Helmets

[Dave]

According to the poll, Bell helmets are the favorite by far. Which model do you all use? I've been considering a M3.

[Keith]

I bought an M3 last winter and I love it. It's lightweight, simple, and relatively inexpensive to other Kevlar helmets. I picked mine upf from DRE\WREP for $399, but you may now be able to fine it cheaper now that the Snell 2000s are coming in.

They're still running that deal here for $399 though... http://racecarsupply.com/

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"Somebody call 911!!! Keith hurt himself again..."

[ennis bragg]

Well I was a Simpson voter. I've been wearing my Super Voyager for about 4 years now. I've always wanted a Super Shark but the Bell Dominator is pretty smooth looking too. But so far neither one has looked quite good enough to spend twice the money to replace what I have.

[Tom Johnson]

I've got both a Dominator and an M3. I bought the Dominator because it is so much lighter than the M3, but on the track I haven't noticed much difference.

BTW, has anyone noticed that newer style helmets seem to have an incredibly tight fit? I had to go from a 7 1/4 to 7 3/8 last time I purchased. Or is my head just getting fatter?

[f2000]

I am using a Bell Vortex, and I really love it. I used to have a Simpson RX model, and I wasn't all that excited about its fit.

One thing I noticed immediately, was the amount of lift and buffet generated at high speeds. I know the Vortex has a lot of aerodynamic assists to reduce that, but (maybe its just my skinny neck) I still notice a lot of lift at higher speeds.

If I had the chance to buy another helmet, I would drop the extra cash and buy one with the duckbill, or some other downforce assistants. And as long as you are wearing a helmet for more than 10 minutes at a time, lighter is always better.

-doug

[Dan Kennison]

I had a Basic Simpson with the 96 and had some buffeting at high speed, I got a Bieffe (sp) with the bill in front and it went away. With the new car the buffeting is back even with the new helmet. Maybe it will settle down if I get real aggresive and shift the car into second gear. LOL

[Vandiemen70]

For new helmets, check out Bullseye Visual at www.bullseyevisual.com. I git my helmet direct from Bell but heard that the prices ate Bullseye were very good...not sure if it's true but I guess it's worth checking out. A savings of even $20 buys some racing gas, right?

[Dave]

So how does the SCCA regulate the SA tags. What I mean is how long will a SA95 helmet bought today be allowed?

I quickly scanned the Snell site and they seemed to indicate that there weren't any significant changes between SA95 and SA2000.

I'd like to get one of these fire sale SA95 but only if I'll be able to use it the full 5 years.

[Daniel]

Well, SCCA currently requires an SA90 even though the SA95 has been out since '96. The rumor is that the 2001 GCR will require the SA95. I wouldn't think they would go to the SA2000 before another five years since, as you said, there isn't much difference between the SA95 and SA2000 standards. I contacted the Snell Memorial Foundation through their website (www.smf.org) and got a helpful reply. They said the main difference between the SA95 and SA2000 standard dealt with how close to the eyeport the test impact hit the helmet. They said there will be a major change with the SA2005 standard when it comes out. The guy said that from a safety standpoint he personaly would take advantage of the closeout prices on the SA95's and then buy an SA2005 when they come out.

[Dave]

Thanks Daniel! Looks like I'm going for a SA95.

[steved]

the site is great - we really needed one like
this with real content - i have been wearing
a bell vortex last three years and have been
happy with it - have been looking at the bieffe gp - good looking and a good price -
anyone been wearing one and have any input
good or bad.

thanks

steve

[Dan Kennison]

I like mine alot but I think the sizes run a bit bigger. I used the sizing from my Simpson and was not as happy as I could have been. They are very reasonably priced and well made.

[fcracer17]

I switched from my older version BIEFFE to the new aerodynamic GP one this year, and frankly was disappointed; the buffeting actually increased (even with the front and rear aero-wicker bills).
I drove a new car, thought, so I'm not sure what caused more problems. I had to re-do the seat to sit lower, in order to avoid most of the buffeting. However, the GP is real light and well made.

OLR

[Tim Reed]

I picked up a new Bell Dominator this year and it worked very well. I had an older Bell Sport II which is fiberglass, so the new helmet is much lighter and, as Tom J. pointed out, MUCH tighter, especially in the facial area. My cheeks actually hurt for a day or two after a race weekend. One comment on the Dominator, is that the outer shell is HUGE compared to my old helmet, and made my head lean a little forward by hitting the head rest. I need to make a new seat this year as well, but to move me more forward, away from the head rest. The duck bill does help keep the helmet firmly planted on your head, and minimize buffeting.

Tim

[El Guapo]

I use a Simpson Super Shark that I have had for several years. this helmet did not seem to suffer from buffeting like my old one, but did seem to lift at high speed. At the beginning of 2000 I had a chin spoiler added which took care of the problem with lifting. The fit of the helmet is good. It is comfortable, and has stood up well to being tossed around for years. My only problem is when I crack the visor for a little air, there is some cavitation inside my skull, due to the extra space in there.

[Daniel]

According to the new Sportscar, SA90 helmets will be o.k. until January 2002 when SA95's will be required. This is, of course, just for SCCA.

[Tim Reed]

One addition comment regarding purchasing a new helmet, is that it can be very complicated to mail order a new helmet, unless you are very sure of the size you need... I ended up sending my helmet back and forth 3 times before I got one that fit correctly. Especially with the new Bell helmets, as Tom mentioned above, they fit much tighter than the older ones. I probably spent an addition $30-40 on shipping sending the helmets back. I'm still not sure if what I ended up with fits correctly... I seem to lose all feeling in my head about two laps into a race

Tim

[Andy Lally]

just a note for someone in a jam with a turbulance or lifting problem: a small perpendicular(to the air flow) gurney about 2-3 inches behind the tallest point of the helmet will make a bit of downforce that should cure all lifting, the gurney only needs to be 1/8" or even less to be effective and can even be constrcued by taking thick string and simply taping it on the helmet, anything to help trip the air and have it reconnect to the back of the helmet will help this problem.

[Dave]

Well I bought myself a new Bell from: http://www.randys-racemart.com/

Very happy with the helmet and the service I got from Randy's.

Like Tim said about sizing I did have to send it back once and move up one size. Based on my experience with the Bell sizing info I'd say you go up one size from what they tell you that you should order.

[Keith]

Just out of curiosity, what Bell did you buy Dave?

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Keith Carter #28
94\95 VanDiemen
keith@formulacontinental.com

[Dave]

I bought the M3. It's the Kevlar one. So much lighter than anything else I've worn on my noggin.

[Keith]

You won't be disappointed with the M3 Dave. I may try the gurney trick Andy suggested though because I have noticed turbulence at the end of long straights. It's still an awesome helmet for the money.

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Keith Carter #28
94\95 VanDiemen
keith@formulacontinental.com