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Helmets
- Thread starterJeffV8
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #2
Grant 302
basic and well known psychic
I think that's most people here. That was my guess. Haven't worn one since the early/mid 80's.
Not that many pics with open face helmets over the years here. Most were probably from Track Attack.
JDee
Ancient Racer
I wore a Bell Mag4 RS back in the day, still have it, complete with Snell 1990 certification and all, LOL! It's confined to the momento display case now though. I really liked it, I just found the visibility was better than a full face, felt less confined. I'm going to buy Racequip open face, the school I did last summer used that helmet and it felt just like old times with the Mag4.
I didn't know what a 3/4 open face helmet was so I hesitated to respond. Still don't, but hopefully open face is just open face.
I didn't know what a 3/4 open face helmet was so I hesitated to respond. Still don't, but hopefully open face is just open face.
- Thread starter
- #5
That’s what they were referred as back in the day. Actually looking up open face helmets they say 3/4. I have worn full face the late 70’s riding motorcycles and racing karts. If I was racing my car it would be fulll face but I’m only doing SCCA track nights and might try out the open face.
ChrisM
Mostly harmless.
I've gone back and forth on the full face vs open face. I run a full face helmet now but always leave the visor up because I end up sweating my ass off otherwise, which made me ask...why not just run an open face? Well, the full face still provides some measure of safety for my jaw and neck, so there's a big advantage there. I don't know what those would get damaged by, but it would be just my luck that I'd get an open faced helmet and have a wheel fly through the window or something.
Personally the full face provides another level of protection for the face. I look at it like an insurance policy!
Grant 302
basic and well known psychic
A 1/2 helmet is also an 'open face'. One reason to use the 3/4 term/designation, IMO.
As said before, helmets are added insurance...use what you think you're worth..............
- Thread starter
- #11
[QUOTE="byronj, I was told you by a wiseman, if you have a $5 head use a $5 helmet. You have a $1,000 head well use a $1,000 helmet. But then again it all ties to safety gear.[/QUOTE]
I read or watched a show about Snell helmet testing. They said if the $5 helmet has a snell rating it passed the same test as the $1000 helmet
I have worn a full face helmet for 40 years. I think I would feel weird with a open face.
I read or watched a show about Snell helmet testing. They said if the $5 helmet has a snell rating it passed the same test as the $1000 helmet
I have worn a full face helmet for 40 years. I think I would feel weird with a open face.I read or watched a show about Snell helmet testing. They said if the $5 helmet has a snell rating it passed the same test as the $1000 helmet
I have worn a full face helmet for 40 years. I think I would feel weird with a open face.[/QUOTE]That makes sense.
I have an old open face helmet that I tried to use again. It just didn't feel right. Didn't feel safe. I didn't use it.
If anything, I will be adding a HANS device to go along with the full face and not going back to an open face.
If anything, I will be adding a HANS device to go along with the full face and not going back to an open face.
JDee
Ancient Racer
I never used a full face helmet while racing, tried it, didn't like it, always raced tin roof/full cage cars and open face was fine. I come from an era where full face was just beginning to show up in tin tops. If I was going to race, which there is a zero chance of now, I'd get full face, there's far too much contact in racing these days. But for HPDE lapping the open face is fine for me. YMMV. I'm not suggesting anyone should do anything, just provided my personal opinion/experience on open face helmets for the OP.
The track I run HPDE at does not require helmets at all in fully airbagged modern production cars. I did not use a helmet last year except at the school I went to where they supplied an open face helmet for use in a fully caged Mustang with no airbags.
I was advised of and read a study not long ago that said that wearing a helmet in a production car with full air bag protection was not necessarily a good thing. I gather that the helmet weight can alter the way the head reacts to force and can put the motion of the head outside the range of calculations used when designing and building air bag systems.
I had it bookmarked here:
aimss.com.au/helmet-airbag-interaction-full-story/
but that site won't load for me right now. I thought there was a US study on that issue as well but can't find it.
The study result is very briefly summarized in an FIA pdf (http://www.fiainstitute.com/documents/FIA_Formula_For_Safety.pdf) wherein they stated, (bold emphasis at the bottom is mine):
Helmet and Airbag Interaction
This project aimed to determine
‘best practice’ for drivers wishing
to take production vehicles on the
track. Three options for wearing
helmets were considered: no-helmet;
open faced helmet; or full faced
helmet. Two options for airbag
status were considered: airbag
on and airbag off.
It was concluded that a helmet
should be worn at all times and
that the airbag be activated.
There was very little difference
between the two helmet types;
full faced and open faced,
during the test conditions
assessed but it is considered
that a full faced helmet will provide
greater overall protection than an
open faced helmet.
