Which Crash Helmet for occaisional trackdays?

[thebartman]

Hi all,

I'm going to do my first trackday event soon.

I need to buy a suitable helmet with plenty of vision - doesn't have to be the cheapest, but must be up to the job.

Any ideas? and anything else I might need?

would this do?

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/sparco-club-x1-helmet-matt-black-1003284/?sku=SPA003319N1S&istCompanyId=a2904180-3a7d-4e56-b876-cf81c9512180&istFeedId=6fbc4b04-fd28-4ce1-8513-835c8f118690&istItemId=wptrpqxlm&istBid=t&gclid=CjwKCAjwybyJBhBwEiwAvz4G76jCewW9TMwFXd_TsP8vFvBgX3FGo_mfQ_RmCtCaGZI6ymsTM6dJuRoC2dYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Advice and guidance warmly welcomed

 

[yeller77]

Well, what usually comes up in response is the old adage of "If you have a £100 head, get a £100 helmet"

What you get may also depend on who's putting on the track day and what they require. Read their fine print as it's also a liability issue on them, too. The above helmet is DOT approved (really just a minimum for street legal or recreational use) only and in some ways has potential for worse damage to your melon in event that you actually need it. Although just a "track day," you'll be at speed and should invest in at least an entry level motorsport helmet. Look for FIA and/or SA ratings. The right tool for the right job. Entry level still has a price but you don't need to go full CF and bells and whistles. A couple below on Demon Tweeks site seem reasonable as such. As a rule on track work, competitive or otherwise, don't skimp on brakes, tires, or safety equipment.

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/stilo-st5f-n-composite-helmet-984759/

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/omp-gp-r-helmet-2014073/

BTW, on the Sparco USA site for their Club X1 helmet, it notes: "Not for Competition or "track day" use"

Other than that, the track day people also may have minimums on clothing, shoes, etc. Usually full coverage pants, shirts, and leather shoes. Gloves are nice for sweaty palms. A simple FR cotton suit is handy and economical. Sky's the limit on gear of course, depending on your level of addiction. Something like this is a step up from your Levi's:  

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/omp-single-layer-proban-race-suit-1216533/

Good luck and have fun using your Lotus as designed!

 

 

[thebartman]

I did read about SNELL etc. but became confused as the specs seem to have changed over the years and some people may not accept older versions? Surely if a helmet was approved/certified for racing (albeit a few years ago) it must still be OK to use?

This link says it' OK for trackday use

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/sparco-club-x1-helmet-matt-black-1003284/?sku=SPA003319N1S&istCompanyId=a2904180-3a7d-4e56-b876-cf81c9512180&istFeedId=6fbc4b04-fd28-4ce1-8513-835c8f118690&istItemId=wptrpqxlm&istBid=t&gclid=CjwKCAjwybyJBhBwEiwAvz4G76jCewW9TMwFXd_TsP8vFvBgX3FGo_mfQ_RmCtCaGZI6ymsTM6dJuRoC2dYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have no idea about (and am not interested in "Racing", per se) so whether a helmet meets reg's up to 2026 is not important. I need a good, proper helmet, not a colendar. It's that simple.

Again, I say, it' not about the cost - it's about the right kit - so appreciate the input.

Onsie 😉  - I'll have to review, for purely fashion purposes 😂

 

[Bibs]

I've got one of those and it's been fine for me with the caveat that it's never had to actually do it's job gladly! 

It's worth visiting an outlet and trying some on. In the bike world, it's often said you have an Arai or a Bell shaped head as one will fit nicely and the other will be uncomfortable and the helmet designers stick to their 'shape'.

[EuropaSman]

As Bibs said, try before you buy. I've just bought an Elise S3 to track and had researched several helmets, full and open face, on the Internet as possible options. I decided to go for FIA approved kit (which is also Snell approved) as there's a bit of fire protection (I have FIA approved gloves and boots too).

