Drivers Ed. helmet and other tips

Next week I have my very first DE, after owning a Carrera for 4 years as a daily driver, and now a 930 ruf as a daily driver for the last 6 months. I have many motorcylcle helmets but of course those are not allowed, and I hate spending a lot of money on a helmet that I only plan on wearing 8 times a year. Should I but open face or closed, where should I buy, and why should I use a certain one. I use Arai as my motorcycle helmets, but don't want to spend another $500.00 on a helmet. I'm in S.Florida, so open helmet would be more comfortable. Any other suggestions regarding first DE also appreciated. p.s. the car is a coupe.

IMHO I think that a full face helmet is the only way to go (Dale Earnhart) need I say more. Check out Racer Wholesale ( www.racerwholesale.com )for a G-Force helmet. These are rated helmets of good quality, and are not expensive ( start at $149.99 ). Other things you may want are a 5 point harness to keep you in your seat tight. Racing shoes, gloves, and take extra gas and tools with you.

Paul
81 911SC

Check with your local PCA. I don't know about DEs but our Auto-crosses have loaners for the event.

I guess it boils down to how serious you think you will be for the DEs &/or auto-x.

Nick

I've got some of the same questions as erikg. I'm also wondering about the remark about motorcycle helmets not being allowed? I thought as long as it had the correct Snell rating it was acceptable?

I believe it has to be rated SA not M as with motorcycle helmets.

Paul
81 911SC

SA rated halmets are fire resistant, M rated are not.

Kind of a goofy requirement I think, as most places do not require a fire resistand driving suit.

Tom

Yeah, the SA (Special Applications) helmets are nomex-lined. The idea is you can walk or roll away from a burning motorcycle; autos, boats, and other cabinned vehicles you have to climb out of. If there's a fire, you don't want to be stuck in there with something melting to your face.

I got a Simpson Super Voyager SA for $460. Closed face. It's hot in there, but it cools easily if you leave the visor cracked 1/4" at the bottom. Worked great at my DE event.

Don't get a 5 point harness unless you have a rollbar. If your car rolls, do you *really* want to remain upright while the roof caves? :|

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

SA is also rated for multiple impacts (moreso than an M-rated helmet). Believe me, this is NOT a place to skimp on the money expenditure. Keeping your brainpan intact is more important than many other things (like lap timers, etc.). The previous posting about loaners being available is correct. Try to rent one before you make the commitment. Who knows, you just might not like DE.

Yes, you need an SA helmet for Drivers Ed. How do I know? I asked this question last year AFTER I purchased an M helmet of the proper Snell rating and could not use it.
The rule is bull****. Fire resistance? So your face burns up, guess that's OK. More safe than a motorcycle helmet? You gotta be kidding. Bike helmets have to protect from every contingency possible. You're gona be thrown and rolling down the road for Christ sake.
I use my very nice M helmet for autocross.

Hi there. I understand that there is a running debate about open vs. closed faced helmets in racing circles.

I own both, but prefer the open face in a car with full harnesses because it is cooler. On a motorcycle or car with regular seatbelts (autocrossing) I prefer full face. Full face are hotter, but if you smash into the steering wheel (or the pavement on a bike)fast, you'll appreciate the facial protection. Full harnesses prevent you from hitting the steering wheel so I am not worried about chin protection with five or six points on. (plus open face is better if your intercom fails on a rally and you and your co-driver needs to holler instructions back and forth - "mumble mumble 90 mumble mumble" isn't very useful at speed, and that is what you get when you wear a full face and try to holler route instructions...)

I use Bell helmets (have used Shoei motorcycle helmets too for bikes only). Peltor is becoming popular with the rally crowd because they're light and have integrated headsets (but are not Snell rated yet - SCCA has a loophole for rally that lets them in - so they are probably taboo at SCCA solo I/II, POC, PCA type events).

I currently have a Mag 4 open face. They also offer a Mag 5 which is the same helmet but in carbon/kevlar instead of fiberglass. Carbon or carbon/kevlar is more expensive, but lighter. Not a big concern for autocross or DE, but good for endurance type racing where you wear the helmet a long time in a row.

I got my helmets direct from Bell, they used to sell them at www.bellmotorsports.com. If you order through the web site you get racer-net pricing which is usually lower than most retail shops.

