Group think/ opinion helmets

I need to get another helmet. I'm looking at sa2010s. G-force is under 150. Any reason to spend 2xs that for Bell, etc? I am in a slower enclosed spec class and am on traxk for about 20 mins at a time.

My dad had a sign in the motorcycle shop when i was a kid. It said "if you have a $10 head, get a $10 helmet."

I believe in spending the good money on safety gear. My precious ass is worth it.

Dusterbd13 wrote: My dad had a sign in the motorcycle shop when i was a kid. It said "if you have a $10 head, get a $10 helmet." I believe in spending the good money on safety gear. My precious ass is worth it.

I think you're wearing the helmet wrong.

Helmets are not something you can price shop and buy online. Different brands fit differently, so you need to try them all on and see what fits your head the best.

I kick myself for not buying another Simpson every time I strap on my G-Force. I've long forgotten the $50 I saved by not buying a Simpson, but the ill fitting helmet is always with me, since apparently I have a Simpson shaped head.

(d'oh)

In reply to Woody:

Lol. That made me feel better. Thanks!

I'm with Knurled. It's about fit. That's why I went to another Bell when it came time to buy my 2015, because they fit my particular head. They may not fit your particular head, but that's not a concern of mine because I'm not in it

Also, why buy an SA2010? It'll just run out of legality 5 years before a 2015, and you won't save that much.

I agree with Keith and Knurled. It is about the fit.

I will also add that it pays to go to a shop and have the fit evaluated by experts. Last year, I bought an new helmet from Stable to replace my Bell M2. I learned that for five years, I was wearing a helmet that was too big for me. My new helmet is also a Bell, but it I went down a size.

They get a little ripe in 5 years. Plus, my head rubs the roll bar padding so I'd rather replace every 5 years.

As for fit, I've never found the right brand that way. There is always something that bugs me. The G-force fits reasonably well in xxl.

And that's another issue for me, only so many brands seem to even fit to begin with.

FWIW, I'm not brand loyal.

The only real benefit of more expensive helmets is the reduction in weight or designed for use in an open cockpit ...the lighter, the more expensive. If a helmet is Snell certified that's all you need to be concerned about other than fitment of course. Find a certified one that fits you best for whatever price you are comfortable spending and don't worry.

I'm pretty sure the HJC AR-10 III will be my next helmet...

I like my 2010 HJC AR10. I bought it to replace my 2000 Bell M2. Very happy with it so far.

Dusterbd13 wrote: My dad had a sign in the motorcycle shop when i was a kid. It said "if you have a $10 head, get a $10 helmet."

I'm still looking for a $10 helmet...

I just sold one for $50. SA2000. I'm sure you could find a sketchy one for $10 at the right swap meet.

If you're only keeping it for 5 years, SA2010 makes sense.

If it's anything like motorcycle helmets, manufacturers tend to make one shape for their lines. Arai is typically long oval, Shoei and HJC favor round. Google helmet manufacturer helmet head shapes and procced. If you don't know what shape your head is, that's where a visit to a shop can pay dividends. Also, some of the higher end helmets have customizable padding.

I have a Simpson shaped head. When I was just doing track days with short sessions I did not mind my relatively inexpensive helmet. BUT when we started endurance racing and track sessions could last several hours or more. It was then that I moved up the price scale to s significantly lighter helmet it made a huge difference in reducing driver fatigue.

It made me realize that although I did not need the higher end gear it made race car driving much more enjoyable and since it was somthing that was for fun it made sense to me to spend the extra cash on really good personal gear. Being miserable doing something that costs that much did not make sense to me and if I looked at the entire race budget over the life span of the safety gear it was a very small amount percentage wise of the total amount spent for that ten year period of racing.

Bell BR 1 for me. I spent real money, but I needed one that would accept a fresh air system, and I wanted something with custom foam pads to take the pressure off the corners on my skull. And I'm not even German.

Best thing is, it never smelled like Kerosene like one of my budget buys did.

I like the idea of custom padding. I use it as a preference on my bicycle helmets. How do I find out which helmets have it?

In reply to markwemple:

Shoei does. My my helmet has custom cheek pads I bought separately.

