Snell 2000 helmet for <$200, what do you use?
05-11-2006, 07:04 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
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Snell 2000 helmet for <$200, what do you use?
i could spend $500, but that would get me a lighter lid, as long as it passes snell2k, it should be good, what do you suggest?
05-11-2006, 08:24 PM
#2
Drifting
Unless you have a very large or very small head the Snell SA 2000 helmets are gone. The odd sizes are on clearance. Bell and Simpson have SA 2005 helmets starting around $300-$350. I will probably get another Bell M3 this year.
05-11-2006, 08:33 PM
#3
Instructor
05-11-2006, 09:04 PM
#4
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Originally Posted by C5COM67
05-11-2006, 10:23 PM
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http://www.saferacer.com/gffo1gr.html
I have two of these. They where on sale a month ago at Summit.
I have two of these. They where on sale a month ago at Summit.
05-12-2006, 03:09 AM
#7
Melting Slicks
Originally Posted by connecticut
i could spend $500, but that would get me a lighter lid, as long as it passes snell2k, it should be good, what do you suggest?
05-12-2006, 07:30 AM
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St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Originally Posted by connecticut
i could spend $500, but that would get me a lighter lid, as long as it passes snell2k, it should be good, what do you suggest?
Steve go with the G-Force SA-2005 - NEW. They sell it at racerwholesale.com and have great prices and good customer service.
05-12-2006, 09:54 AM
#9
Former Vendor
Buy a name brand helment. Pick the helment that fits you the best, some helments fit my big head really weird. One time I bought a helment that didn't fit right. After about 1/2 hour I would get the worst headache, not fun at all.
Randy
Randy
05-12-2006, 10:23 AM
#10
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Originally Posted by TicketBait
I will paraphrase what someone on this forum told me when I was looking for an inexpensive helmet. He said "spend a $100 dollars if thats what you think your head is worth !
hopefully, the person who told that had a cage WELDED into his/her car, if they're really serious
05-12-2006, 11:36 AM
#11
Melting Slicks
I found the quote back on Feb 25th. Boy was I off on the $
If you do a search on helmets there is lots of good info out there 
Originally posted by c4cruiser :
When I first started competing in A-x events, I just wanted to buy a cheap helmet to get by. Then I read a thread here years ago that basically stated" "If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet".You should not cheap out on a helmet. Hopefully, nothing ever bad will happen to you and your car, but remember that Murphy is always riding with you just waiting for a chance to enforce his Law.
You can find good open face helmets with a SA2005 rating in the $220-$275 range that wil do the job. Full-face models are slightly higher. Bell, Simpson and G-Force all have good helmets in this price range. Higher priced helmets will be made out of stronger material but the SA rating gets you Nomex materials for fire protection.
To take protection a bit further, most HPDE days may require you to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts. Jeans and a cotton flannel shirt may work but you can find two-piece driving suits at reasonalbe prices that provide protection against fire. You might also consider getting a pair of Nomex gloves. Simpson has some nice ones that allow a good grip on the wheel and ahifter and offer good prtoection for your hands.
Check out Summit Racing for safety equipment. They have good deals on helmets, gloves and suits, even Nomex long underwear.
When I first started competing in A-x events, I just wanted to buy a cheap helmet to get by. Then I read a thread here years ago that basically stated" "If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet".You should not cheap out on a helmet. Hopefully, nothing ever bad will happen to you and your car, but remember that Murphy is always riding with you just waiting for a chance to enforce his Law.
You can find good open face helmets with a SA2005 rating in the $220-$275 range that wil do the job. Full-face models are slightly higher. Bell, Simpson and G-Force all have good helmets in this price range. Higher priced helmets will be made out of stronger material but the SA rating gets you Nomex materials for fire protection.
To take protection a bit further, most HPDE days may require you to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts. Jeans and a cotton flannel shirt may work but you can find two-piece driving suits at reasonalbe prices that provide protection against fire. You might also consider getting a pair of Nomex gloves. Simpson has some nice ones that allow a good grip on the wheel and ahifter and offer good prtoection for your hands.
Check out Summit Racing for safety equipment. They have good deals on helmets, gloves and suits, even Nomex long underwear.
05-12-2006, 11:56 AM
#12
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by connecticut
if it costs $100 and passes snell2000/2005 then it's fine w/ me, when you spend 5/600, you are paying for the lightweight materials and added venting
hopefully, the person who told that had a cage WELDED into his/her car, if they're really serious
hopefully, the person who told that had a cage WELDED into his/her car, if they're really serious
Well, I was probably one of the people that told him that, and ..... Uh, actually yes. Yes, I do have a cage in the car.
