I'm in the market for a helmet. Something that will pass tech inspections whether for drag, autocross or road racing. As you can see, drag racing starts to bore me and wanna step up to road racing or autocross.

I came across with this Bell Helmet for $250 and needs feedback how good Bell Helmets are compared to Arai, Simpson, etc...


I'm on a budget so please don't point at any expensive things out there. I would love to get Arai but they just cost a grit.

 

BELL is Make sure it's rated SA95 or SA2000 if you ever forsee using it for competition with sanctioning bodies. SA2000 will be legal longer than SA95. Don't buy an MA rated helmet.

 

Just verified, it is Snell SA2000 and SFI31.2 approved. I almost, almost bought an MA rated helmet because they are cheap.

 

I didn't realize Arai made an auto helmet (maybe you didn't either). After looking into it, they do... and after seeing the prices I realize why noone talks about them...

$659 for the "cheap" model, and $999 for a GP-5 is a little past steep.

 

I am loving my Bell M2 Pro so far. I have no complaints and I feel it was well worth the $400.

 

Not any more. Apparently, Arai is no longer manufacturing SA helmets.
FWIW, I like my Bell Sport II



[Modified by johng, 11:17 AM 3/6/2002]

 

Cobra. Where'd you get your M2:



This website I've been checking out sells them for $299. The one pictured above is the RACESTAR IV and it's pretty much the cheapest I've found that is a full faced helmet.

 

Cobra has a M2 Pro, the one you looked up was the M2. If you want an M2 and can fit a large then I have a new one for sale, $250 + proper shipping and its yours

 

I got my M2 Pro at RacerWholesale on closeout.

Bell M2:

Shipping Weight - 7lbs.


Bell M2 Pro:

Shipping Weight - 5lbs.

 

Bell helmets are good for the money, but not as well constructed as Bieffe, IMHO(another brand you might want to check out, although they do cost a bit more).

Little things about a Bieffe like softer padding, better stitching, metal visor switchgear instead of plastic, etc... lead me to the above conclusion.

Another issue is that the Bell units at the lower price points are all fiberglass, while the Bieffe equivalents are made of composite materials. This means they will be lighter and arguably stronger.

IIRC, there are a few Bieffe choices below $350. You might want to check with http://www.ioportracing.com and http://www.ompusa.com

FWIW, my SA95 Bell is about ready to donate to an autocross club for loaner use. The visor switchgear is broken, and the padding is starting to come apart. Perhaps I'm particularly hard on helmets, though - I'm in mine 10+ days a month between cars and motorcycles...

But, in summary, you can't go far wrong either way. A Bell will last a long time if you take care of it...

Hope that helps,

Jon
whose next helmet will be a Bieffe F1GP

 

Kewl! Thanks Jon. I'll be checking out ioportracing's floor display see if they have the M2 or the RACESTAR IV on display. They are only 10 minutes away from where i work.

Also, what's the difference between SA95 vs. SA2000 approve? What were the changes made as to why SA95 only have 5 more years to live?

 

Very cool! They are a great source for stuff. If you see the boss (Ken Myers), tell him that Jon Felton from VA says hi. Also, ask Ken to go through the "Bell vs. Bieffe" discussion with you. He knows more about helmets than just about anybody else I can think of. Take everything he says as gospel; I'm convinced that he is one of the best in the business.



I don't know that the specific differences between the ratings are ever made public. You may be able to find out from the Snell Foundation and/or from the manufacturers, but I've never seen any public mention of specific changes to each model. It might be as simple as .001" thicker shell or a .10" larger visor opening, or as much as a production mold redesign to change the way a particular one reacts to a particular kind of impact.

The whole "SA95 has only 5 more years to live" thing is because that's a pretty widely accepted standard among racing organizations. They trust the Snell folks to test the helmets constantly and mandate the changes every 5 years as they see fit, which in turn means they want their participants to be as up-to-date with those helmets as possible. They also do it because helmets *do* wear out and become less structurally sound over time (especially if you drop them, etc). Hope that makes sense!

Jon

 

Alright! Got my helmet today from ioportracing. Thanks Jon for the recommendation. Ken is a very nice guy and was very informative and answered all of my questions. I ended up with the Bell M2 SA2000 approve helmet. Here's some pix and sorry, pics are kinda blurry.

 

Bell

I/O Port

Ken

-231, who did the same thing for a Bell Sport II

 

The qualities mentioned above are important in terms of percieved value, but at the same time do not influence impact testing or are very indicative of the manufacturing process. I am not sure how the quality of stitcing is quantified, but the "switchgear" on Bells are indeed plastic: if this is in reference to the "racheting" and locks. From all other systems on the market, it is one of the most simple systems out there, no gears, cams or whatever. The fastener used to hold the shield is a black anodized turned piece of aluminum.

After studying materials for helmets long enough, fiberglass actually makes a damned good shell material. The only reason why the composites are used are only because of weight reduction--strength-wise, composites are about the same strength as fiberglass the way they are engineered into the shell. The weight will come into big play once you get into enduro races or karting where you're hitting over 1G frequently...

Where the real quality comes in is during the manufacturing process of the shell and liner: this is the hardest part to see without taking apart the helmet. How good a job did the laminator do? How consistent is the weights of the shells? Bell and Bieffe use different processes to make their shells. This could be why there is a difference in price points. What about the EPS used in the liner? How was it made?

Finally what about the assembly process? How are the fits of the individual components as they function as a whole?

Bottom line is, all of the SA helmets will test to the same standard. They will all "pass" but to what degree, is something only the manufacturers will know. So, in light of all this, buy a helmet that fits, this is important above all else. Helmets ain't cheap: spend as much as you value your own life.

For what it's worth, I wear a Bell Vortex and will wear nothing else other than Bell when it comes to auto-racing helmets.

-Geo