what to wear when going screenless?
Discussion
Hi All,
As of Saturday, my 7 will be going from full screen to screenless (little lip screen thing), and I was wondering what people tend to wear on the road in such a car?
I have a full face helmet for trackdays, but thought that would be a little excessive for the day to day...
any ideas?
thanks
JakeR
As of Saturday, my 7 will be going from full screen to screenless (little lip screen thing), and I was wondering what people tend to wear on the road in such a car?
I have a full face helmet for trackdays, but thought that would be a little excessive for the day to day...
any ideas?
thanks
JakeR
JakeR said:
As of Saturday, my 7 will be going from full screen to screenless (little lip screen thing), and I was wondering what people tend to wear on the road in such a car?
I have a full face helmet for trackdays, but thought that would be a little excessive for the day to day...
As an absolute minimum, make sure you've got some eye protection that could withstand a stone being flung into the lens at speed.... Think of what that would do to your forehead....I have a full face helmet for trackdays, but thought that would be a little excessive for the day to day...
A full face helmet is a good idea!
JakeR said:
Yeah, I've got some pretty solid wraparound sunglasses, but I was wondering about the rest of by boat race to be honest...
I am taking the car to the LM classic next year (oh yeah!) and thought the full face job might be a bit too much...
If a stone is flicked from under the tyre of a car in front and hits you at 60mph, it's going to hurt unless you're wearing a helmet. I find hail (and even rain) hurts at 60+ mph.I am taking the car to the LM classic next year (oh yeah!) and thought the full face job might be a bit too much...
Only a complete head banger would drive a Caterham without a Full Face Helmet - A stray stone at 70 mph or even a squashed coke can - whatever could have your face in a mess and lightly much worse.
There was a TV programme on a while back - that showed a biker with an open faced helmet hit by a bee IIRC at NS limit and his face was a right mess.
There was a TV programme on a while back - that showed a biker with an open faced helmet hit by a bee IIRC at NS limit and his face was a right mess.
I am a new owner with an aero screened Caterham. I am going to wear my full face helmet every drive. You would do it on a motorbike, why do you think it is excessive in a car?
It scares me enough on my mountain bike going downhill with just a normal cycling helmet and glasses - I have had a stone hit me in the face and that was painful enough (no faster than 30mph).
I think it adds to the sense of occasion anyway - it is not like you are going to be driving around your local town at night trying to look cool (is it???)!!
It scares me enough on my mountain bike going downhill with just a normal cycling helmet and glasses - I have had a stone hit me in the face and that was painful enough (no faster than 30mph).
I think it adds to the sense of occasion anyway - it is not like you are going to be driving around your local town at night trying to look cool (is it???)!!
JakeR said:
Hi All,
As of Saturday, my 7 will be going from full screen to screenless (little lip screen thing), and I was wondering what people tend to wear on the road in such a car?
I have a full face helmet for trackdays, but thought that would be a little excessive for the day to day...
any ideas?
thanks
JakeR
I always wore a pair of good quality shatterproof glasses for knocking about but would always put a lid on if venturing onto the motorway. As of Saturday, my 7 will be going from full screen to screenless (little lip screen thing), and I was wondering what people tend to wear on the road in such a car?
I have a full face helmet for trackdays, but thought that would be a little excessive for the day to day...
any ideas?
thanks
JakeR
It is a really good thrill to drive one without a lid on but I would not want to be behind someone else!
You may want to watch this at (at 1.50)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iqEFbSS0Q
This broke my visor and would have caused serious damage to me if I hadn't worn a helmet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iqEFbSS0Q
This broke my visor and would have caused serious damage to me if I hadn't worn a helmet
There seems to be quite a lot of scaremongering going on in this thread, so I thought I'd just share my experiences.
I have Brooklands aeroscreens on my 7 and generally speaking I'm more than happy (as is SWMBO) with shatterproof goggles/glasses, decent earplugs (it's the wind noise that cause most of the problem) and if cold, a beanie hat.
However, you learn not to follow anything too closely and, yes, if following a fellow sevener with sticky tyres you will get minor shot blasting from small particles of grit. No big deal.
Worst incident to date being stung by a bee on the Welsh Blat in August, but that's all it was, a sting.
When touring we always take helmets in case of inclement weather, but it has to rain pretty hard before we'll bother to stop and put them on.
This debate crops up on the club forum fairly regularly and there are definitely 2 camps and it seems to be equally split as well.
Basically you pays your money and you takes your choice.
I have Brooklands aeroscreens on my 7 and generally speaking I'm more than happy (as is SWMBO) with shatterproof goggles/glasses, decent earplugs (it's the wind noise that cause most of the problem) and if cold, a beanie hat.
However, you learn not to follow anything too closely and, yes, if following a fellow sevener with sticky tyres you will get minor shot blasting from small particles of grit. No big deal.
Worst incident to date being stung by a bee on the Welsh Blat in August, but that's all it was, a sting.
When touring we always take helmets in case of inclement weather, but it has to rain pretty hard before we'll bother to stop and put them on.
This debate crops up on the club forum fairly regularly and there are definitely 2 camps and it seems to be equally split as well.
Basically you pays your money and you takes your choice.
Edited by Aeroscreens on Tuesday 10th November 18:42
Not sure whether you're finding too much of an even split here!
Full helmet all the way.
