As I am new to organized racing, where is the least expensive place with the best selection on line for a helmet for HPDE and autox? Recently I was at Atlanta Motorsports Park and tried on a couple at Discovery and verified I wear the same size as my motorcycle helmet so I just need the preferred seller, but style and brand recommendations are welcome.
Brand is important in fit. Unless you already know what brands fit your melon best, it’s probably worth shopping in person.
From what I’ve seen, helmet prices are pretty consistent from place to place for any given model. I tend to buy from Safe Racer myself because I know what fits me and they’re good to work with.
+1 on going to a physical store and trying them on, at least for the first helmet. Other than discounts on discontinued models I haven't really seen any price differences on helmets worth worrying about.
Sizes will change with brand. So as others said find a local place and try them on. It's really the best way.
I saw these comments coming, and stated that I had already verified fit. I've been riding motorcycles and buying helmets since 1986. Not sure why yall still said I need to shop in person. I tried on 5 DIFFERENT BRANDS and wear an XL in all on them. Thank you Kieth for the second half of your comment, I will check out Safe Racer immediately
Your motorcycle helmet might have the needed certs. Check it out.
Regarding where to buy? I bought one from Wine Country Motorsports in down here in Jupiter, they might have an online store.
I also bought a Shoei from Revzilla.
It’s not just size, it’s fit. Helmets are like shoes, different brands will fit your head differently. You might have pressure points that become uncomfortable after 30 minutes in an XL Bell, but an XL G-Force might still feel perfect. Thus all the suggestions to buy in person.
Justjim75 said:Not sure why yall still said I need to shop in person. I tried on 5 DIFFERENT BRANDS and wear an XL in all on them.
What everyone was trying to point out is different brands typically fit differently, depending on the shape of an individual's head. For a given size, brand A helmet will fit me well and will be comfortable, while brands B and C will be tight and I'll feel like my head is in a vise after ten minutes. If all the helmets you tried on were comfortable and fit correctly you're lucky.
On your head
I can confirm that they don’t all fit the same. I wear an XL, too and some brands I can wear and some are painful in 2 minutes. Helmet need to be really snug, so make sure you are not getting one that is too “loose” just because it feels good when you put it on.
Justjim75 said:I saw these comments coming, and stated that I had already verified fit. I've been riding motorcycles and buying helmets since 1986. Not sure why yall still said I need to shop in person. I tried on 5 DIFFERENT BRANDS and wear an XL in all on them. Thank you Kieth for the second half of your comment, I will check out Safe Racer immediately
What is your question then? If you know what fits, figure out how much you wanna spend and buy one.
Discovery parts is good. So is summit, safe racer, etc... they all carry pretty much the same stuff at around the same price.
wvumtnbkr said:Justjim75 said:I saw these comments coming, and stated that I had already verified fit. I've been riding motorcycles and buying helmets since 1986. Not sure why yall still said I need to shop in person. I tried on 5 DIFFERENT BRANDS and wear an XL in all on them. Thank you Kieth for the second half of your comment, I will check out Safe Racer immediately
What is your question then?
It’s stated on the title ...
I suggest flipping through the latest issue of your favorite car magazine and looking at the companies that sponsor it. 
Depending on sanctioning body and type of competition rule may allow you to use current cert and cert immediately preceding. E.g., Snell 2015 and Snell 2010. ( Certs are every 5 yrs IIRC). accordingly, when i needed new helmet in 2016 for just ax it allowed 2005, 2010 and 2015 dates. Although 15s were available i just bought a 2010 which would be good thru 2020 or 2025...cant remember. Gforce had a sale on their 2010 helmets deeply discounted. Bought a carbon fiber full face SA2010 from their online ebay store for something like $80, new in box and its identical to their 2015 that was $300+. Since its so close to 2020 may not be best but thats something to consider. I used to replace helmets every 3 or so years when i was racing a lot due to sweaty use...but nowadays not doing that much.
Check your motorcycle helmet...may be fine as most ax and HPDE bodies allow SM(mcycle) and SA (car) or even SK (kart) helmets that are snell certified.
The last couple I bought were from Amazon. One closed face, one open. For dollars spent, I am pretty happy with them.
It’s good to talk to the experts at an actual store. I wore the wrong size for four years until the guys at Stable Energies straightened me out.
To those of you who answered my question, thank you very much, I will look into each suggestion.
PS My motorcycle helmet has some age on it so I'm not considering it an option whether the rules will allow it or not. I'm guessing the facilities I'm aiming for wouldn't anyway.
In reply to Tom_Spangler :
I rather enjoyed looking through my latest issue of GRM AND Classic for helmet ads, good idea, thanks!
(Didnt find a helmet yet, but still...)
10-20 years ago, most track day groups allowed motorcycle (SM) helmets, but these days it seems like everyone is requiring SA. Seems kinda stupid to me, since the only real difference is the nomex liner, which doesn't do you all that much good when paired with the (legal) jeans and a t-shirt.
codrus said:10-20 years ago, most track day groups allowed motorcycle (SM) helmets, but these days it seems like everyone is requiring SA. Seems kinda stupid to me, since the only real difference is the nomex liner, which doesn't do you all that much good when paired with the (legal) jeans and a t-shirt.
I thought SA helmets also had some structural thing built in for roll bar impacts, too?
As for which dates are allowed, it depends on the sanctioning body. Around here we autocross with 4 different clubs, and some allow helmets older than 10 years, and some don't.
I'm planning to get the newest, highest rated helmet I can afford (can a carbon Stilo really be worth $6k?) to give me the best chance of: a) having a helmet for all of the places I want to go and all of the people I may want to drive or ride with.
And b) keep my melon, well, melon shaped
OGRacing. com and Safe Racer are two excellent places. OG Racing is located in Virginia and has a huge selection of things in their showroom. I buy a ton from them(seat, harnesses and driver safety gear) and will be buying a new two piece suit and helmet(with HANS!) when we finish the chump car.
On another note, i bought a Zamp helmet in 2015 when the new SA certs came out and the guy i spoke with at Zamp was super helpful, gave me advice on sizing and even suggested competitors if the Zamp didnt fit right. I ended up finding a Zamp i liked and that fit perfectly so i purchased that one. So far the only gripe with the Zamp is the visor is now starting to loosen to the point where it wont hold a position that isnt open/closed. Nothing inbetween. Its been beated around though so im not really surprised.
I am a fan of Simpson.
This is the modern version of what i what I use to use. I liked the large eye opening
https://simpsonraceproducts.com/snell-sa2015/voyager-2-snell-2015/
OG Racing
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