Track day helmet - Autosport show
Discussion
I need to buy my own helmet for the track days I've got planned for this year. I was going to head along to Autosport at the NEC next weekend as it seems a good opportunity to try all the different brands.
However the ticket price, £33 and the travel cost at £30 ish means I might be better off just going to a shop and paying RRP, while being able to take my time, get plenty of good advice etc against what I perceive may be quite a rushed environment at the show,
Having never been what might be the sort of discounts are suppliers offering on, say, a £300 helmet?
The only other thing I need are some better brake pads, such as DS2500/1144. Do any suppliers brings that sort of thing to the show?
Thanks.
However the ticket price, £33 and the travel cost at £30 ish means I might be better off just going to a shop and paying RRP, while being able to take my time, get plenty of good advice etc against what I perceive may be quite a rushed environment at the show,
Having never been what might be the sort of discounts are suppliers offering on, say, a £300 helmet?
The only other thing I need are some better brake pads, such as DS2500/1144. Do any suppliers brings that sort of thing to the show?
Thanks.
I know some will disagree with me - but get to a motorbike shop and buy whatever fits best and comes within budget.
I have a few bike helmets (I ride, too) - so just use those for track days, and when I've done karting with work.
Some will point out that a car helmet has a fire resistant lining, but I can't ever recall seeing a car go up in flames on a track day, so it's a risk I'm willing to take!
You'd get a decent bike helmet for under £100, too.
I have a few bike helmets (I ride, too) - so just use those for track days, and when I've done karting with work.
Some will point out that a car helmet has a fire resistant lining, but I can't ever recall seeing a car go up in flames on a track day, so it's a risk I'm willing to take!
You'd get a decent bike helmet for under £100, too.
A good suggestion for sure and for the last few track days I've been using a mate's Schuberth bike helmet and that's been fine. I'd like to get rid of the visor though and go for a peak in the rally/touring style and I think that''s only an option for car helmets. Happy to be corrected though.
I`m going to Autosport specifically to try on various helmets and buy one. Having loads of suppliers all in one place makes it a lot easier for me to try a lot on in one day.
You NEED to try them on to see what sits comfortably. It`s no use saving £30 and having a helmet that doesn`t fit properly. I`ve tried a few on recently and some just don`t sit right on my head.
DS2500`s are not what I`d called `better` pads. They are better than OEM road pads but that`s about all imo.
You NEED to try them on to see what sits comfortably. It`s no use saving £30 and having a helmet that doesn`t fit properly. I`ve tried a few on recently and some just don`t sit right on my head.
DS2500`s are not what I`d called `better` pads. They are better than OEM road pads but that`s about all imo.
Edited by Wh00sher on Saturday 7th January 07:04
Wh00sher said:
I`m going to Autosport specifically to try on various helmets and buy one. Having loads of suppliers all in one place makes it a lot easier for me to try a lot on in one day.
You NEED to try them on to see what sits comfortably. It`s no use saving £30 and having a helmet that doesn`t fit properly. I`ve tried a few on recently and some just don`t sit right on my head.
I'd agree with this, it's a good place to try everything on. There is a theory about bike helmets in cars in that they are designed for different impacts, not sure if it's Internet waffle mind you.You NEED to try them on to see what sits comfortably. It`s no use saving £30 and having a helmet that doesn`t fit properly. I`ve tried a few on recently and some just don`t sit right on my head.
Thank you all.
DS2500s will be much better than I've got now, trust me. It's only an MG ZR not a GT3 so I'm not aiming to spend more than £75 per axle.
Re helmets, I can try on most brands at somewhere like GPR. The question is am I likely to make enough of a saving buying at the show to offset my costs of getting there and the entrance fee?
DS2500s will be much better than I've got now, trust me. It's only an MG ZR not a GT3 so I'm not aiming to spend more than £75 per axle.
Re helmets, I can try on most brands at somewhere like GPR. The question is am I likely to make enough of a saving buying at the show to offset my costs of getting there and the entrance fee?
Helmets I can see both sides of the argument on fire retardant linings, but then as you don't (unless in a Caterfield type car) normally wear F/R overalls, so is it REALLY any better? I doubt it.
Personally I do have both, but would agree with the bike helmet argument/scenario for being able to try lots on in a less pressure environment, plus, how many will they have at the show/will they have the right size etc.
On the DS2500/Mintex 1144 pad question, both are pretty good for a (relatively) light car like that & will help, especially on the front, however DO NOT forget the brake fluid.
