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Please educate me on a track helmet

1 old racer

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Full face for me, for life. This happened to me with a full face helmet about 10 years ago. The metal strap came thru my opened driver side window and right into my face. The pic was taken just before they stitched me up. It was a close one for sure. Most of the time I had my visor opened. For some reason I closed it that run. I should add I had glasses on at the time. It went thru my glasses as well.
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hlh1

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Oh my!! Ouch!
 
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PoppinJ

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Full face for me, for life. This happened to me with a full face helmet about 10 years ago. The metal strap came thru my opened driver side window and right into my face. The pic was taken just before they stitched me up. It was a close one for sure. Most of the time I had my visor opened. For some reason I closed it that run. I should add I had glasses on at the time. It went thru my glasses as well.
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Dude that's terrifying.
 
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hlh1

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Ok, what's everyone's favorite full face helmet?
 

1 old racer

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Didnt see or feel a thing. It just threw my head back and to the side like I got sucker punched. Then I tasted blood that was soaking thru my balaclava pulled off the track and realized the object was in there. I could not lift the face shield and did not try to remove the helmet. I gave a distress signal and once they saw the object, They quickly loaded me up rushed me to a hospital. After a x ray they cut the strap, cleaned me up and gave me ten stitches. The Dr. stated that I was the luckiest man he had ever seen. I felt pretty much the same way. And oops, sorry, The last two helmets I have used are SA rated G Force. they seam to fit my head and I feel a great value. Oh I also use a neck restraint
 
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ZX3ST

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SA2015 full face or bust IMO. Many good manufacturers to choose from, of which many also make motorcycle helmets. A few that come to mind:

Bell
Pyrotect (I think this is Bell's value line)
HJC
Stilo
Simpson
Arai

Motorcycle helmet buying guide is pretty similar. More money usually gets you lighter weight and more features.

Never buy a helmet without trying it on, they all fit different. Buy the one that fits your head and budget.

Pretty much anything is going to be hot in the car, even motorcycle helmets. You just don't get the airflow in the car as you would on a bike.

Don't buy the open face based solely on the drinking argument. You're not going to be sipping your sparkling water on track, and nothing's going to be allowed in the car anyways.

I'm currently using a Pyrotect Pro Airflow. No major complaints. You can pick them up for around $300.
 

Goosey23

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+1 for a full face. Your windows are open on track and who knows whats out there flying around. Anything can happen as some of us have already shown. I personally have this helmet https://pyrotectstore.com/product/ultra-sport-flat-black-duckbill-sa2015. Its on the more budget friendly side of the wide range of helmets out there. I had an issue with the first one i picked up with a piece of the rubber lining around the visor coming off. I contacted them and they took care of me very quickly and exchanged it for another new one. After 4 events, the new one is holding up great. My recommendation would be to go to the nearest "racing store" (it was a 45 minute drive for me to find a place that sold performance safety equipment) and try them on with someone who knows how to properly size it. My helmet is pretty tight on me and i didn't like it when wearing it around the house as I'm not used to wearing a helmet at all. Chances are i would have bought a slightly bigger one that isn't the right fit. However, whenever i'm on the track, the thought never crosses my mind. Goodluck in your search!
 

Grintch

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I just bought the Conquer. Decent helmet. Tight fit. It is really big though. All my past motorcycle helmets seemed to be, not so bulbous. Overall, for the price, not a bad starter helmet. If you're going to need it long term, you might want to spend a little more. I wasn't sure if I was really going to be into the road course and autocross, so I didn't want to drop a lot of money on a helmet.

I have noticed that later helmets do seem to be bigger. Maybe they need more padding/protection to meet the later SA standards.

I also like Bell's, but they are not particularly cheap. A medium Bell fits me well, but it seams most other brands a medium is too small, and a large is a bit too big.

I like the Pyrotech for bang for the buck, if it fits your head shape.
 

samd1351

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I have noticed that later helmets do seem to be bigger. Maybe they need more padding/protection to meet the later SA standards.

I also like Bell's, but they are not particularly cheap. A medium Bell fits me well, but it seams most other brands a medium is too small, and a large is a bit too big.

I like the Pyrotech for bang for the buck, if it fits your head shape.
I had a lot of different motorcycle (dirtbick) helmets in the past. HJC was a favorite. I might upgrade to a full face if I spend a lot of time at the track (so I'll probably be upgrading as soon as I convince the wife i won't die!). The Conquer does fit in the car, if the seat is most of the way down. Definetly feel a little like a bobble head!
 
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hlh1

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I'm noticing that some of these helmets have a "duck bill" and I'm wondering if that's really useful or not, or will it just get in the way?
 

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Full face SA 2015 Snell rating. Why? Because many, if not all tracks require not only the SA 2015 rating, but the full face helmet as well. It varies between sanctioning bodies/clubs and tracks, but you'd be better served to go full face just in case you show up and its required.
I've always used Bell M series, but they are getting expensive. As long as it fits properly and feels comfortable, I wouldn't be afraid of using a cheaper brand.
 

JohnD

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Full face SA 2015 Snell rating. Why? Because many, if not all tracks require not only the SA 2015 rating, but the full face helmet as well. It varies between sanctioning bodies/clubs and tracks, but you'd be better served to go full face just in case you show up and its required.
I've always used Bell M series, but they are getting expensive. As long as it fits properly and feels comfortable, I wouldn't be afraid of using a cheaper brand.
It would be good to know who those bodies are that demand a full face helmet, that way you could avoid them. Obviously they are a little over the top on the safety aspect of it. A couple of groups I know of don't even require a helmet if you have a late model car with containment bags and you run with the windows up. Those are the groups that have actually done some research into helmet use in cars with containment bag systems, they don't necessarily play nice with each other.
 

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I have an HJC full face helmet and use it for lapping days and autocross. I would recommend going to a store where they sell certified helmets and trying a bunch on. It's really important to get a good SAFE fit. I found it really helpful having someone advise me on the best fit for me and ended up with a completely different helmet that I would have purchased online. Really happy with my choice.
 
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hlh1

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I've been doing a little track time at Dominion Raceway. I bet there somewhere close by that sells helmets that I can check out.
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