Open face for me, if I wear anything at all, and whatever works for you is just fine with me.
The track I run HPDE at does not require helmets at all in fully airbagged modern production cars. I did not use a helmet last year except at the school I went to where they supplied an open face helmet for use in a fully caged Mustang with no airbags.
I was advised of and read a study not long ago that said that wearing a helmet in a production car with full air bag protection was not necessarily a good thing. I gather that the helmet weight can alter the way the head reacts to force and can put the motion of the head outside the range of calculations used when designing and building air bag systems.
I had it bookmarked here:
aimss.com.au/helmet-airbag-interaction-full-story/
but that site won't load for me right now. I thought there was a US study on that issue as well but can't find it.
The study result is very briefly summarized in an FIA pdf (http://www.fiainstitute.com/documents/FIA_Formula_For_Safety.pdf) wherein they stated, (bold emphasis at the bottom is mine):
Helmet and Airbag Interaction
This project aimed to determine
‘best practice’ for drivers wishing
to take production vehicles on the
track. Three options for wearing
helmets were considered: no-helmet;
open faced helmet; or full faced
helmet. Two options for airbag
status were considered: airbag
on and airbag off.
It was concluded that a helmet
should be worn at all times and
that the airbag be activated.
There was very little difference
between the two helmet types;
full faced and open faced,
during the test conditions
assessed but it is considered
that a full faced helmet will provide
greater overall protection than an
open faced helmet.
Open face for me, if I wear anything at all, and whatever works for you is just fine with me.
I got a full face because why not? Extra protection.
Tried a few different models on and wan't really bothered by visibility.
I chose the Bell Sport EV since it has a bigger opening and I can see my gauges without moving my head.
Also, it was the only one I tried that fit my head correctly.
I drove with the visor open for cooling at my first event. Had a rock or rubber chunk fly through the open window at one point and now I'll keep the visor down or slightly cracked open. For me, I'd rather be sweaty than injured.
Tried a few different models on and wan't really bothered by visibility.
I chose the Bell Sport EV since it has a bigger opening and I can see my gauges without moving my head.
Also, it was the only one I tried that fit my head correctly.
I drove with the visor open for cooling at my first event. Had a rock or rubber chunk fly through the open window at one point and now I'll keep the visor down or slightly cracked open. For me, I'd rather be sweaty than injured.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. never liked full face helmets. I don't think a full face helmet would have saved him with his crash at Daytona in 2001.......helmets are like belts...at least you have a fighting chance..............without them all bets are off!!!!!!!!!!
Airbags = full face.
JDee
Ancient Racer
At the risk of beating the dead horse.....the Australian website I mentioned above is up and running now, this is an excerpt from that page.
"Dr Henderson explained that doubts about the possibly deleterious interaction of a full-face helmet and an airbag were first raised when the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) issued an following advisory note in 2004, recommending that full-face helmets not be used in vehicles with functional airbag systems.
This advisory was later withdrawn, as a result of further research carried out by the FIA Institute in 2005. The Institute retained Hubert Gramling, a former Mercedes-Benz engineer intimately involved in the design and development of airbags for the Mercedes-Benz company. Gramling concluded from his research that the use of both full-face and open-face helmets may be regarded as compatible with airbag deployment."
There are tables in that article that show loads with airbag deployment and in all cases the unhelmeted head takes less load than a helmeted head.
I am sure I saw another study that is newer than this one and done by an American group but I cannot find it anywhere. Damn Google!
"Dr Henderson explained that doubts about the possibly deleterious interaction of a full-face helmet and an airbag were first raised when the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) issued an following advisory note in 2004, recommending that full-face helmets not be used in vehicles with functional airbag systems.
This advisory was later withdrawn, as a result of further research carried out by the FIA Institute in 2005. The Institute retained Hubert Gramling, a former Mercedes-Benz engineer intimately involved in the design and development of airbags for the Mercedes-Benz company. Gramling concluded from his research that the use of both full-face and open-face helmets may be regarded as compatible with airbag deployment."
There are tables in that article that show loads with airbag deployment and in all cases the unhelmeted head takes less load than a helmeted head.
I am sure I saw another study that is newer than this one and done by an American group but I cannot find it anywhere. Damn Google!
Earnhardt didn’t have a mark on his head, Hans yes, full face wouldn’t have helped a bit
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I would take that study with a grain of salt. They don't test every possible kind of crash. The first impact is probably very predictable. But happens when the somebody piles in late and the car is already damaged? Maybe the airbag is already deflating, maybe they catch a corner of your car and send you spinning. I'm staying full face and horse collar as my min and should just buy the hans and retire the collar.
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