Favorite Helmet

Hey everyone -

Did a quick search but couldn't find much on the topic - I was curious what everyones favorite helmet is?

I am in the process of getting a new one. I believe I have it narrowed down to the following two:

Simpson Carbon Venator
Simpson Carbon Devil Ray

But I am very interested to hear suggestions and real life feedback.

I was going cheap to start. I picked up a Bell Sport Mag for ~$250. I like bell because I know their sizing is consistent and their XL fits me perfectly. I put my track attack stickers on it!

HJC AR10 is a great bang for the buck helmet. The Arai GP5W is the shiznitz. I've had both and the Arai is worth it.

I'm very happy with my carbon fiber Black Armor. They are a great value.

CSL said:

HJC AR10 is a great bang for the buck helmet. The Arai GP5W is the shiznitz. I've had both and the Arai is worth it.

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Is the arai sa2015?

The top priority in helmet selection should be how it fits your head. I use an Arai Quantum for my motorcycle track activity and long distance riding. Mostly because I will wear it 12 hours per day and Arai makes the best selection for fit. But SCCA has an issue with the Snell "M" rating on that helmet. I have a Bell Sport Mag for tracking my car and that helmet fits me almost as well as the Arai. It's not an expensive helmet, the best combination of features and fit that I could find with an SA2105 rating, but then I only use it for a couple hours in a day.

Thanks fellas.
[MENTION=22907]dron_jones[/MENTION] yes it is SA2015 now!

The best helmet is the one that fits you the best. Everyone's head is shaped differently so we're all not going to have the same answer. Bell, Impact, Simpson, HJC, Arai, and Shoei are all great choices.

TheDeadCow said:

The best helmet is the one that fits you the best. Everyone's head is shaped differently so we're all not going to have the same answer. Bell, Impact, Simpson, HJC, Arai, and Shoei are all great choices.

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The hardest part about this is that there are very few retail locations where you can walk in and try on different helmets. Tons of Motorcycle/ATV shops, but very few automotive motorsports stores. I'd love to go on and try on a bunch and pick the best fitting but most times at best i can find a shop that carries one or two models of helmet from one manufacturer, forget about multiple brands.

Any HPDE will require Snell SA2010 or SA2015 ratings. None that I have seen allow M or Motorcycle Snell rated helmets. Eventually all tracks will phase out SA2010 from their accepted standards. Many SA2010 helmets are discontinued already or can be had cheap for that reason. Just food for thought for those still getting up to speed on the subject as they shop helmets reading this thread.

G-Force are good helmets at a decent price point IMO.

dron_jones said:

The hardest part about this is that there are very few retail locations where you can walk in and try on different helmets. Tons of Motorcycle/ATV shops, but very few automotive motorsports stores. I'd love to go on and try on a bunch and pick the best fitting but most times at best i can find a shop that carries one or two models of helmet from one manufacturer, forget about multiple brands.

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This is my problem as well!

JN66, it's a bit of a haul for you but 425motorsports in Bellevue has Bell, HJC, Arai and possibly Simpson in stock. If you end up down in the Seattle area it would be a good idea to stop in there and try a few on.

CSL said:

JN66, it's a bit of a haul for you but 425motorsports in Bellevue has Bell, HJC, Arai and possibly Simpson in stock. If you end up down in the Seattle area it would be a good idea to stop in there and try a few on.

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Thanks for the info. That isn't a bad idea. Weather is getting nice for a rip as well.

I bought my sport mag from 425. Great guys to deal with. There was an issue where I was supposed to get free shipping, the order being over $99, but when I checked out I didn't get the free shipping. I called and spoke to Jeff (who I think is a co-owner, or otherwise exec of some kind) and he took care of me in no time. They also sold the helmet for less than the minimum advertised price (from bell) once added to cart.

I'm going to be in Seattle for MS Build in May and might stop in just to say hi.

I still love my GForce Eliminator helmet, I got it on clearance 2 years ago for $89 because it was an SA2005 closeout model. I'd try to find a SA2010 closeout nowadays if the groups you run with are lenient on helmet ratings