Advice on choosing a helmet please
Discussion
I'm looking to do a few track days and trips to the 'ring this year and it's about time I stopped borrowing a mate's helmet.
It's for closed car use only and in reality will get used about half a dozen times a year.
I don't really know how to go about buying one or what I should be looking at. Main thing is - I've got a big head and have never found a helmet that's big enough when borrowed from a mate, or when karting etc. I'm hoping when in a shop that their larger sizes are big enough.
My first thought is I should get the cheapest, open face helmet (personal preference) that meets the safety standards that I can. Is there a site that rates the safety of different helmets? I don't mind paying a bit more for one that's safer, but being a tight northerner, I'm not about to spend £400 on one, when the £100 one is as good.
It's for closed car use only and in reality will get used about half a dozen times a year.
I don't really know how to go about buying one or what I should be looking at. Main thing is - I've got a big head and have never found a helmet that's big enough when borrowed from a mate, or when karting etc. I'm hoping when in a shop that their larger sizes are big enough.
My first thought is I should get the cheapest, open face helmet (personal preference) that meets the safety standards that I can. Is there a site that rates the safety of different helmets? I don't mind paying a bit more for one that's safer, but being a tight northerner, I'm not about to spend £400 on one, when the £100 one is as good.
The main problem i have with cheap helmets is that they're uncomfortable. In terms of safety, a helmet is a helmet is a helmet to a certain extent. They meet the same standards so they'll not be unsafe.
Best to try as many on as you can, GPR and Demon Tweeks being the main two retailers. I got pissed about something chrinic by GPR, and you'll probably have the same stock problems with XL sizes.
Best to try as many on as you can, GPR and Demon Tweeks being the main two retailers. I got pissed about something chrinic by GPR, and you'll probably have the same stock problems with XL sizes.
djmotorsport said:
Buy the best you can afford - That way, *if* you really need it, it does it's job. Not worth saving a few (or a few hundred) quid when buying something to protect your head.
Yes, but my question is how do I know which is "best"? With most things in life, the most expensive one is by no means always the best, and I don't really know how I tell a bad one from a better one from a good one from an excellent one.
The 'best' helmets, according to current popular opinion, are Schuberth, but at $5000 a lid, perhaps a bit more than you wanted to spend. TGF broke his contract with Bell to get one on his head, so that must say something...
A good recent standard is Snell SA2000 or better, go for the recognised names like Bell, Sparco, etc.
Do NOT buy one via mail order, as each company will have a different size structure, so you might find that a 'Medium' by Bell is the same as a 'Large' by Sparco. Buy the best you can afford from one of the reputable outfits like Demon Tweeks, GRP, etc.
A good recent standard is Snell SA2000 or better, go for the recognised names like Bell, Sparco, etc.
Do NOT buy one via mail order, as each company will have a different size structure, so you might find that a 'Medium' by Bell is the same as a 'Large' by Sparco. Buy the best you can afford from one of the reputable outfits like Demon Tweeks, GRP, etc.
willdew said:
I'm looking to do a few track days and trips to the 'ring this year and it's about time I stopped borrowing a mate's helmet........
.
Hi,
I was in the exact same situation, I have a big head, am tight fisted and will get limited use out of it, but didn't want to risk running without one.
I thought about spending about £150 on a sparco projet open face as i don't like the restrictions of a full face lid. However once in the shop it soon became clear that I only wanted to buy one once and that I only have one face. Thats why I went for the Sparco Formula @ about £250. it's by no means the best but it answered the equation of protection-V-price-V-amount of times I will use it.
Full face helmets offer much better protection to your face (especially if you don't have harnesses.) and don't feel as restrictive as you would think.
Try gprdirect.com and go visit them in london or silverstone, they have a good selection and give good advice. Try this link for starters
www.gprdirect.com/epages/GPRDirect.storefront/4457d4350019c7bb2717d9c7b8050694/Catalog/1049
The best helmet is one that fits you properly and is comfortable to wear. Go to GPR or Demon Tweeks and spend a couple of hours there. Try several helmets from different manufacturers as each manufacturer makes slightly different shaped helmets - you may have a Shoei shaped head or you may have an Arai shaped head (or even a Bell shaped head 
). The helmet should fit closely such that you cannot twist it from side to side or back and forward but it should not press too hard on any one point of your head. When you find one that fits, wear it around the shop for 20-30 minutes to make sure it stays comfortable. The assistants in the shop should be able to give you all this advice and more. At the end of the day, as the saying goes, "If you only have a $10 head then just get a $10 helmet"
). The helmet should fit closely such that you cannot twist it from side to side or back and forward but it should not press too hard on any one point of your head. When you find one that fits, wear it around the shop for 20-30 minutes to make sure it stays comfortable. The assistants in the shop should be able to give you all this advice and more. At the end of the day, as the saying goes, "If you only have a $10 head then just get a $10 helmet"willdew said:
Buy the best you can afford - That way, *if* you really need it, it does it's job. Not worth saving a few (or a few hundred) quid when buying something to protect your head.
Yes, but my question is how do I know which is "best"? With most things in life, the most expensive one is by no means always the best, and I don't really know how I tell a bad one from a better one from a good one from an excellent one.
Try a couple, run as fast as you can at a wall and dive at it. Try this with a couple on different days as your have a head ache after the first go and you dont want this to impede your decision. Once you found the one that protect's you most buy a new UN walled version and then tell me which one it is as I'm also looking for a helmet.
thanks
Shaun_E said:
The best helmet is one that fits you properly and is comfortable to wear. Go to GPR or Demon Tweeks and spend a couple of hours there. Try several helmets from different manufacturers as each manufacturer makes slightly different shaped helmets - you may have a Shoei shaped head or you may have an Arai shaped head (or even a Bell shaped head
Also, do up the strap and try and remove the helmet by rotating it forward. If you can get it off with the strap done up, it is too big.
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