Where can i pick up a helmet for $100-$150? And do you guys think my car will be sufficient? 00 cx w/ h&r race springs w/ kyb agxs and y8 tranny w/ stock motor. TIA guys.

 

"So you want to drive on a racetrack..."

 

There are several things to consider. First, do you have a budget. If you don't better look real careful at what you want to do. This hobby can get very expensive very quickly. Your present setup should be fine for a combination daily driver/autocross/HPDE car. The most important thing you can do is get as much "seat time" as you can in a controlled environment. HPDE will give you real track time at a reasonable cost with good instruction. Autocross is very inexpensive but can induce serious wear on your equipment (tires and suspension in particular). Both activities are relatively safer compared to actual road racing events.
Thinking safety-you only have 1 head and neck. I wear a Bell MAG4 because that is what I have always used. The current helmet preference of many is the closed face version or a full face type. These can be quite pricey compared to the MAG or Simpson equivalent. DO NOT go cheap and make sure it is at least SA2000. Many sanctioning bodies will not allow an M rated helmet (yes they are less expensive-but not really suited to our sport). The MAG is available from Helmet City and others for a bit over $200 and well worth the price. The version that covers the chin is not a lot more and both Simpson and Bell make them.
I will end this by saying again-seat time is your most important priority. Get the most you can for the money you have to spend. Get good instruction on track and at autocross events. After you have spent a solid season of this-reexamine your goals and decide if racing is what you really want to invest in. You should also join and participate in a local/regional chapter of SCCA and NASA to meet and learn from those involved in the sport.

 

A little thread jacking here, but I wore an Arai DOT/Snell/S2000 motorcycle helmet when I rode my CBR, aren't they mostly if not identical to helmets designed for car racing? It seems that bike helmets have more viewable area, but maybe that's just some figment of my imagination.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CaptivaBlue &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A little thread jacking here, but I wore an Arai DOT/Snell/S2000 motorcycle helmet when I rode my CBR, aren't they mostly if not identical to helmets designed for car racing? It seems that bike helmets have more viewable area, but maybe that's just some figment of my imagination.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The Snell rating on your motorcycle helmet was probably M2000. That is good enough for HPDE's/hot lapping, but it is not good enough for competition. For competition, you need an SA2000 rated helmet.

To address the original question - Pretty much the only place you'll find an SA2000 rated helmet for under $150 is used on Ebay. I found my Simpson Bandit barely used on Ebay for $250 and I like it. It fits a lot like a motorcycle helmet (more so than most of the car helmets).

- Scott

 

Thanks for the response guys

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by goofyej6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Where can i pick up a helmet for $100-$150? And do you guys think my car will be sufficient? 00 cx w/ h&r race springs w/ kyb agxs and y8 tranny w/ stock motor. TIA guys.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The key thing is once you have picked where you would like to race, you're going to need to figure out the following: license, rules (i.e., modifications/safety equipment/etc), and a whole slew of other things.

Most people on this forum (imo) would tell you to buy a racecar, not to build one. Especially with so many racecars for sale....