Helmet Cooling
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Rennlist Member
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 217
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From: Austin, TX
Helmet Cooling
I'm on the hunt for a system that may be unobtainium.
I sweat a LOT. I have a Coolshirt which is great but it doesn't help my helmet. I have the CoolShirt portable bag system which allows me to put it behind my seat. MobileCool | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS
So how to get helmet cooling? Here's a few options:
1. Cool-a-clava - Cool-A-Clava | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS I bought this and 4' of tubing. Whenever I connect it with my shirt, it doesn't work! I don't get it. I have a feeling the tiny pump in the bag is just not up to pumping through what amounts to a large amount of tubing. I believe it works by itself but I've not tried it on a track day as I don't see a benefit to cooling just my head and not my core.
2. Roux helmet - they have essentially a built-in cool-a-clava. I may have the same problem, who knows? Their SA2020 is not out yet though and I do need a new helmet.
For both (1) and (2) - I could try running a separate bag I suppose. Right now I have the one bag wired into the cigarette lighter but they do have a battery system.
3. Dry cool system - Dry-Cool Air System (add on) | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS . Just saw this - looks pretty cool. Inline but instead of going through the helmet, it cools air which goes to the outside of the helmet and gets pumped in. The problems with this:
- they say don't use with the cool bag - probably for same reason I mention above, so may require the bigger cool box - that has its own problems. The whole reason I went with the bag was to allow it to fit behind my seat and not have to install a box.
- requires air from the outside. Well, I don't have any kind of ducting that I can think of to get outside air in other than some makeshift solution to put next to say the seat belt holder behind my head. I see in race cars they use a NACA duct - well my car is a street car.
4. Pro Air Solution - Pro Air and Water System | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS . I guess similar to above but the air is coming from the box which is different than the box for just water cooling. More expensive than above but presumably has the same benefits (maybe better?)
- has same problems as the dry cool system - need the box
- and more expensive
5. Air blower system - Air Blower System Complete | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS . If I understand right, this is not a cool air system. Its just an air blower. I guess like wind in your hair kind of thing. But if its 100 degrees out, hmmm, not sure I really want hot air blown in (maybe the assumption is some air is better than none?). Anyway, this is inexpensive but has the downside to the above too - how to get the air into the blower from outside?
- Has anyone tried to get air blown in from the outside in a street car (without a permanent solution that will look ugly all the time?)
6. Chillout has an air blower system - similar to 4. They also have a system that can cool the shirt and I was thinking to perhaps use a solution like (3) with it. That might be best of both worlds. But apparently Chillout requires outside air too.
Has anyone tried anything of the above and made it work in a street car without compromising the trunk and/or passenger seat permanently? I don't mind if I can't give a ride while I'm driving with a cool system but I do want to retain the street car nature of my car (even though its pretty raw at this point).
Or something else?
I sweat a LOT. I have a Coolshirt which is great but it doesn't help my helmet. I have the CoolShirt portable bag system which allows me to put it behind my seat. MobileCool | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS
So how to get helmet cooling? Here's a few options:
1. Cool-a-clava - Cool-A-Clava | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS I bought this and 4' of tubing. Whenever I connect it with my shirt, it doesn't work! I don't get it. I have a feeling the tiny pump in the bag is just not up to pumping through what amounts to a large amount of tubing. I believe it works by itself but I've not tried it on a track day as I don't see a benefit to cooling just my head and not my core.
2. Roux helmet - they have essentially a built-in cool-a-clava. I may have the same problem, who knows? Their SA2020 is not out yet though and I do need a new helmet.
For both (1) and (2) - I could try running a separate bag I suppose. Right now I have the one bag wired into the cigarette lighter but they do have a battery system.
3. Dry cool system - Dry-Cool Air System (add on) | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS . Just saw this - looks pretty cool. Inline but instead of going through the helmet, it cools air which goes to the outside of the helmet and gets pumped in. The problems with this:
- they say don't use with the cool bag - probably for same reason I mention above, so may require the bigger cool box - that has its own problems. The whole reason I went with the bag was to allow it to fit behind my seat and not have to install a box.
- requires air from the outside. Well, I don't have any kind of ducting that I can think of to get outside air in other than some makeshift solution to put next to say the seat belt holder behind my head. I see in race cars they use a NACA duct - well my car is a street car.
4. Pro Air Solution - Pro Air and Water System | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS . I guess similar to above but the air is coming from the box which is different than the box for just water cooling. More expensive than above but presumably has the same benefits (maybe better?)
- has same problems as the dry cool system - need the box
- and more expensive
5. Air blower system - Air Blower System Complete | COOLSHIRT SYSTEMS . If I understand right, this is not a cool air system. Its just an air blower. I guess like wind in your hair kind of thing. But if its 100 degrees out, hmmm, not sure I really want hot air blown in (maybe the assumption is some air is better than none?). Anyway, this is inexpensive but has the downside to the above too - how to get the air into the blower from outside?
- Has anyone tried to get air blown in from the outside in a street car (without a permanent solution that will look ugly all the time?)
6. Chillout has an air blower system - similar to 4. They also have a system that can cool the shirt and I was thinking to perhaps use a solution like (3) with it. That might be best of both worlds. But apparently Chillout requires outside air too.
Has anyone tried anything of the above and made it work in a street car without compromising the trunk and/or passenger seat permanently? I don't mind if I can't give a ride while I'm driving with a cool system but I do want to retain the street car nature of my car (even though its pretty raw at this point).
Or something else?