PCA SDR

Ok. What the heck is up with auto helmets?!

I will be upgrading my helmet in the next 2 months and have been poking around looking at SA2010 helmets, but I feel like I am dealing with Henry Ford and the Model A “You can have any color as long as its white.” (Well to be fair he actually said “black”) but you get the meaning. It’s like the manufacturers think that because we are in a car that we throw all pizzazz out the window…or maybe the claim its because they are providing a blank canvas for custom sponsored graphics? I think they just want a way to cut costs making helmets. I might just have to go M2010…white just isn’t cutting it!


Here are a couple of examples:

http://www.helmetcity.com/page/HC/CTGY/autosnellsa2010

http://www.thehelmetzone.com/helmet-zone-snell-m2010-new-c-8_628.html

Call Steve at C2 Motorsports and ask him about the helmets.

You just might have to wait until the 2010 helmets really get in production and distribution.

Okay, I'll bite. I believe I read somewhere that an M won't cut it for TT or DE. Although I understand you point. The Motorcycle helmets do make more of a statement without having to see your local pinstriper.

Almost all of the helmets not only come in white, but also black. I think they post the white ones on the websites because it's hard to discern the physical features of the black helmets in the ad copy. Most "serious" racers get a custom paint job, and pretty much all of the custom painters ask to start with a white helmet (easier to add color to a white "canvas"). From looking at one of your links, it appears that the Bell Sport series now also comes in orange, a color I haven't seen on an off-the-shelf helmet in a LONG time. And if you look around, some of the manufacturers (like Pyrotect) do sell SA helmets with some graphics (I think they're not out yet since SA2010's just hit the market). Some of us think black is cool, unless you're going to be spending a lot of time in the sun (black absorbs more solar radiation). Lots of us on a budget like to use stickers (AutoZone and Pep Boys usually has quite a selection of stickers, and if you get tired of having a rainbow-colored baby unicorn on the top of your head, you can always just peel it off). If you're really brave, you can let your kids decorate your helmet (but take the visor off first ).



It turns out that the most important aspect of helmets (for any sport) is FIT. It needs to fit snugly, yet not cause pressure points. And as speeds and accelerative forces go up, a too loose helmet can be a safety hazard (as Dindo Capello found out in this year's Petit Le Mans). You should go to shops and try all the helmets and really dial in your size for a given manufacturer, because they do not all fit the same, e.g., there is a definite difference between a "Bell head" and a "Simpson head". You will find that some helmets just don't feel right (and if you drive with glasses, some helmets are also better at accommodating this than others). Also, lighter helmets cause less neck fatigue in high-G situations, but they are also more expensive (sometimes much more expensive).

If you're primarily going to use this helmet for automotive motorsports, I would highly recommend sticking with an SA2010 helmet. Some auto sanctioning bodies will not allow you to use an "M" helmet, and they are not really designed with cars in mind. Clubs like ours are allowing them more out of "niceness" for slow-speed events.

Or you could stick with the plain helmet and blow your money on a flashy driving suit...

The SA2010 helmets were just starting to be offered last month, so there isn't a big selection right now. It's the same story every 5 years, the first to come out are the expensive ones and usually white or black. JUst about the time that the holidays roll around, you start to see a little more variety and good deals. If you haven't been a naughty boy, perhaps you should ask Santa for one.

A computer, printer and some inkjet stickers are all you need. If you are really creative some masking tape and a can of spray paint will work.

In keeping with the 924/944 family theme, a spray can somehow seems appropriate! Nowif I could just get out of work on track days...

ronaldtrotter wrote:Okay, I'll bite. I believe I read somewhere that an M won't cut it for TT or DE.

There are some groups who won't allow the Snell M-certification, but our region changed the rules awhile back to allow them in DE and TT events. If you run in a class that requires a driving suit, a nomex balaclava or "headsock" must be worn under the M-type helmet, since one of the difference between M and SA certification is that the SA inner lining is fire-retardant, whereas the M-rating does not require that.

TT

Slight topic redirection - Is there any place in San Diego I can try on a new SA2010 helmet? A little research on the internet found a few places you can purchase a new SA2010 helmet, but they are basically warehouses where you order a helmet and they ship it to you from across the country. You can't go into a store to see if it fits. My last helmet (SA2000) i bought at Dave Turner Motorsports in Kearny Mesa and I found out the Bell helmets didn't fit the shape of my head, bit a Simpson did (in the same size). I don't like the idea of ordering a helmet and then mailing it back if it doesn't fit right. There must be a lot of people in this situation. ... Charlie Kleinhans, racerdude00@hotmail.com

Try Steve Coe at C2 Motorsports - he is a great supporter and usually has a selection of SA helmets.

C2 Motorsports
8380 Vickers St.
San Diego, CA 92111
858-495-9200

Sometimes redundancy is a good thing!

Yeah. I was re-reading the whole thread after I posted and I saw the previous reference to C2 - but at least I included contact info...

Phil

Hey Phil,
That's just my dry sense of humor . . . but it's good to know that there's still a 911 guy out there that has one!

gocart wrote:A computer, printer and some inkjet stickers are all you need. If you are really creative some masking tape and a can of spray paint will work.

For those 944 drivers wishing to match their helmet to their car...

Hmmm . . . that Orange looks a little to shiny to match most 944's, nice try though.
By the way, that brings me to a slightly different subject. Since I've joined the club, I've noticed quite a few drivers describing their driving habits as "Flat Out". I feel the need to correct most of you in the proper meaning that was originally intended. You see, it used to be if you told someone you drove "Flat Out", it meant that you drove nothing other than a 944. Not because it was the way you had to drive a 944, but because it was the color of all the 944's, as in "The color was always very FLAT and washed OUT". Hence the correlation between the car and color and if someone asked what do you drive, well of course if you drove a 944, you would answer . . . I drive Flat Out! Over the years however, other drivers in other models msinterpreted the saying and started to use it as a description of the driving style they noted was being used by the 944 afficianado (quite impressive as it was and therefore adopted by the others) and that is how it is used today.
I hope this helps alleviate the confusion that has been perpetuated in the use of this very popular saying and if there are others out there that wish to share their knowledge in the origins of this great sport, I am all ears.
And now back to your regularly scheduled program . . .