I visited GSM Performance as that outlet is fairly close to where I live, but they didn't have one of the helmets I wanted to try and some of the ones I did want to try were not in the correct size. I also went to GP Racewear at Silverstone a few days ago and they had a better range of helmets and corresponding sizes.

I ended up with an Arai GP-Jet 3 open-face helmet, which is likw what I think I wore at the Lotus Driving Academy in July just gone when I did my Bronze Licence. It was the ideal compromise because as I wear glasses I was having trouble finding a suitable full-face helmet (although the OMP GP-R helmet came close), plus I felt I didn’t need HANS posts as I have no plans to fit a four or five point harness to the Elise, negating the need for a HANS device.  The only  downside of going for an open-face helmet is the reduction in lower jaw protection. To try to partially negate this the Arai helmet I chose has more pronounced “jowls” than some of the other open-face helmets I was considering like the Bell Mag Titanium helmet.

Here are links to the websites of the two outlets.

Links:

https://gsmperformance.co.uk/

https://www.gprdirect.com/

[EuropaSman]

BTW these are the gloves I bought and they are really good (am breaking them in at the moment and they feel great).

https://gsmperformance.co.uk/product/sparco-land-racing-gloves/

[EuropaSman]

@thebartman here's a link that might also help you:

https://driver61.com/blog/what-are-the-best-track-day-helmets/

[CocoPops]

If you ever want to drive trackdays with soft top or no roof, you’ll need full face.

open face helmets are only for cars with fixed roof or hard top.

I bought an Arai SK6 as my first lid, a karting helmet without the fire protection. Did me well for trackdays and karting.

I recently upgraded to a GP6, which is the full rated version.

your heras may also suit a certain brand. The shells and inners are different shape. I tried Bell when I bought my first Arai and my head didn’t fit comfortably.

[thebartman]

Thanks to all for advice and guidance - much appreciated

Just waiting on gloves to be delivered - then all set.

Looking forward to first trackday on 20th 😃.   🏎️

[auRouge]

On 09/09/2021 at 07:23, CocoPops said:

If you ever want to drive trackdays with soft top or no roof, you’ll need full face.

open face helmets are only for cars with fixed roof or hard top.

I bought an Arai SK6 as my first lid, a karting helmet without the fire protection. Did me well for trackdays and karting.

I recently upgraded to a GP6, which is the full rated version.

your heras may also suit a certain brand. The shells and inners are different shape. I tried Bell when I bought my first Arai and my head didn’t fit comfortably.

I’ve also got an Arai GP6 with Hans. Great helmet. 

My brother is unsure about what to do in his Exige 410. We did Oulton and Anglesey last week. Car was great but he said the seats were useless so has decided to get Harnesses fitted..

However this then means he should wear a Hans that’s he’s reluctant to do.

Anyone else suffer on track with lack of lateral support? 

 

[Paul_D]

I never drove my Exige 410 on track without harnesses, but I imagine it is hard work due to the cornering and braking forces. It feels so much nicer compared to driving all my previous cars on track with normal belts. 

At the end of the day, HANS is his choice. Plenty of people use harnesses without HANS, and the Schroth harness for the Exige / Elise do have ASM technology which makes them act slightly more like a normal seat belt in an accident. It's designed for anti-submarining, but it does have the advantage of reducing the 'snap' of the head to a certain extent.

Any particular reason why he's reluctant to use a HANS device? Too much faff? Feels too restricted?

[auRouge]

@paul_d Thanks for this reply. All of the above, just too restrictive for him in a small cockpit. He’s used to bikes.. So wears an open face Arai in the Exige and is happy with the safety. 
 

We’re going to try my kit in his car to see how he feels.

[Paul_D]

I'll be brutally honest. I bought my HANS with every intention of wearing it all the time. So far that hasn't quite been the case. I need to force myself to wear it more often and just make it 'the norm'.

[auRouge]

Did the mco 1000km race in Italy earlier this year.. had to wear it every day for 4 days.. didn’t have time to get used it, now I wouldn’t go on track without it.