I'd recommend trying on lots of helmets before you invest. Each brand of helmet fits differently, and you want to pick one that will be comfortable before you plop down a couple of $100 bills.

Later,
Charlie
'72 911 TE

Oops - fixed the URL...

[This message has been edited by cds72911 (edited 05-11-2001).]

Make sure you buy a SA2000 helmet. The DE's and some Autocrosses are going torward requiring the SA rating, and a 2000 will serve you longer than a 95 which is almost outdated. I bought a Bell M2 (closed with extended coverage) from HMS MOTORSPORTS in Peabody Massachusetts for around $300. I also would recomend a collar. Check out HMS on the web or give them a call. They advertise on PANO. Good luck.

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Dave
1970 914-6 (soon GT)

thanks for all the help guys, wondering what the percentages are in open and closed helmets during driver's ed. Look like racer whole sale has the best prices for a "cheap" SA 2000 helmet, (actually same prices as Bell website. Ogracing is cheaper, but those are still SA95 helmets.

p.s. is halon the way to go on fire systems ?

My point (and probably RarlyL8's as well), is that is silly to require a fire resistant helmet, but not any other fire resistant gear. Most places I looked into require clothing made of natural materials like cotton, but this is not fire resistant.

If you crash and burn, full fire gear will help you survive. Wearing a fire rated helmet with Levi's and a T-shirt, in my opinion, will not.

The conversation at your wake will go something like this.

"Crashed and burned, hell of a way to go"
"Yeah, but his hair looks perfect"

Tom

Our region allows an M rated helmet for both DE and Autocross. Check with them first. PCA national sets this rule, but some local chapters choose to up it to an SA for DE.

Be careful with Racer Wholesale. I've had some bad customer service experiences with them.

Nick.

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Nick Shumaker
1982 911SC Coupe
nickshu@yahoo.com
PCA -- Rocky Mtn. Region

I have done a fair amount of business lately with OG Racing, Northstar Motorsports, and Sube Sports -- all very satisfactory in my experience.

I am another believer in full-face helmets and in general not 'skimping' on your safety gear. I went with a Bell helmet, Schroth 5pt's, and Sparco for the nomex gear. A major investment, but most of us only get one body...

Like that Bell ad says, "If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet..."

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1971 911E with Webers

A Snell rating is a Snell rating is a Snell rating - nomatter what the helmet costs.
Why spend $500 on a helmet with the SAME safety rating as one for $150?
WEIGHT (or the lack of) costs money - not safety. Bell is in the business to make money.

I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, perhaps just a bit of "devil's advocacy".

One might suggest that although one product may meet the minimum requirements for certification, a manufacturer *may* go beyond that level of safety on a more expensive helmet. Not saying they do, but it is possible. The other thing is that sometimes you pay for special features like lighter weight, extra venting, removable liners, special graphics, etc. Some techniques (like autoclaving carbon fiber helmets) may take more labor and equipment than the lower priced items (fiberglass for example). Who knows...

BTW - I'm not a big fan of overpriced items as evidenced by the fact I own the Mag 4, not the lighter Mag 5, but I can see how they might use things like this to justify higher costs for some models.

Cheers,
Charlie

I'm no MBA, but I think most retail companies are in business to make money...

I'm just theorizing here, but what if, for example, a Snell 2000 helmet must protect you from burns for 3 seconds.

So a cheap Snell rated helmet does just that - protects you for 3 seconds.

Another Snell approved helmet that costs an extra $100 happens to protect you for 5 seconds.

Both meet the requirements, but I'll take those extra two seconds...



[This message has been edited by sander (edited 05-11-2001).]

I bought a full faced SA 95 helmet from OMP that was a closeout. Why a SA95? Because most sanctioning car events give a 5 year period of time until a new helmet is in effect, thus 2000 helmets will be mandated in 2005. It would be quite unfair to require everyone that is active in these events to scrap their 2 years old $500 helmet. Another point is that helmets do not last forever. After about 2 to 3 years of use and sweating the helmet is ready for replacement. At that time the only choice would be a SA 2000, (unless 2005 helmets are available )

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8 9 9 1 1, The last of the line.

[This message has been edited by 89911 (edited 05-11-2001).]