Helmet Recommendations for Track Days & Autocross

[Deadly0ne]

I've been looking to get my own helmet for track and autocross duty, but supply chain issues have made trying on a variety of helmets difficult. I had my eye set on a Simpson Viper (which I was able to try on) or Bell M.8, as they had very good visibility and seemed to have a decent amount of upgradability in regards to M6 terminals and plenty of visor options. However, my friend suggested that I get a more feature-rich helmet, such as a Bell GTX.3 to avoid having to purchase multiple helmets over time, and to get the "best" helmet that I could afford.

Does anyone have any tips or guidelines when buying helmets? I know the most important aspect is how each fits, but if there are some good rules of thumb, or helmet suggestions, I would appreciate it. Most of the information that I can find relates to motorcycle helmets, or very expensive ($1,000+) race helmets.

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[TrackMustang]

The fit of the helmet is crucial to how well it is able to protect you. Many different helmets are designed to fit different shape heads. From a top down view, the average American typically has a long oval shape. There are other shapes, like short oval and round, that will fit different. If, for example, one helmet has all the features and fits a long oval, and you have a round head, you are better off with a helmet with less features. You can try and supplement a fit with padding, but that isn’t the best way about it. When you try the helmet on focus on the pressure the helmet creates on your forehead and back of your head, as well as the sides of your head. It should be snug without causing a headache, and the closest to equal pressure all the way around. Snug forehead and loose sides is no good, nor is visversa. If you open and close your mouth you should (at least) barely bite your cheeks a bit. You will want a Snell SA rated helmet. M rated helmets are for motorcycles and are not fireproof liners, are designed to flow air differently, won’t have Parker pump or radio setups like are more frequent in auto helmets, etc. Bell and Arai are great auto helmets. Any specific questions I’d be happy to help-

 

[Specracer]

There are a lot of features in various helmet styles, but one you might want to pay attention to is weight. Lighter the better, easier on the neck under lateral loads.

Bell is what fits my head, so I have stuck with the brand (I tried Simpson and Arai and did not fit). I'm on my 3rd. FYI helmets do expire, sanctioning bodies exempt older helmets, based on their SA date.

 

[Ewheels]

Racequip seem to be in the Round shape category.

I ordered a Medium and a Large and returned the one that didn't fit. The Large had too much side-to-side play but the Medium doesn't come down my cheek far enough.

 

[EuroKllr]

Whichever helmet you select I also recommend a HANS device.

Personally I like Zamp helmets. No not as flashy as some of the name brands but all the same safety features at a lower price:

https://product41.com/product41-shop/product41-auto-racing-helmets.html

If you want to dress it up a bit Zamp makes all kinds of helmet accessories like tinted shields and anodized aluminum bits:

https://product41.com/product41-shop/product41-helmet-accessories.html

My personal favorite accessory is the Ford Performance shield decal:

https://product41.com/product41-shop/product41-helmet-accessories/ford-performance-shield-decal.html

 

[PaddyPrix]

Most important, find one that fits. You're going to be wearing it for a while, so yeah make sure it's snug but not too snug. The primary driving factor after you find a make that fits you nicely is weight and additional features, and since you're just starting off, things like air, hydration, microphones, etc shouldn't yet factor in. The weight is determined by whether it's some sort of carbon fiber, composite, or some mixture of both. The harder your car goes (G-force) the more the weight of the helmet might matter, where sure, it might only be say, a half pound, but 2-3 hours in it at high energy places quite a strain.

Just starting out, any big name will do, I had a preference for Bell, but there are plenty of good ones by Arai, HJC, Pyrotect, Racequip, Simpson, Stilo, Zamp... (plenty of others I forgot) but most importantly, make sure it displays either SA2020 or SA2015, which is a sticker you can usually find if you look under a padding flap on the back of the helmet. The SA regulations come every 5 years, and so SA2020 is the newest, and they usually allow a lag of the previous regulations, so while an SA2015 is still legal/valid, the second SA2025 comes out, you're technically asking for it. Granted, most HPDE orgs don't check super well on things like that, and let's be honest, your head is a pretty good investment, you deserve better than a 7-9 year old helmet. They will generally check to see if it is an auto or motorcycle helmet though, and most of those would not pass.

I'll fight on this one, but I'd say closed face helmet always, and my friend survived to tell his side on why he recommends it too.

HANS is a nice to have, if you're just starting out with a 3 link (standard seatbelt) you really don't need it, as you're moving as one, but if you're in a 5-6 point harness and caged car, you really do... reason being, in the event of something happening, your body won't move, but if you don't have some sort of HANS, your head sure will. I'm leaning towards a NecksGen because it fits under my harness belts just nice, it's made here in San Diego, and it's super light.

Considering it's 2022 right now, I'd get a decent cost-sensitive purchase now, and then when Black Friday 2025 rolls around, get a really good deal on what was previously a really expensive SA2020 helmet, figuring you're 3 years faster by then. They usually release the specs in April, giving manufacturers half a year to meet/exceed the requirements, and distributors get their hands on product in like September but are sworn to secrecy / disclosure until something like October.

