Drilling your helmet....

[Joe Osborne]

Hello,


I've tried searching through the FIA website but had no luck. Does anyone know the rules around drilling your crash helmet for a drinks pipe? Does a specialist need to do it or can I attack it with a drill? It's an Arai GP6-RC 8860 helmet


Cheers

Joe

[jagracer]

That's one expensive helmet to attack with a drill. Do you really need to put a hole in it rather than feeding the tube up from underneath?

[Trev450]

Since drilling your own helmet for HANS posts is a definate no, I would say the same applies here.

[Joe Osborne]

Yeah that's why I'm nervous about just doing it and making it null & void! I did try that but couldn't have it there permanently had to keep picking it up when I needed it, annoying for a 24hr!

[jpivey]

Joe I dont think you have the skills for plugging the drill in let alone putting a hole in a 3 k helmet!!
Feel sure Dymond was talking about that a while ago not sure what the outcome was.

[spyderman8]

You definitely are not allowed to drill a helmet for HANS posts - or anything - without loosing the approvals. Confirmed this over the weekend at GPR, Silverstone when I found my Bell wasn't pre-drilled.

[Soul Reaver]

You have to send your helmet back to the manufacturers to get it drilled for hanns posts and then they apply the FIA hologram stiker to it. I checked with Simpson and they they will do my Speedway RX for $85

They will NOT put a drinks hole in the front though as I asked them.

[29james12]

I think Joe is talking about drilling it for a drink tube. You are now not allowed to drill any holes in the helmets for drink or otherwise. You are also not allowed to have helmets sent back to the manufacture for drilling of hans posts.

[Soul Reaver]

Are you sure about that James? Is that confirmed by the FIA as Simpson said they would do it for me! If that is the case I have to buy a enw lid then.

[ellis427]

Surely you have contacts in your team? like the manager should have the knowledge or at least be able to find out for you?

3k for a helmet

[wildman0609]

there was an article in race car engineering with photos of modified helmets after they had been in a crash. one had had a drinks hole drilled and the whole chin area was smashed off in a crash (think that was F1). another bad one was the padding removed from in front of the mouth area. similar result.

[Joe Osborne]

I do not need my HANS drilled just a drinks tube... However I do know HANS drilling is allowed to be done as I had a lid done 2 years ago. Had to be sent to Holland where they also stick the HANS sticker on your helmet.

I will have to try and ask a scrutineer but most of them say refer to the FIA rule book which mostly in French or badly translated English.

[spyderman8]

Joe Osborne said:

However I do know HANS drilling is allowed to be done as I had a lid done 2 years ago.

I do believe the rules have recently been changed - possibly even this year.

MSA 2011 Blue Book, section K, 10.3.3 (d) There must be no alteration to the structure of a helmet.

Edited by spyderman8 on Wednesday 12th October 20:20

[Simon T]

Am I really the only one who read the post title and winced?

[MGMidget73]

Hi, I ahve worked with Arai helmets at GPR and you do not need to drill the helmet, the easiest way for a drinks tube is to pop out the cheek pads as all arais have replaceable cheek pads they just clip in, once youve taken them out you should see the mesh covering the front vents near the chin, remove enough to get a drinks tube through, then find where this will be in relation to the cheek pad, peel back the black fireproof lining and make a slot in the foam, do not worry about this as when radio kits are installed quite big chunks of the foam are removed for the mic and ear pieces, then re glue the lining back over the reprofiled cheek pad and clip in all back together with your drinks tube in place. No one will drill a helmet as so many people ruined them and because if its drilled even slightly out of the correct place and the worst did happen then the helmet might not be at its full strength, thats why teh FIA does not publush the locations for HANS post drilling as some people were seriously injured after doing it themselves unfortunately.

Hope this helps

[Andy 308GTB]

Simon T said:

Am I really the only one who read the post title and winced?

Yes - the only people who would have interpreted the thread title in the same way as you did tend to browse more 'specialist' websites...

But, Yes it did make my eyes water.

[blueg33]

If you search the web I think you will find some ladies (they call themselves Mistresses) who will drill your helmet for a reasonable price

[Trev450]

blueg33 said:

If you search the web I think you will find some ladies (they call themselves Mistresses) who will drill your helmet for a reasonable price

I understand they refer to that as the 'blow technique'!