Entry level track day helmets...

[Davie]

Chaps,

Forgive my ignorance but have a track / sprint night booked at a local hill climb circuit via the local car club and have just realised with 48hrs to go that I need a helmet and I've tried to beg, borrow and steal but to no avail.

With limited time thanks to work, I've noted Halfords do a cheap line of helmets for £35.00 and my local store has the size I need in stock... have also checked a couple of local bike dealers and motorsport supplier and they're sort of £100+ for entry level stuff.

I assume, the Halfords effort will be up to the job / standards required... I hasten to add I'm not away to attempt a 6min lap of the Ring in a GT3 RS, in fact the sedate paced car I'll be driving would be like crashing a bouncy castle so it more to tick the "You need to wear a helmet" box.

I'm not being tight, but my options are very limited given the time constraints but before I spend £35.00 of my kids inheritance, assume that I should be ok... though obviously try it on first and then hope my lanky posture fits int he car with said helmet in place!

Thanks in advance

[CrashBang]

Passing on what I was told..,

Buy the best you can afford, you only get one head and even the most innocuous accidents can be serious/fatal.

[Davie]

It's point to point on a short hill climb route so I very much doubt it'll be out of third gear at any stage so whilst I'd spend a few quid if it was a big track at speed, for this I think a basic helmet will suffice... more so given I wasn't even aware they were needed until today hence the slight urgency to get something. Middle aged man driving a Volvo at a sedate pace, wearing a helmet... not sure there's a stereotype for that... yet!

[veehexx]

i went with a nitro N2300 DVS (dual-visor system) helmet. around £80 i think. far from top end and seemed to be entry level at the bike shop i bought from.
i think theres a cheaper model - n2200 thats £10-15 cheaper if you dont care for the DVS.
half of what i found online about '£10 helmet for a £10 head' seem to be coming from the biker camp and i totally agree with that mentality. if your in a 4seater hard-top thats reasonably new with airbags everywhere, then the car will be taking the majority of hit. that my justification for a cheaper helmet. typically, you wont be at risk of trees or oncoming traffic at trackdays so while you might be going faster, the type of impact/end result would typically be different.
i figured a cheap £80 lid will be ample for the casual trackday stuff.
if you've got an open top, track prepped machine or something similar then i'd personally be looking at something better and maybe even something to allow a hans type device to be fitted in the future.

[Davie]

Thanks and that was pretty much my thought process too. Her father is a biker, he won't entertain a cheap helmet but then again coming off a bike at speed is a very different kettle of fish so whilst the bikers may not favour a cheap lid... for my needs, I'm thinking it'll be fine assuming it fits snuggly and doesn't weigh 25kg.

I can understand the "buy the best you can afford" logic but I could in theory afford a top spec lid at £1500+ but it'd be absolutely unnecessary for what I need and I won't be rushing out to buy an open cockpit instrument of death anytime soon but if I do get the bug and it's progresses, will invest in something a little better / lighter / less Tufty Club in due course.

I'd actually rather not wear a helmet for this little sprint event... the irony being there's probably more chance of me buggering up as a result of wearing one than if I didn't so on that basis, perhaps I should be thinking about an open face effort? Little less restrictive for driving a road car on a narrow track?

[Davie]

Actually, scrub that... whilst open face helmets are seemingly fine for a tin top, they're not permitted at the local circuit / car club stuff if it's an open cockpit and matey has a little Caterham that I'd perhaps passenger in sometimes so may as well future proof... at least short term.

[Munter]

You might want to check with the organiser what they are looking for on the helmet.

E.g. are they looking for a "gold sticker", and a BS sticker, (bike helmets as per trackday use) or a SNELL rating as well?

Gold and BS stickers


Then in your case (but not every-bodies case) buy the cheapest that meets those regs.

[Oilchange]

Try some on.

I would say buy on fit, comfort and style in that order. Cost is irrelevant as they all do the same job so no need to spend loads.

Provided it has the correct safety standard stickers, simply wearing one eliminates 99% of the risk...

eta
Probably need a full face if going in an open topped car or one with a rollcage

Edited by Oilchange on Monday 6th August 17:57

[Order66]

The £35 halfords one will be fine. No organiser in the history of track days has checked that helmets have a particular sticker/approval. As above, full face only in open-top cars, open face acceptable in tin tops.

[T0MMY]

It's been years since I bought a helmet (I really ought to replace mine now I think about it!) but I seem to remember from looking at SHARP ratings that plenty of the cheapo helmets scored just as well as the £500+ ones. Most important thing is that it fits well and you'll find different manufacturers have different ideas about the shape of a human head so some brands will suit you better than others. You want nice even pressure everywhere and ideally one that's not crushing your ears.