Still angry over the sweet Stilo that they screwed me out of on the last black friday a few years back, but Winding Road has a nice writeup here in even better detail. -- https://www.windingroad.com/articles/reviews/how-much-should-i-spend-on-a-road-racing-helmet/

(Friggin' jerks waited like a week to tell me, "uhh, we're out of stock, sorry!" when I could have moved to another vendor and got a deal from another supplier. Bums. )

 

[mustanghammer]

I bought a Zamp RZ64-C to replace the Bell Infusion that aged out for road racing at the end of last year. I have always used Bell helmets to this point but it appears that they have taken their racing line up-market. So I went with a Zamp and I like it. This is probably the last helmet I will ever buy so I bought a Carbon Fiber model for the hell of it. A decent Black Friday deal from Jegs sealed the deal.

As far as fitment, I am getting used to it. I have always found that a new helmet is a little like a new pair of shoes; they have to break in a little. This is my third helmet for road racing (and autox) and each time the helmet being replaced is more comfortable than the new one at first. Higher end Zamps are reasonably priced and offer a modular liner so it can be tailored to fit your head. My large works as is but I have experimented with the cheek pads to get things just right. Something that wasn't easy in my old Bell.

Also like that all of the current Zamps use the same face shield which also was not the case with my old Bell helmets. Some of the Bell helmet models were not well supported after a few years so getting a replacement shield was not easy. Should not be the case with the Zamp.

I will only use a closed face helmet and I never drive with the shield up. Amazing amounts of crap fly in the side windows on a race track and you don't want that in your eyes.

 

[1 old racer]

I have shared these photos a few times. Here is why i Always get a full face helmet. A freak mishap can always happen. This helmet saved my life from a muffler strap that came off a car as I over took him back around 2010. 10 stitches is all I got from the impact

 

[Specracer]

^^^ Wow you were much luckier than Felipe Massa......

To the OP, is your looking for a "Hans" type device, but not looking to put 4, 5 or 6 point harnesses in your car, the Simpson Hybrid, is approved for use with 3 point OEM betls. I have both a Hans and the Hybrid for what ever car I am in.

https://www.simpsonraceproducts.com/products/simpson-hybrid-s

 

[Deadly0ne]

Wow, @1 old racer glad you're ok! I think I'll stick to full face helmets now. Lots of great information here, and I appreciate all of your responses. I had never heard of Zamp before, but will give them a look. What I've struggled to find consistently is helmet weights - the only ones that I see with any regularity are Stilo, which tend to be quite expensive.

I didn't know they made a HANS that was compatible with a 3-point belt; is this also compatible with a Schroth Quickfit harness? I have toyed with the idea of purchasing one of those as well, mainly to help stay in the seat.

Considering it's 2022 right now, I'd get a decent cost-sensitive purchase now, and then when Black Friday 2025 rolls around, get a really good deal on what was previously a really expensive SA2020 helmet

solid plan, I may go this route.

 

[Specracer]

Wow, @1 old racer

I didn't know they made a HANS that was compatible with a 3-point belt; is this also compatible with a Schroth Quickfit harness? I have toyed with the idea of purchasing one of those as well, mainly to help stay in the seat.

Yes the Simpson Hybrid works with any belt system, as basically it works on its own. It has a strap around your torso as the foundation. It has been the only option that works with 3 point OEM belts. You can also use it with 6 point harness as well with it (however bulky compared to a traditional a traditional hans).

 

[ChipG]

Wow, @1 old racer glad you're ok! I think I'll stick to full face helmets now. Lots of great information here, and I appreciate all of your responses. I had never heard of Zamp before, but will give them a look. What I've struggled to find consistently is helmet weights - the only ones that I see with any regularity are Stilo, which tend to be quite expensive.

I didn't know they made a HANS that was compatible with a 3-point belt; is this also compatible with a Schroth Quickfit harness? I have toyed with the idea of purchasing one of those as well, mainly to help stay in the seat.



solid plan, I may go this route.

Schroth QuickFit Pro is designed to work with HANS devices, that's what I use.

 

[Plimmer]

I have shared these photos a few times. Here is why i Always get a full face helmet. A freak mishap can always happen. This helmet saved my life from a muffler strap that came off a car as I over took him back around 2010. 10 stitches is all I got from the impact

Wow, I got to ask, were you driving a closed in car like a mustang or an open car like Miata, boxster.

The HPDE place I go to all require driver and passenger windows to be open, so I guess something could fly in

 

[1 old racer]

It was in a Honda s2000 with a hard top. The strap cam thru the driver side open window right between the a piller and side mirror. When it hit it felt like somome hit me with their fist in the face. I grayed out for a moment and felt something run down my neck. Within a short timewhile driving toward turn 1 at cal speedway I took my hand and felt the bottom of my neck and when I pulled my hand out and put it infront of my face I realized I was hit. I got the car stopped just past exit of pit row. No pain, just lots of blood because it was a face wound. I was taken by ambulance with my helmet on and face shield in place. Then after c.t. and exray they removed it and stitched me up. The moral of the story. It can happen.

 

[Plimmer]

It was in a Honda s2000 with a hard top. The strap cam thru the driver side open window right between the a piller and side mirror. When it hit it felt like somome hit me with their fist in the face. I grayed out for a moment and felt something run down my neck. Within a short timewhile driving toward turn 1 at cal speedway I took my hand and felt the bottom of my neck and when I pulled my hand out and put it infront of my face I realized I was hit. I got the car stopped just past exit of pit row. No pain, just lots of blood because it was a face wound. I was taken by ambulance with my helmet on and face shield in place. Then after c.t. and exray they removed it and stitched me up. The moral of the story. It can happen.

Damn, glad you just needed stitches. Thanks for sharing, I will keep my visor down from now on.

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