Iridium visor / shields worth the trouble?
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Iridium visor / shields worth the trouble?
Ordered an iridium coated shield for my Arai GP-6 helmet because I no longer want to wear sunglasses under my helmet. Went with the mirror finish.
All I've heard is that they are easy to scratch and therefore have a limited life. They are supposed to reflect glare but I hear from some they aren't that much better in a closed cockpit car than regular light / dark smoke shields.
So are they worth the trouble? Admit it...you ordered one because it looks cool.
All I've heard is that they are easy to scratch and therefore have a limited life. They are supposed to reflect glare but I hear from some they aren't that much better in a closed cockpit car than regular light / dark smoke shields.
So are they worth the trouble? Admit it...you ordered one because it looks cool.
#2
totally because it looks cool, and because I wanted to ditch the sunglasses too. Going on 6 months or so and using it every other weekend and it's still in great shape. I always store it in a soft polish cloth bag inside a canvas helmet bag.
#4
Drifting
They work good...
<--- They look cool too
<--- They look cool too
#5
Race Car
They do scratch easily however most of the time we're not in an environment where we need to be agressively cleaning them in a closed cockpit car. When I rode bikes it was more of an issue because it's pretty tough to clean stubborn bug guts off of them without being agressive and potentially scratching the finish.
That said, I just use smoked these days, can't stand wearing glasses under my helmet so the smoked visor is nice.
That said, I just use smoked these days, can't stand wearing glasses under my helmet so the smoked visor is nice.
#7
Three Wheelin'
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They do mark-up easily but IMO they are worth it as I never wear sunglasses becuase I like the shield down. I prefer the "blue" . Buy a couple and you should be good to go for a season.
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#8
Burning Brakes
Just put a tear-off on the visor. Get one of the quality tear-offs, not the thin cheap ****. Cut the ring-tab off so it doesn't flap around or catch and tear off.
Beware of certain visor tints. Yellow flags can become white, blue flags can become black. YMMV (along with your rods and cones).
Beware of certain visor tints. Yellow flags can become white, blue flags can become black. YMMV (along with your rods and cones).
#9
Rennlist Member
They also make plain tinted (not iridium) visors in 2 tint levels. Don't think it is just a coating since scratches don't reveal clear plastic. I use the less tinted one and find it to be an excellent substitute for sun glasses. I searched this out after I got hit in the eye, in the car w/helmet + sun glasses.
Only prob w/using full visor is when you are instructing the CI will ask you to get into that really tenuous looking open cockpit thingy that your green student is soooo proud to have built himself...
--Mindy
Only prob w/using full visor is when you are instructing the CI will ask you to get into that really tenuous looking open cockpit thingy that your green student is soooo proud to have built himself...
--Mindy
#10
#11
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My son always ran Caracoat visors, which IIRC are no longer in production (Japan). The last ones I found came out of Australia.
The finish is very susceptible to damage from fuel/oil (hard to avoid in karts), so I always ran a clear shield protector on top of the visor (Racing Optics 3421CP3) and would apply tearoffs (Racing Optics Speedstacks) on top of that.
This would allow us to get a full season (or maybe two) out of a visor.
The finish is very susceptible to damage from fuel/oil (hard to avoid in karts), so I always ran a clear shield protector on top of the visor (Racing Optics 3421CP3) and would apply tearoffs (Racing Optics Speedstacks) on top of that.
This would allow us to get a full season (or maybe two) out of a visor.
#12
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
For Arai shields, is there any difference in view with the different color iridium shields (mirror, red, blue, green)? I heard that green one gives somewhat of a purple-ish tint to your view, but I haven't been able to confirm.
#13
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Marc