[CrutyRammers]

As above. The more expensive ones are smaller and lighter, but they all pass the same tests. Unless you need HANS posts, get the one which fits best.

[Davie]

Gents,

Thanks for the advice on this... I was ready to be flamed in the usual Pistonheads General gassing based manner but thankfully not!

I've taken on board the comments about checking with the organisers and from what I can gather, basically track days and non-competitive events such as sprints and hill climbs through the club, any road legal helmet that meets ECE something-or-other is fine but for any competitive event where the MSA blue book calls the shots... the helmet must meet their standards. So, a basic road legal full face helmet will suffice for what I need as I won't be competing but have also taken on board the comments about fit and such like so will have an extended lunch today and try out a couple of options locally.

Much appreciated

[Maldini35]

Enjoy your first taste of motorsport...

...but prepare for financially crippling addiction

[C70R]

£50 gets you something ECE 22.05, which is legally strong enough for motorbike rider to use.
If you're just doing occasional trackdays or sprints, this will be absolutely fine. PH will tell you that you need to spend at least £300, and that it needs to be fireproof, and that it should have x, y or z certification - but that's how forums work.

[dunc_sx]

I had the unfortunate situation where the tinted visor screw got stuck on a pretty much unused Snell approved lid. It's a tinted visor and works correctly (lifts up and down) but can't be changed for a clear one. In a tin top you can just raise the visor when the sun is not out and lower when it is.

I'll end up just having to sell it for cheap now though because I've got an open cockpit,
annoying.

Dunc.

[paulmnz]

worth noting that car and motorbike helmets have different standards because they are designed for different types of crashes - broadly, motorbike helmets are more towards one big hit and lots of sliding, car helmets multiple hits from car/road/rollcage. they also have different neck clearance and vision openings.

so a cheap motorbike helmet isn't really the tool for the job, but as most people have said, no one is likely to check so up to you.

again, broadly (there are a number of standards) car helmets should be SA2015 to go racing, but SA2010 is probably fine for trackdays and everything else if you can find old stock. in the UK all motorsport requires a HANS now, so most of the older standards have been knocked out as you can't fit HANS posts.

I used to buy cheaper helmets and replace them often - I'd rather have a cheap helmet of the latest safety standard than a 6 year old carbon helmet I couldn't afford to replace!

There are a few companies like Hedtec around doing well priced car helmets, but the market appears to be a lot smaller than bikes, hence the helmets cost a bit more.

[Davie]

Excellent points and duly noted... I think with the clock ticking, I'll either grab the Halfords effort today (£28 with discount) or see what the local motorbike shop has in stock or worst case, beg, borrow and steal at the track and then assuming this is going to be a semi-regular way to drain my account, will spend a bit more time and get something a little more suited. Issue is, there's only really one supplier up here that I know of and it's all top end stuff... so mail order may be best but I'm sure some of the regulars may let me try on theirs tomorrow to help me get my eye in in terms of sizing etc then I could order one online in due course.

I'd be very surprised if I ever get to the point where I needs HANS compatibility... I suspect a divorce would come long before that happens so really it's going to be some track evenings, sprints and non-competitive stuff plus perhaps a few passenger rides in stuff that I can't afford!

Or it'll be used once and then sit on the shelf whilst I consider what to do with the twisted remains of my car following an "enthusiasm exceeds talent" moment!

[veehexx]

when i was looking for my brain-bucket,i found sizing was much like clothing - different brands size differently. the Nitro size (ended up with XL i think) was different than shoei (L) and iirc, the Arai's just didnt seem to fit my head as well as the nitro and shoei's. Nitro won on price. there was another helmet that was overly tight getting on, but once in fitted well.

definately buy hands-on knowing it's both comfortable an snug. plenty of useful pre-purchase fitment info on youtube on what to look for and ensure it's right. i'm sure the guys in the bike shops will be able to help more, but likely halfords you'll go in and be on your own for proper fitment.

[Davie]

Picked up a helmet from the Halfords value range... it's actually not bad, fits snuggly so must have a fairly standard size and shape of head. It's not very light but then again my neck muscles are feeble. Visibility seems less restrictive and the fit feels more uniform than other helmets I used previously... as in its quite snug all round, some I've worn before seemed a bit tight above my ears, this doesn't seem too bad at all. I did try another one on, also large but it felt quite tight round my brow.

Anyways, short term solution and can always look at something a bit better in due course though I may think about an open face helmet for driving... or perhaps just need to get used to the more restricted view!

Thanks gents, some invaluable advice and pointers there... now... what could possibly go wrong!

[veehexx]

Davie said:

... now... what could possibly go wrong!

thats like saying "hold my beer"