Looking for pretty much the cheapest(I am a cheap skate, i know) new helmet i could get with a min. of 95shell rating.

road racing/autocross guru point me to the right direction please

thankssssss

 

My first impression is the old question of "what is your head worth?". Is it's value as cheap as a cheap helmet? But then there are situations where money is tight that the only other option is no helmet at all so anything Snell rated is likely better than a DOT or non-rated eggshell.

Check the on-line racer supply houses like http://www.racerwholesale.com, etc. Some of them may have the lower end ranges for the name brands or their own house brand that carries a good rating. If you can afford a 2000 rate helmet, it may last longer into the future if you use it in competition.

 

I agree with CRX Lee about the worth of your head. and make sure they're at least SNELL rated and not just DOT rated.

Here are a couple links:
http://bellmotorsports.com

Check the closeouts as they have good helmets with minor blemishes.

I've also seen some good deals here:
http://www.genuineaccessories....l.htm

Also keep an eye on some of the race sites like http://www.corner-carvers.com
Sometimes there are ppl wanting to get rid of good helmets on the FS boards.

 

i dont follow the "what is your head worth" logic. if a person wants a cheap helmet, then he wants a helmet to pass the rules, not for protection. that pretty much answers the question dont you think? so, the more appropriate question which seems unanswered from the original post is what do you need a helmet for? road race or autox. different standards. if you can get away with a motorcycle helmet, then theres plenty of sub $100, some really decent $100-150 helmets all snell rated. when you talk about requiring SA, then that extra fire protection layer jumps the whole pricing and market into another stratosphere. at best you pay $200 for a open face. but then again, why not just buy used anyway? youll find the cheapest deals, albeit not so many out there. theres plenty of used motorcycle helmets for sale tho.

 

I must agree with Lee on this one-what is your head (abiet LIFE) worth? There is really no $$$ figure that we can assign. I would rather not be on track with something not designed for cars. That is my choice and the rules do govern here. If your local autocross club permits M rated helmets, in addition to SA95 or higher, and that is all you intend to do, and the car has a solid roof-this may be enough. If you plan to roadrace or do HPDE-read the rules before buying. I was at Pocono recently for a school where ONLY SA2000 helmets were allowed - that is that groups rule. Contact Helmet City, Summit, and others. Call the Simpson store in Concord, NC-they have deals on overstocks and discontinued items every so often. If you buy an SA95 rated helmet you may only get 1 more year out of it, if memory serves me.

 

What they said.

And if you can, find a shop where you can try the helmet on before you buy. Make sure you have a good fit. Different makers seem to fit different shaped heads better.

 

Don't listen to the "What's your head worth" argument because a more expensive helmet doesn't necessarily mean it is safer. Basically go to http://www.racerwholesale.com and get a G-Force helment. G-Force isn't cheaper 'cuz it isn't as safe - it's cheaper 'cuz it's made in China.

 

I have to agree. I've tried different brand/quality helmets and while one may not be "safer" then the other in regards to impact, the more expensive ones are DEFINITELY lighter, more comfortable, offer a little more adjustability. The most overall notice of improvement though was the ridiculous amount of perifial (sp?) vision I gained as well as overall. That sealed the deal for me right there. So while a more expensive helmet may not be more safe literally, it just may be more safe in the other sense.

 

I use a HJC CS-12 for autocross:

http://www.tonker.com/shopsite....html

back when I ordered it from that site, I payed $63.99

For autocross, I'm satisfied with this Snell M2000 certified full-face helmet, but if I ever start doing any open track events of any kind in the future, you will definitely see me shelling out $300+ for a full-face SA2000 helmet. My head is very important to me!

 

Buy the lightest helmet you can afford. At 10G impact, it makes a huge difference.

As Tyson pointed out, what are you using it for? If you can get away with M rated helmet, they are definitely cheaper. The SA rated helmet is fire retardant. But if oyu plan to use it for racing, get SA as it will be cheaper in the long run.

 

Keep in mind that a SNELL SA95 helmet might not be accepted by some groups next year. Most groups only accept the current and last SNELL helmet rating .. So currently they'll accept SA95 and SA2000.

Most groups will only accept SA rated helmets, not M rated helmets.

Edit: apparently this is a east coast thing, west coast groups don't seem to mind M helmets.

Next year you'll start seeing SNELL SA2005 helmets and a lot of groups will stop accepting SA95 helmets, so if you're planning on the long term, and you can borrow/wait to get a helmet, it might be worth it to get a SNELL SA2005 helmet next year, since it'll be good for 10 years.

I'm planning on replacing my SA95 helmet next year with a SNELL SA2005 helmet with HANS attachment points built in.

BTW, actually I haven't seen anything on SA2005, but I'm ASSuming they're coming out next year.



Modified by SpiceyRice at 5:30 PM 5/31/2004

 

When I agreed with the "what's your head worth" argument, I was not suggesting that you should buy a $400 or above helmet. I was talking about the difference between a $50 DOT approved helmet and a $160 very good open face (either M OR SA SNELL rated) helmet. That's why I gave out those links that have closeouts. And I also suggested that you look for a used one.

One of the reasons I ask questions here is because sometimes ppl on this board have a different perspective based on their experiences that can add something that I had not thought of before.

I know that this wasn't part of the original inquiry, but my response was also clouded by my personal perspective of the overall amount of money I spend on car and track related items. IOW, at some point a couple years ago I probably thought it was worth spending $200 on a Comptech upper strut bar. So, with all car related things in perspective, I would personally pass up a part for a couple of months and invest in a good helmet.

As mentioned already, spending a little more could be cheaper in the long run because of the year rating. If I knew for sure I would never get into road racing then I wouldn't worry about the M or SA rating. However, even if someone was going to autox, that doesn't mean that eventually they would not get into time trials where speeds are a lot higher than autox.

I guess the answer to the original question would be: you can probably find the cheapest helmet available on ebay for some 30 bucks. Why not buy the cheapest helmet? Because crap happens out there...

 

oh yeah, so if you can get away with a motorcycle helmet (unless youre competitively road racing, you shouldnt need SA anyway, all major groups in west coast accept M helmets, even on track for HPDE), i really recommend getting a KBC helmet. theyre on closeout all over on ebay, for real cheap. problem is knowing your head size. just go to a store and poke your head in em, walk around for 5 minutes and make sure its not crushing your head or too loose after that 5 minutes. theyre the "other" korean made helmet, but i have one i use for my actual motorcycle use and like it. call it effective marketing, but i trust it more than HJC in terms of dirt cheap Snell rated helmets.

http://www.kbchelmet.com/

 

Good old ebay. Just got a Bell pyrotect sa2000 FF helmet for $100 off the retail price because it had a small blemish on it, which buffed right off too. Search for bell motorsports. Good service and fast shipping.

 

Thank you everyone for helping my broke *** to race on track

and a big thumb up for your MR. LEE, lol my last name is Lee also