That's one of my top 5 favorite lines about safety gear and this sport. There's a ton of stuff out there -- some more expensive than others. Funny thing about it though, is that you'll most often get what you pay for. When it comes down to helmets, you just don't want to scrimp.
Yeah, I know -- tons of people do it, and tons of people have gotten away with it w/o getting severely mutilated or drain bammaged . . but why chance it?
Why get an open-face helmet for high-speed events, when there's a good chance that scrub rubber or rocks can get kicked up and kicked in to your window. I've had scrub hit the SHIELD on my helmet about 5 or 6 times over the years . . . . personally, I'd rather have spent a few $$$'s more than get hit in the face with a rock.
Ditto goes for fire suits, but that's a different story all together.
Bottom line, don't cheap out just as a matter of cheaping out. Buy what works, fits, and is put together best.
05-12-2006, 12:15 PM
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fwiw, i currently have a Shoei RF-800 full face, the tech at the track mentioned next year snell2000 will be the minumum, the Shoei is snell95; i'll probably get another Shoei RF-1000 w/ the new spec, so the helmet can be used for both 2 and 4 wheel vehicles
what shop did the cage? i'm looking for info on attach points for a new cage
what shop did the cage? i'm looking for info on attach points for a new cage
05-12-2006, 12:37 PM
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St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Originally Posted by connecticut
fwiw, i currently have a Shoei RF-800 full face, the tech at the track mentioned next year snell2000 will be the minumum, the Shoei is snell95; i'll probably get another Shoei RF-1000 w/ the new spec, so the helmet can be used for both 2 and 4 wheel vehicles
what shop did the cage? i'm looking for info on attach points for a new cage
what shop did the cage? i'm looking for info on attach points for a new cage
some HPDEs are requiring SA helmets not M helmets so that is something to think about if you plan on doing HPDEs.
05-12-2006, 12:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Wicked Weasel
some HPDEs are requiring SA helmets not M helmets so that is something to think about if you plan on doing HPDEs.
05-12-2006, 12:57 PM
#16
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by connecticut
what shop did the cage? i'm looking for info on attach points for a new cage
i was unaware of this, the m/sa ratings are part of the snell rating?
05-12-2006, 06:26 PM
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St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by emf
Local chassis shop. PM me your email address, and I'll shoot & send over a couple photos.
Yes -- the full rating will typically be M2000 or M2005 versus SA2000 / SA2005. Motorcycle helmets have a few differences versus Auto -- IIRC nomex lining and padding material type being the biggest from a safety perspective
Yes -- the full rating will typically be M2000 or M2005 versus SA2000 / SA2005. Motorcycle helmets have a few differences versus Auto -- IIRC nomex lining and padding material type being the biggest from a safety perspective
M helmets are rated on abrasion impact since they are less likely for a full on hit. SA helmets are rated for a rollbar or blunt force type impact.
05-12-2006, 07:19 PM
#18
Drifting
Wish I saw this thread a few days ago, or had at least thought about my helmet. I leave Sunday afternoon for Watkins and just realized my current helmet is no good. Chin Motorsports requires Snell 95 or newer for those participating in those HPDEs.
05-13-2006, 02:09 PM
#19
Drifting
Steve, I just got back from Pep Boys. Picked up a Snell 2000 full face helmet for $109.99 Cheapest I've found. See if there's one near you. If there isn't, when I get back from Watkins on Wednesday, I can buy one here locally and ship it to you. Let me know.
05-14-2006, 05:37 PM
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St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Originally Posted by Rogue Leader
M helmets are rated on abrasion impact since they are less likely for a full on hit. SA helmets are rated for a rollbar or blunt force type impact.
M helmets are designed to take a single hit as in falling off a motorcylce.
SA helmets besides the fire retardant are designed to take multiple hits as when you bounce off a roll bar.
Safer to go with the SA helmets and remember for less than $300 for a g-force you get 10 years out of it. That is ONLY $30/year which is cheap IMHO for added safety, protection and comfort.
Also consider this - yes a $100 helmet and a $300 helmet go through the same out shell tests so technically they will both protect you the same. The difference will be the materials inside like the foam and padding used. High priced helmets use better padding that has better memory retention thus at first the helmet feels tight, but after if "forms" to your face you get a custom helmet. Cheaper helmets will not use the same kind of foam/padding so at first it may feel comfortable after a wwhile it will wear down and then you might experience some pressure points that are annoying.
I am not saying buying a $1000.00 helmet,but a $300 helmet seems to be good mid-level helmet to give you some of the lighter weights and some of the better padding.
Last edited by Wicked Weasel; 05-14-2006 at 05:43 PM.