Helmet - Full or Open face ?

[Nero601]

Approaching my first ever race and need to choose a helmet soon , will be racing in a tin top so my question is which to go for full or open face ? any advice /preferences ?

I also wear specs so if anyone else who has eyewear and races wants to have a say , please do.

thanks

[davepoth]

For actual racing, full face every time IMO - your face isn't worth messing about with.

[andy rob]

open face if your not bothered what you look like after a hugh crash or full face if you like what you see in the mirror !!!
I think open face should be illegel
+even if you are not thinking about splashing out on a hans device yet (which you wont be if your even considering an open face helemt) pay the extra & buy a one with the hans posts already on so @ a later date you dont have to buy another new helmet

Ive had a stone/brick/boulder hit the windscreen of my race car before & little bits of glass went all over me so am slighly biased !

[andy rob]

you beat me too it dave !

[deviant]

Full face, nomex (or similar) lined. If you have a big smash it will stop your face getting hit with glass or the steering wheel. If you have an in car fire a full face will save your eyes and maybe even your life.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/fighting...

[stuartj]

With glasses, my experience is that you want maximum aperture size to both get the spex on and to keep some cool air circulating to prevent misting – I use an Impact Supersport helmet for that reason, but suggest whatever you buy it is fitted with HANS posts as inevitably that will become compulsory in future.

[Jemco]

I've been in a fire and was grateful for being able to pull the visor down for protection from the heat - before bailing out very quickly!

Full face every time for me.

K.

[NJH]

Agreed. I wear glasses with an Arai GP6 probably one of the smallest visual apertures on the market, not a problem with the right glasses. I have a pair of those Oakleys with the straight arms such that you can just push them in down the sides of your head with the helmet on. I just leave the visor off on mine as it gets in the way.

[cater_racer]

I use a full face in a Porsche 944 with my varifocal specs on, although I don't use the visor just too many layers of plastic/glass. I would keep the visor on but it touches the padding on the roll cage if pushed up, so I removed it.

[Wildsiejr]

Full face every time and deffo get it with the HANS pots, I use my full face that I've had for years in the BMW I normally race but it hasn't got the HANS and I had to borrow my dads open face which has the HANS on it for a VLN race and I didn't feel comfortable having the open face helmet on.

[deviant]

I wear glasses to and they are Oakley brand with flat and straight arms. I can not get the arms to sit on my ears like I would without a helmet so my glasses do sit on a slight angle but not enough to cause any vision problems. Not sure if this would be the same for people with varifocals?

My sunnies are also Oakley with flat arms, those have regular bends to go behind my ears but again they do not sit down in the normal position but they are still comfy.

When you go and try helmets on make sure you take your glasses and sunnies with you. Likewise when you replace your glasses it might be an idea to take your helmet to the opticians.

You must try a few helmets on, they are not all made the same and must fit you well to be safe. You need to be comfortable to, cram your head in to a helmet that is to small or does not suit the shape of your head and it is like having a pair of shoes that rub! At the same time consider that the lining will give a little as time goes on.

What car will you be racing? I have been doing sprints, time trials etc in a MX5 turbo with sticky but road biased tyres. A while back I was given a passenger run in a race hot hatch with slicks on it and some serious suspension work that could pull some very decent lateral G's....I discovered in that car that my helmet is bloody heavy once there is some G's loading up!! I never noticed it that much in my car. I have just taken the step up to a proper race MX5 so at some point I think I will look for a new helmet that is a bit lighter!

Oh and make sure you always wear a balaclava in your helmet, sweat rots the liner!

[Nero601]

Thanks for the input , really appreciate it , was erring towards a full face , just wanted to be sure i was going the right way , especially with the specs.

For those that asked , will be racing in the Trackday Trophy , in a Fiat Bravo HGT :-)

Will let you guys know how I get on

[NJH]

I would seriously think about getting a HANS right from the start, its not just about the safety but that many guys that have raced for a long time complain about finding it uncomfortable / restrictive etc. etc. Isn't a problem for me as I decided to use HANS from day one so I am just used to it. Like the others have said its slowly becoming compulsory in many countries anyway.

[Burp]

I always go for full face. No problem using it for other cars if the option ever arises. or a bit of fun karting in the off season. I bought a helmet that was confortable and suited my budget but had to buy glasses to fit it. Took the lid along to the optitians and tried on dozens of them till i found something half decent. They do sit a bit wonky and are a bugger to get on and when I get in the car its annoying but soon forget about it. Always run with my visor up. my mate took his off and has a peek but I find it useful for passenger rides in stuff like caterhams etc. Driving with visor up has never caused me any problems and as said u can pull it down if u see flames, Lol.

[Count Johnny]

deviant said:

...nomex (or similar) lined...

A fire resistant lining is now mandatory and, FWIW, if you like your face, get a full face.

[Maldini35]

Arai GP-5W with visor is a great choice for tin top racing, especially if you wear glasses.

I'm doing the Trackday Trophy at Donnington in August in an old e30 beemer. I'll keep an eye out for you to say hi.

[Nero601]

Maldini35 said:

Arai GP-5W with visor is a great choice for tin top racing, especially if you wear glasses.

I'm doing the Trackday Trophy at Donnington in August in an old e30 beemer. I'll keep an eye out for you to say hi.

What colour is the beemer ? I will keep an eye open too

[Maldini35]

It's a silver and orange shed.

I'll be well off the pace as my car won't be competitive with the power to weight class class system and I'm no Lewis Hamilton. A good mate of mine is sharing the car with me to make his racing debut and embarassingly I think he'll be quicker.
Still, you may see me a few times as you lap me.

[Nero601]

Maldini35 said:

It's a silver and orange shed.

I'll be well off the pace as my car won't be competitive with the power to weight class class system and I'm no Lewis Hamilton. A good mate of mine is sharing the car with me to make his racing debut and embarassingly I think he'll be quicker.
Still, you may see me a few times as you lap me.

If I do lap you I will of course wave

Seriously though it will be my debut race too so I will be on a steep learning curve also !

[Maldini35]

If it's your first race weekend do come and say hi.
It can seem like a lot to do on raceday (sign on, scrutineering, car prep, driver briefing, finding the assembly area etc.) I'd be happy to help with any questions and point you in the direction of where everything is.