ajcjr

I have always worn Arai motorcycle helmets for riding my bike and karting but now i am going to buy a SA2010 helmet for in car racing as well as karting.

Putting price aside any pros or cons of the two.

Adding price does one give you a better value than the other ( i didnt say money was no object, just looking for the best bang for the buck).

Thanks

AC

Circuit Motorsports

If you fit in one you usually don't fit the other in the car helmets. For that reason I don't think there is a reasonable comparison.

Arai motorcycle has 3 headshapes for their helmets. Auto only has one. I'm not sure if that matches any of the three motorcycle helmets.

Arai are generally a bit lighter but the new Bells are pretty close.

early_grayce

Exactly.
Round head : Bell
Narrow head: Arai

Carrera51

The new Bell helmets are really nice as far as quality of the finish, hardware, weight etc. A nice improvement over my SA 2005 Vortex that I got in 2006. Arai motorsports helmets are very nice and fit well. However I have always worn Bell helmets since they just fit my head well. I have found that the sizing is consistent across the model lines. My previous M2 and M3 SA95 helmets as well as my SA05 Vortex are all size 7.5.

What make an model is your current helmet? Or will this be your first motorsports helmet?

Gary R.

Mark, do you sell Pyrotech? I got one for my wife last year and it's really light and fits my fat head very well..

michael lang

AC, I don't think it's a matter of which helmet is better because I believe that the best helmet for one guy is not neccessarily the best helmet for another guy. Just like Mark said, eventhough he thinks the Arai helmets are very nice, he wears the Bell helmets because they fit his head best. The same for Gary with the Pyrotech helmets. I would think that fit should be your determining factor as to which helmet you buy. I mean come on, if you're looking at Arai helmets you must not be too concerned about how much you'll be spending.

Carrera51

Gary:
We don't currently carry Pyrotech. Currently we stock Bell, HJC, Arai, Simpson, Sparco, G-Force.

mdrums

I used Arai when I rode a motorcycle...in fact an Arai was on my head when I got hit 8 years ago and had my leg amputated....the Arai took a big hit and helped save my life.

However the Arai helmets for cars did not seem to fit as well on my head as the Bell I have.

I also suggest that you pay a little more and get a helmet with removeable and washable lining. My Bell is not removable and I wish it was.

ApexPerformance

My first helmet was Bell but the Arai fits better that I use now. However, we've had customers try on Arai and end up with a less expensive helmet they thought fit better. We are adding Pyrotect to our helmet line if interested although they are not on our website yet.

If you are not near a dealer close to you, we offer a free exchange program. You just pay shipping (and any price difference) if you need to exchange a helmet. No restock fee. Plus you receive a free fleece lined helmet bag & cotton headsock with each helmet purchase.

CWhaley

I have used Bell Helmets my whole motorized life! Starting back when they came out with the 1st Bell Moto3... currently use a Bell moto 8 for my off road fun (sometimes even when out on the H-D). We used to sell all the brands you are speaking of and still I would grab a Bell as my helmet of choice.

Find what fits your budget, head and image. In my opinion (sure this will get me in trouble with eveyone here) the Arai was always a cheap helmet.

Nizer

Agreed.

Funny, I find the exact opposite. Go figure.

Have also found lower priced Bells fit differently than higher priced Bells.

Circuit Motorsports

Yeah I have an oval head without a doubt but the crown where the helmet is doing much of the contact with the head is really more 'round'

The lower priced Bells run a different size system. S,M,L, vs. the more expensive Bell's which run a US numerical system 7, 7 1/4 etc.

Bob Rouleau

Guys, I prefer open face for teaching, I've been using a Simpson for the last 10 years because the Bell helmets have an egg shape which in my GT3 seats (one piece) push my head forward into a chin down position. I haven't seen an SA 2010 Simpson open face yet. Are the new Bell, Arai better in this regard?

crisbrady

Bob,

I don't think you'll be hurrying down to our neck of the woods any time soon, but just wanted to comment on open helmets. Our region, Delaware, just got notification from New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) where we hold our DE's, that for 2011 and on, they will only allow closed-face helmets. If you are wearing an open face helmet you won't be allowed to run.

Now I'm not offering an opinion on open vs closed, just a point of data about this particular track. NJMP has always been pretty strict about their safety requirements, which are actually governed by NJ law, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this spread to other tracks and regions.

And to get back on topic, I use HJC and AGV for my bike helmets, and have always used Bell for my cars, and will probably be getting a SA2010 Bell soon.

CWhaley

NJMP has always had that rule in their track requirements. It really would come down to the club too enforce it.