Like everyone else has said... fit, fit, fit. If you do any endurance racing what is slightly annoying at autocross is like a screw being turned into your skull after 3hrs. But - don't forget the eyeport. The wider the better. Weight... obviously lighter is better. Neck fatigue is a real thing.

Another nice feature is snap in/out nomex liners because there is nothing worse than pulling your lid on and having it smell like old socks inside when you have to be in there on a hot day. Being able to go home and toss 'em in the washer is nicer than trying to clean the inside of a fishbowl.

I always laugh when I hear people use the $10 head line. It's an enclosed car with a padded roll cage. All the SA lids will protect your head. From a $5k Stilo to a $250 HJC. Find one you can be inside of all the time without wanting to blow your brains out and buy it. (like choosing a woman really)

Huckleberry wrote: In reply to markwemple: I always laugh when I hear people use the $10 head line. It's an enclosed car with a padded roll cage. All the SA lids will protect your head. From a $5k Stilo to a $250 HJC. Find one you can be inside of all the time without wanting to blow your brains out and buy it. (like choosing a woman really)

Weellll..., I'd bet there is a margin of pass/fail, and I'd bet there are lots of helmets that just barely pass, and some that pass by a wide margin. And that doesn't bring up manufacturing variability and inspection. I trust my $300 Bell more than a $125 Chinese special. Plus, as I said above, it doesn't smell like kerosene.

There are a lot of good helmets out there. I'll echo others that fit is the most important thing. Take the time to wear each of your final choices in the shop for at least 30 min. Like you, I also have a large noggin, and when I went to replace my 2005 with a 2015 this January there were not a ton of options in 2XL. Arai (old helmet) stopped making 2XL, Roux was behind schedule, and Bell has supposedly had some production issues after consolidating their production facilities (in China, I'm told) so depending on how quickly you need a helmet you may have to hustle to find one. Don't know where you're located, but Joe at Stabile was a great help. I bought the helmet I was replacing from Wine Country Motorsports in Florida.

markwemple wrote: They get a little ripe in 5 years. Plus, my head rubs the roll bar padding so I'd rather replace every 5 years. As for fit, I've never found the right brand that way. There is always something that bugs me. The G-force fits reasonably well in xxl. And that's another issue for me, only so many brands seem to even fit to begin with.

I have an open face G-force XXL (because rally) and it fits my head great. I have used it 3 times and unfortunately it's a SA2005 and it's expired. I'm going to buy another one.

Keith Tanner wrote: Also, why buy an SA2010? It'll just run out of legality 5 years before a 2015, and you won't save that much.

I will second this, as one of the cheapest broke-ass penny-pinchers on this board. When I finally brought my helmet up to date last year, I bought an SA2015 model (Pyrotect Pro Sport full-face duckbill FG+Kevlar), and you will have a very hard time beating it in dollars per years of service over its lifetime.

I think it would really not be smart to buy a new helmet without HANS-compatibility these days.

As mentioned, price just increases comfort (whether changeable padding, lighter weight, better visibility, better air movement).

I remember when I had motorcycle the 3 different helmets I used over the years.

Going from HJC, to a mid-level Rossi AGV, then to a top end Shoei..........it's amazing how much the comfort increased. But the Shoei was an $800 helmet that also saved my head during a nasty off at a track day on the bike.

TL;DR: Spend what is necessary to get the comfort level you want.

Vracer111 wrote: The only real benefit of more expensive helmets is the reduction in weight or designed for use in an open cockpit ...the lighter, the more expensive. If a helmet is Snell certified that's all you need to be concerned about other than fitment of course. Find a certified one that fits you best for whatever price you are comfortable spending and don't worry.

This---- find a helmet that fits you best within your price range. As long as it's Snell certified, it will be safe. Fortunately, there are plenty of reasonably priced options out there. Racequip, G-Force, Bell, and Pyrotect all come to mind--- and are all quality products. Just open the April issue of GRM---- there are plenty of safety companies looking to earn your business. (April was safety issue--- lots of safety companies inside)

This is also worth a read: GRM Snell article