Simply not worth trying to prove how manly one is wearing a knotted hanky and a pair of Raybans with no screen. One piece of grit or worse in just the wrong place, no matter how allegedly rare, is seriously going to upset you (dentistry's not cheap, eyes irreplaceable).
Quite simply not worth the risk for...what?
If you need any prompting, check out Massa's incident. Unrealistic? Maybe. Maybe not.
Full helmet all the way.
Simply not worth trying to prove how manly one is wearing a knotted hanky and a pair of Raybans with no screen. One piece of grit or worse in just the wrong place, no matter how allegedly rare, is seriously going to upset you (dentistry's not cheap, eyes irreplaceable).
Quite simply not worth the risk for...what?
If you need any prompting, check out Massa's incident. Unrealistic? Maybe. Maybe not.
I do have Brooklands on my car, which give a lot more protection than the standard aero. But as everyone has said, if you wear a helmet you should be fine. I prefer to wear protective googles and a bobble hat 
I don't do a lot of road miles mainly track stuff. If I had a long journey to do I would wear a helmet, as mine have intercom in, so I can listen to music if I want too.
I don't do a lot of road miles mainly track stuff. If I had a long journey to do I would wear a helmet, as mine have intercom in, so I can listen to music if I want too.
Aeroscreens said:
There seems to be quite a lot of scaremongering going on in this thread, so I thought I'd just share my experiences.
^^^^ What he says!I've been driving aeroscreen'd cars on the roads for 20 years and I'm still here to tell the tale (despite having taken bumble bees in the face at considerably higher speeds than Arewethereyet's 70mph... it's a bloody insect, ffs, not an armour-piercing bullet. Yes, it smarts a bit, but it doesn't happen often and you'll live when it does).
Anything big enough to cause serious injury without a helmet would stand a pretty good chance of breaking your neck anyway, so the additional risk is slight. If you're that risk averse, may I respectfully suggest that you'd be better off driving a Volvo than a Seven...
I am going a bit deaf, though, and I'm sure that lack of earplugs/helmet on longer runs has contributed. If you do 100 miles+ at motorway speeds, your ears will be ringing as if you've just been to a rock concert for several hours afterwards, so ear protection on longer/high speed runs is advisable.
I have to say that I would only ever do this with a full screen helmet. While touring in Spain with a load of 7s. One owner was behind a lorry at about 60-70mph, the lorry had twin rear wheels at the back. They picked up part of a brick like object (1/8 to 12th the size of a normal brick) and flung it at the Caterham windscreen. Had the windscreen not have caught it it would have killed the drive because it would have hit him between the eyes. Eye protection in the form of Sun glasses or H&S glasses would have offered no protection at all. The object was firmly lodged in in the windscreen and glass fragment from the inside of the had showered the driver who luckily was wearing sun glasses.
Edited by Snapper7 on Wednesday 11th November 17:53
Very much a personal decision for each driver I think. What suits one person, needn't be the same for another and whilst everyone appreciates that safety is paramount and there may be more of a risk of being hit in the face whilst aero'd, it really should be for the driver to make the decision.
I wear Wiley's and a buff/snood virtually all the time in my seven with earplugs or the Autocom to protect my hearing. The snood (actually I use two together and they can be purchased very cheaply from the L7CGB, cycling or motorcycle shops) keeps your face warm and also stops the sting you will get from the tiny pieces of grit you get from following another car or occasional insects.
I hate wearing a helmet on the road unless its very cold or very wet and have driven up from the Alps in some demanding conditions
T
I wear Wiley's and a buff/snood virtually all the time in my seven with earplugs or the Autocom to protect my hearing. The snood (actually I use two together and they can be purchased very cheaply from the L7CGB, cycling or motorcycle shops) keeps your face warm and also stops the sting you will get from the tiny pieces of grit you get from following another car or occasional insects.
I hate wearing a helmet on the road unless its very cold or very wet and have driven up from the Alps in some demanding conditions
T
IMO Full face every time. I've had a stone hit my lid at significant speed, and just wouldn't fancy a 90 mph ish hit to the forehead, even off a smallish pebble. I also once took a bee to the visor, that would have been very "interesting". Anyone who has had a similar experience will tell you, bees are heavier than they look in 5th!
JakeR said:
Yeah, I've got some pretty solid wraparound sunglasses, but I was wondering about the rest of by boat race to be honest...
I am taking the car to the LM classic next year (oh yeah!) and thought the full face job might be a bit too much...
Make sure they are polycarbonate not perspex/cr39/acetate etc. The latter will break if you hit them hard enough, and a stone at 60mph is enough.I am taking the car to the LM classic next year (oh yeah!) and thought the full face job might be a bit too much...
Obviously not glass - so no Seregetis or (most) Raybans.
Wiley X do good options with soft gaskets in to prevent air/dust ingress.
Oakley are all PC or plutonite as they call it.
Full face helmet still your best option .
I have been looking into what bikers wear (other than a full face), and it seems that some wear neoprene face masks... they arent expensive, so I have ordered one...
It covers face, nose, neck etc, and the rest of you is done by your glasses/goggles and your hat.
I take the point about ear protection, i had planned to use the yellow squidgy type.
Motorway journeys will almost certainly be done by me in my track day lid.
cheers all
JakeR
It covers face, nose, neck etc, and the rest of you is done by your glasses/goggles and your hat.
I take the point about ear protection, i had planned to use the yellow squidgy type.
Motorway journeys will almost certainly be done by me in my track day lid.
cheers all
JakeR
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