Helmet Design

[groomi]

I'm in the market for a helmet for trackday use with a max budget of £200. I've noticed that the range of 'car' helmets at this price is limited but that there are plenty of 'bike' helmets to choose from.

In my limited understanding of these things, I can't understand why a car helmet is more expensive than a bike helmet as surely a bike helmet must withstand more rigorous impacts?

Does anybody have any factual insight into helmet design to explain this?

[Graham]

They do differ in design a little but i think the one issue is they are tested by different standards organisations, and i suspect some economies of scale may come in here.

the main differences you will get in the actual helmets are that the linings in car helmets now have to be fireproof for racing and as you cant move your head around as much the field of view has to be bigger, which i suppose might make them more difficult to make..

[woof]

there's a basic principle behind safety gear - buy the best you can afford and don't buy sub standard equipment - your life depends on it

Cheap helmets may adhere to the SNELL / SA codes - however the level of protection is alot lower than an "expensive" helmet
Of course they are other benefits such as a weight - but I'd really look to be spending twice that - if you can afford to race an extra £200 could save yr life - might be the best £200 you'll spend

One of the bike magazines did a test on helmets a while back - there's video on it somewhere - so do a youtube search for crash helmet tests

[groomi]

Thanks for the comments guys. I appreciate that you should spend as much as you can afford on safety equipment, and I think £200 is an appropriate amount for doing non-competitive trackdays in a low powered tin-top.

The comment about weight and economies of scale as reasons for price differences are interesting. With regards to weight I'm quite happy with a heavy helmet as I'm only in the car for 20mins at a time so it wouldn't be a problem. Economies of scale would be a sensible reason why bike helmets are 'generally' cheaper as they clearly sell a lot more of them.

Interesting stuff.

[Mr_Thyroid]

groomi said:

I'm quite happy with a heavy helmet
Interesting stuff.

Don't forget that in the event of a crash a lighter helmet will reduce the likelihood of neck injury.