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Helmet Choices

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Maybe a silly question, but are there any practical reasons why one might choose a white helmet over a black one? Or is helmet color purely a fashion statement? Also, what are the pros/cons of open face vs. closed face? Yes, the next piece of the puzzle to me doing a track day...
 
My thoughts on color were based on heat. A white helmet would run cooler, because it reflects light/heat. Having said that... I still went with a black helmet, because it looks cooler :p

As far as open vs. closed, for me it was a safety thing. I feel safer in a closed helmet... Specially after seeing that z06 deer accident video at Summit Point, where the driver got face full of glass (visor was open).
 
FYI HOD rents helmets if you're thinking about doing the screw in your 302. ;D

Color doesn't matter in an enclosed car. I always use a full face as you never know when you'll be in a kart or open cockpit car. Plus if an airbag goes off...
 
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It's hard to say what's best in an enclosed car. Open face helmets are usually lighter (less strain on the neck if you crash - some statistics show that the most common racing injury is neck injury), offer better peripheral vision, cheaper, give less facial protection. I am also looking for a new helmet, but I will go for closed face since it can be used on a motorcycle or in an open car aswell.
Don't buy a motorcycle helmet, go for car/motorsport helmet with nomex padding. Motorcycle helmets usually have plastic or nylon in the padding and that causes terrible damages in a fire.
Another boring advice is to choose a helmet that is safe and fits you before looking at colors.
But I am going for a cool look and hoping that fitment will be ok ;-)

/Swede
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
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TheSwede said:
Another boring advice is to choose a helmet that is safe and fits you before looking at colors.
But I am going for a cool look and hoping that fitment will be ok ;-)

/Swede

Hahaha...I have done that a few times :)
 
It's all about fit and comfort to start. Every mfg has a different thought process on head shape, some helmets you'll love for an hour or more and some will give you a headache in about 5 minutes. I see your'e about 30 minutes away from Sonoma Raceway, I would shoot up there and head to Wine Country Motorsports and try on different styles from several mfg's - they will show you how it should fit and you should get a pretty good feel of which mfg's molds fit your head shape the best - believe me they are all different (I have 14 helmets, raced a long time)! From there you can start dialing in the open/full and color options, I like both but wear full mostly.

One thing to remember is helmets have a shelf life - they also have a rating system too - Snell. A Snell rating of SA is for automotive, SAH for automotive with Hans, M motorcycles, K carts - stay with SA or SAH for the nomex as stated before. These ratings all come with a date as well, and they are updated every five years - right now you can get a helmet with a Snell SA2010, SAH2010 and probably even a SA2005 - all in the same brand, type, style and size. Most organizations will allow you to run up to one previous issue date so the later the SA date the longer you can run it - the flip side is that the older dated helmets will be tantalizing cheaper than the latest one.

Just be aware that the one you think fits and feels the best will be ungodly expensive - then you have to decide if your heads worth the investment ;)
 
Fomoco302 said:
They will smell after you sweat in it a few times! Lol

HAHA!

I have both a SA2005 and a SA2010 Bell Sport helmets, the SA2010 is noticeably lighter. Not sure if it's the same for all manufacturers/models, but just putting it out there.
 
Just be aware that the one you think fits and feels the best will be ungodly expensive - then you have to decide if your heads worth the investment ;)
[/quote]

250 dollar head 250 dollar helmet, 1,500 dollar head 1,500dollar helmet 8 ;D
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
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Fomoco302 said:
Smell rating, protection, fit and then color.



They will smell after you sweat in it a few times! Lol

I am blaming auto spell check.

Oh yea. One other thing. The helmet has to be XXXL or larger. At least for me it does. ;D

Can't be old eyes and big fingers.......Can it??

Snell Rating.
 
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A lighter helmet is easier on the neck muscles and less damaging (to the neck) in a crash, of course the ultimate would be carbon fiber, not necessarily in everyone's budget. A Snell rating is a must, and I prefer a full face helmet and run with the visor up in enclosed cars. I also use one of these although it does take some getting used to if you've never worn one before (I;m a kart racer so I was already used to it)

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I will vary my visor depending on angle of light. Sometimes I actually need sunshade. I never close it fully lessen I fog up my helmet and veer off track in a ball of fire.

Also, since I have lexan windows I'm not worried about glass shards in the face, so I can go full visor up.
 
^^^ Yep. Plus, think about this. Let's say you are wearing sunglasses with a hans and a visor that may be also down. In the event of a head on collision your sunglasses will shoot off your head, into your visor, possibly shatter and then recoil back into your eyes and face, while the rest of you is held in place by the hans.
 

dmichaels

Papa Smurf
547
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I ran an open face for a couple seasons. It's nice and light, but as I've gotten alot faster and more aggressive driving, I decided to upgrade to a full face. Much better protection, plus I can use it for karting!
 

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