At least as likely as brake fade due to OE pads is the risk of boiling cr@p/old fluid, so fully replace & flush the fluid with (at least) new fluid (but preferably) or something like ATE 200 (formerly superblue) to prevent this, believe me, if it happens it is PROPER SCARY!!!!!
Personally I do have both, but would agree with the bike helmet argument/scenario for being able to try lots on in a less pressure environment, plus, how many will they have at the show/will they have the right size etc.
On the DS2500/Mintex 1144 pad question, both are pretty good for a (relatively) light car like that & will help, especially on the front, however DO NOT forget the brake fluid.
At least as likely as brake fade due to OE pads is the risk of boiling cr@p/old fluid, so fully replace & flush the fluid with (at least) new fluid (but preferably) or something like ATE 200 (formerly superblue) to prevent this, believe me, if it happens it is PROPER SCARY!!!!!
I brought my Arai helmet from there, did get a chunk off of it (bout 20% or so if i recall)
It's worth going around as you can usually get some decent deals with a few bits and bobs, I'm going up on Friday for work purposes, but will be keeping an eye out for any bargains.
DS2500's are good pads, having run them for a while and not actually had brake judder. Did get the squeeky pad noise though.
It's worth going around as you can usually get some decent deals with a few bits and bobs, I'm going up on Friday for work purposes, but will be keeping an eye out for any bargains.
DS2500's are good pads, having run them for a while and not actually had brake judder. Did get the squeeky pad noise though.
Wh00sher said:
If you get brake judder, it`s not the discs that are warped but pad deposits. DS2500`s are renowned for it. Just so you are aware 
Sold no end of sets of DS2500s, judder has never been an issue we have experienced with them. We won't, however, sell DS3000s because of repeat pad deposit problems. You getting the compounds mixed up?I bought my first decent helmet for trackdays at the Autosport Show from the Demon Tweeks stand and got about 15% off from what I remember. Plus I got the name of the salesman and he said whenever booking in future to call him and he would give future discounts - works every time in the 10 odd years since
As said by others, definitely try them on. Different makes fit differently also. We ended up buying ours there at the Demon Tweets stand last year and got a fairly decent deal on them.
Same with seats or race suits really. Trying them first is the way forward. I also tried a bunch of seats last year and bought some a few months ago as a direct result of that.
Same with seats or race suits really. Trying them first is the way forward. I also tried a bunch of seats last year and bought some a few months ago as a direct result of that.
Trabi601 said:
I know some will disagree with me - but get to a motorbike shop and buy whatever fits best and comes within budget.
I have to agree with this.I have a snell Arai race helmet that cost £6-700 plus painting, over a grand in total.
I don't want to use it in my (trackday) Westfield because you inevitably catch debris and mark it cosmetically so I got a bike Arai instead for half the money and everything I read suggests the only difference is the lining.
I don't wear fireproofs when trackdaying so what's the point of being burned to a crisp and leaving a perfectly preserved head?
If you plan to use a HANS or similar then you will have to get a car helmet. Car helmets do, for whatever reason, seem heavier than bike helmets. Not sure why when the only difference, on the face of it, is the fire retardant lining.
Worth looking at kart helmets if you're not bothered about fire retardant lining. Often the exact same model as other car helmets but significantly cheaper.
Worth looking at kart helmets if you're not bothered about fire retardant lining. Often the exact same model as other car helmets but significantly cheaper.
foxsasha said:
Sold no end of sets of DS2500s, judder has never been an issue we have experienced with them. We won't, however, sell DS3000s because of repeat pad deposit problems. You getting the compounds mixed up?
I used 3000's and they are very good with a little heat in them but they are very hard on discs and squeelled lots. I am currently using DS-Uno and they are a very good pad, according to the Ferodo website they outperform 3000's almost everywhere. I'm struggling with deposits with Pagids at the moment. Was going to try Performance Friction next but your mention reminds me that Ive heard very good things about Unos. Might give them a go.
Steve H said:
My bike/car lids aren't noticeably different in weight but I used to have a cheap open face with all the right stickers etc but one of the Chinese imports which was notably heavier, I think the weight may well be a quality issue.
I'm comparing Arai closed face and Sparco carbon open face car helmets with Shoei road and off road bike helmets. I didn't weight them, just remember taking both the Arai and Sparco helmets out of the box and thinking they were heavier than I expected. Could be talking tosh though as, like I said, I didn't weight them so it's subjective.Edited by foxsasha on Sunday 8th January 21:43
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