fhp911

follow-on to SteveColletti's comment Yes, but if the HANS catches the helmet before the extent of motion is dangerous-- which is what it does -- why would it matter what the helmet weighs?

I can see that without a HANS, the weight would really matter; but with one??

pjmachineco

I bought a Zamp at the track.
It was about $170.00. I like it.

stevecolletti

Hi fhp911,

I'm not a crash safety expert, but I do understand energy and loads.
I would change your first sentence to, "Yes, but if the HANS catches the helmet before the extent of motion is likely to be fatal-- which is what it does -- why would it matter what the helmet weighs?"

HANS (Head and Neck Support) is a way of controlling forces that can result in head and neck injuries in a frontal impact (wrap-around seats for head restraint are typically used to protect during a lateral impact). As such, it is an important part of the whole safety system. As you can see in the first link, "Under its current form, the semi-hard carbon-fiber collar can reduce head movement in a crash by up to 44%, the force applied to the neck by up to 86% and the acceleration applied to the head by up to 68%". That makes frontal impacts much more survivable, but those forces are still based on the deceleration Gs and the total weight of the head/helmet combination. Those loads are still going somewhere, and 'surviving' doesn't necessarily mean fine. During a high speed crash, safety belts can be stretched by 3-4 inches (doing their job of mitigating maximum Gs the body is subjected to by spreading the energy over a longer period of time).

There's a reason that the top tier drivers/teams are willing to spend what they do to shave 2 ounces off the weight of their helmets.

We all have to make our own choices; based on our own criteria and risk assessment. I just want to be sure that the choices are informed.
I was once told "what is my head worth?". While others may differ, it's worth a lot to me. Stilos fit me; in my case, going from the composite ST4 W GT to the Carbon ST4 W GT to save (~6 ounces) for an extra $6-700 was worth it. Jumping to the FIA-approved 8860 for another $2K was not worth it - for DEs, at least.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ho...work-6199.html
http://www.f1technical.net/articles/3994

perfectlap

if you buy in store... once the chin strap is secured have a friend or the sales perosn grab either side of the helmet and pull up. You should feel your whole head lift with the helmet. It should not slide off your noggin. If it does separate it's too big.

bluesun

If you actually get a chance to drive a lot, the weight of the helmet will actually give you a sore neck from pulling g's all day. Nascar seats have a rest for this, but most cars do not. I believe the Hans is only forward motion, not side to side.

f4 plt

Let me jump in, from a guy that has pulled many many "g's" over many years the weight of the helmet is very important. Stress on the neck is cumulative just look at the xrays of my neck from constant wear and tear. On second thought don't as you won't like what you see. Light weight costs money and while ( or in my case when) we are/were young we never gave a thought to later life and restrictions on activities. However when you are young is the time to think about that. Bottom line by the best and lightest helmet you can afford AND a Hans device if your seat will allow harnesses as the Hans is secured with shoulder harnesses through the seat.

orthojoe

You guys are all making valid points, but let's remember we're just talking about DE's for a novice driver here. I'm assuming the OP is not talking about flying jets or running races. My HJC-AR10 fits me perfectly, it's comfortable, and light enough for me.

Schmidts Cat

Only DEs, yes, but going into something at 100 is still a real possibility. How is that different than going off in a race? If you come over the blind hill (T9?) at Thunder Hill, and there's a car sideways, a T-bone is a T-bone. And many times flagging is less "abundant" at DEs. However, I do not have the right seats or cage yet, so I do not run a HANS... yet. Wish I could.

orthojoe

Sure, but are you saying that a simple helmet like the AR-10, which is SA rated and approved isn't sufficient protection over a lighter and much more expensive helmet? I can see a HANS and a cage making a difference. I'm just not seeing how a helmet weighing a couple of ounces less is going to make a difference. That's like saying someone with a big head shouldn't track his car because his head weighs too much. From an academic standpoint, sure. From a realistic standpoint, probably not...?

BTW, when are you coming out to the track with us this year, Ian?

Schmidts Cat

Agreed. Seems to me a few ounces would make little dif. But I'm no expert at all!

Track? I hope soon! Please message me or give me a call re: any upcoming. I still need (want) to do suspension in the next month or two. Otherwise I'm good to go. Just need to swap to my track pads first.

meteor10

Wow! A lot of good info here. As I said earlier I don't know how deep I will get into track driving but I would like to try it. I am assuming as a totally green track driver I would be driving at moderate speeds until some proficiency is attained, so for a beginners helmet I would think anything meeting the rating would do fine. I will certainly check out the various recommendations posted here. I can see spending up to $275- $300 for a helmet even if it might only be used a handful of times. I suppose I could resell it if I find tracking is not for me. The cost of the DE seems to be about $250 for a day at Lime Rock. Does anyone know of a good shop in the RI CT MA area in which to try and buy helmets?

stevecolletti

I'd try to follow Alan Smithee's advice initially... borrow a helmet.

If you like DE and can see yourself doing more, consider how fast you are going, and try every helmet you can - even ones out of your price range.

orthojoe

Great advice, Steve.

I know one or two guys that bought a helmet thinking they'd be crazy about DEs, only to never see them again at the track.
I also know guys who couldn't find any helmet that would fit them comfortably except for the really expensive ones.

stevecolletti

That's me, Joe.

I was so glad to find Stilo (even though they are not inexpensive), since the only other option left for me was Stand21... which are on another tier, but can be built to fit. With the useful (SA) life of a helmet being so short, that would be extremely difficult to justify.

meteor10

Who would I borrow from?