it was for the removable liner. 

Since I only wear it for autocross or rare karting, I'm not wearing it for as long as you will be. I got the best price on eBay. 

Im running a conquer for autocross. Its bulky. Much preferred my old g force.

Just a data point. 

Before I got my Arai I was using a Zamp. It fit me well so I went with it.

You may also find a deal on Snell 2015s if someone still has stock.

Snell motorcycle helmets work too. Just more options if you don't mind a full face

The cheapest way to get a helmet is to buy one, sight unseen, online.  That's also a great way to get one that doesn't fit properly.

Different people have different shaped heads, and those differences are not captured by the helmet sizing conventions very well.  Fortunately different manufacturers use head forms of different shapes and you can usually find one that matches your head fairly well, but you can't do that online.  To get one that fits right you need to go to a store that carries multiple brands and will let you try one on and wear it around the store for 10 or 15 minutes.

Proper fitting may not be a huge deal for autoxing where you're only going to wear it for a minute, do your run, and take it off again, but you'll have it on for 20-30 minutes at a time while doing track days.  That's plenty of time for a poorly-fitting helmet to give you a nasty headache.  So my advice, if at all possible, is to find a local brick-and-mortar store.

Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) said:

Im running a conquer for autocross. Its bulky. Much preferred my old g force.

Just a data

Bah, I'm sorry to hear that. I was looking at a Conquer carbon fiber open face that's under $400.

spandak said:

Snell motorcycle helmets work too. Just more options if you don't mind a full face

I believe pretty much all track events require a full-face helmet. I would double check if M rated are allowed or if it needs to be SA.

I have a weird shaped noggin. They no longer make the style of helmet that fit me perfectly. I went through two by mail order until I found something that was 'close enough' that I could shave the foam down a bit at my forehead so it wouldn't pinch.  An ill-fitting helmet will absolutely ruin your day/weekend.

That reminds me that I need to get a new MA2020 helmet in my hands in the next month or so.  Looks like Racequip makes one for about $220 but I suppose they've got a reseller agreement that sets the bottom of the pricing.  Since everybody is the same price and Amazon has such a liberal return policy and I can just drop the stuff off at Kohl's, I'll probably wind up buying from them since there's no real penalty to getting the size wrong.

I bought this and it's a pretty decent fitting helmet.

HJC Ragua helmet for $100

It is only SA2015 though 

I was looking at the TNIA site and it doesnt mention any Motorcycle helmets any longer under requirements

Though last year I used a Snell approved motorcycle HJC

That is why I posted this topic last night, wanting to do some track days and need a helmet, but dont want to spend 300+ on something that doesnt get a ton of use

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

My B-I-Law was a motorcycle mechanic and I would joke you can get an open faced helmet (1980) at Kmart for $25 - why spend the money?

He would tell me a $25 helmet is for $25 heads.  He was in a serious accident and believed in spending the proper money.  I have to agree.   

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

To a point. Is a $750 Arai going to protect my head better than a $150 HJC? No. You'll just be more comfortable,  and look $600 cooler while you eat E36 M3. 

My Amazon shopping has changed in the last year. I used to buy one item and hope for the best. Now I have no problem buying 2-3 of something, trying them all out and then returning everything that doesn't work out. If there's a Kohl's nearby you can drop off all of your returns for free. 
 

If you buy online don't just try them on. Wear the helmet for 30-45 minutes at a time and see if it causes any issues. 

Keep in mind that helmets need to be snug but not so tight that they give you a headache. The padding will break in over time too. If it fits great right out of the box it might be too big. I had a nice Arai MC helmet 20 years ago. It took about a month of daily riding for it to break in. 
 

I wound up with a Zamp RZ-58 SA2015. I've been pretty happy with it. 

In reply to Appleseed :

I always figured that if a $1200 Snell-rated helmet actually gave me 6x the protection of a $200 Snell-rated helmet then the whole Snell thing is absolutely worthless.  And we can certainly argue the edges of how effective Snell's tests are and everything but they aren't so bad that the 6x cost one would be that good.

What that extra money does get you (usually) is a lighter weight, better or more convenient features, like shields and vents. 

For all day motorcycle riding, that can be important.  For 30 seconds on an auto-x course,  not as much. 

If I'm going to spend extra to improve safety, it won't be on a more expensive helmet. I am of the belief that the biggest bang for the buck improvements in safety come from adding to the safety system. For instance, that a $200 SA helmet and $1000 Hybrid S (3 point compatible) HANS will be safer overall than a $1200 SA helmet without HANS.

Just because one model of helmet meets the MINIMUM for Snell approval, doesn't prevent others from exceeding it.

How they test   https://smf.org/testing

Do Zamp helmets tend to run small? 

I see that on some Amazon reviews. 

I've only used borrowed helmets and always size Large. Found a great deal on a zamp. Would use for rallycross and autocross. (If I can ever make my schedule work) 

Duke said:

spandak said:

Snell motorcycle helmets work too. Just more options if you don't mind a full face

I believe pretty much all track events require a full-face helmet. I would double check if M rated are allowed or if it needs to be SA.

Many orgs these days do not allow SM motorcycle helmets, that is correct.  Personally I think that's kinda dumb because the difference between the ratings is supposedly just a flame-proof liner and a roll cage tubing impact test, neither of which seems relevant to someone driving a street car without a roll cage and while wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but I don't write the rules.

In reply to NOT A TA :

Totally get that.  But does a 6x more expensive helmet really exceed it by 6x? 

wae said:

In reply to NOT A TA :

Totally get that.  But does a 6x more expensive helmet really exceed it by 6x? 

Of course not, like most things there's usually a diminishing return on investment as the price of any type of item increases. BUT, what if a helmet that cost $300.00 more than another was just enough "better" that it prevented serious head trauma during a crash?

Note that there are FIA standards that exceed the Snell SA one, and that some helmets will meet both SA and FIA 8859 while some are SA only.

Demanding that something be a linear improvement based on dollars is unreasonable, in anything there are diminishing returns.