Crazy Canuck

Any comments . . . I gotta buy one.

JackOlsen

If you have airbags, consider the open face. There have been some studies about the danger of your chin getting snapped forward when the bag inflates.

Otherwise, popular opinion holds that the full faces are safer. (They're hotter, though, and your field of vision with them can be smaller.)

Geo

If you value your face, buy a full face helmet. I'm surprised open face helmets are even allowed anymore.

As for the study (just one) it was done by the FIA to evaluate using airbags in F1 cars. Somewhere along the line someone assumed this applied to all airbag equipped cars and started a sudden and misinformed (but thankfully short lived) panic.

DERSIX

I agree with George..Full face is the only way to go..
Pete Tremper

930man

full faced take the chance of air bag

onasled

I use the SR Pro from Bell. It's a fuff face helmet but with a larger opening which is a lot cooler. Works great with goggles if you ever need them. Great sedan helmet I think.

Capt. Carrera

Another voting with Jack. I'd much rather have a full-face helmet provided there are no air bags. The SCCA last year even debated banning open face helmets in cars with air bags. It appears full-face helmets and air bags leads to an increase in broken jaws and neck injuries.

Other features you should consider are weight, outer shell size, and getting an SA helmet. Look for the lightest helmet, with the smallest shell size you can afford. A helmet that is heavy, or rubs against the seat back, will not be very comfortable. Make sure you get an SA rated helmet. A lot of clubs do not allow "M" rated motorcycle helmets.

GT3 Racer

For what its worth, I was in a head on with a concrete wall. I have a 6 pt. harness. The airbags deployed. Interestingly, they never touched me! So if you have a full harness I guess it doesn't matter.

ltc

I run a full face sedan racing helmet, the OMP Turismo, similar to the Bell SR Pro discussed earlier:
http://www.motorspot.com/702204.jpg
http://www.fastraceproducts.com/omp_...elmet_0702.htm
SA2000, wide eyeport (I wear glasses) with removable sun visor. I've been very happy with it.

ngoldrich

BTW - you probably are already aware the new Snell 2005 rated helmets are supposed to be available in Oct. It will be interesting to see when we can readily buy them; as it is about time to replace mine....

Norm

ceboyd

Yes, I am waiting for that (the SA2005) before I buy mine... I'm going with a closed face Stand 21 (wide eyeport opening) to replace my open face SA95 that won't be allowed on the track next year anyway.... I'll resell my open face to some autocrosser as the SA95 will still be allowed by autocrossing sanctions ... just not track... Someone else can get another 5 years use out of it..


I also wear glasses so it will take a few seconds more to put on the helmet because with the open face, I never had to remove my glasses...

Cory M

Full-face.

I think a cool option is the Stand 21 "Double Duty", it is a closed face helmet that has an interchangable visor (like the OMP above) and face shield, so you get the best of both worlds and can go from open cars to sedans with the same helmet, an added bonus is that it comes in silver instead of refridgerator white. Very nice and lightweight helmets with a very large price tag.

Wreck Me Otter

I've had a rock enter the side window and smack my faceshield just under the eye, putting a pretty good chip/crack in it. I'm SOOO glad that wasn't my face.....

Geo

As I said, you need to understand what this was all about. It came from screwed up thinking due to a study done by the FIA regarding adding airbags to F1 cars.

There has been no evidence considered (to my knowledge) that relates to passenger cars.

Geo

Yep. I was seriously debating getting one of the hybrid helmets or doing what is (or perhaps was?) popular in Australian V8 Supercars - a full-face helmet with the most of the shield cut away leaving only a sunvisor strip. That was until talking with some friends who have experienced what WMO has. One was lucky not to lose an eye when something shot into the car and hit him nearly in the eyeball. Had it hit him in the eyeball he likely would have lost his eye.