"magman007" (magman007)
04/22/2014 at 15:18 • Filed to: racing
2
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"magman007" (magman007)
04/22/2014 at 15:18 • Filed to: racing | 2
| 19 |
Dear automotive racing enthusiasts, I come to you in search of assistance. You see, I have a rather large melon on my neck and my head is slightly oval shaped (front to back not all foot ball shaped like stewies) and I need some helmet recommendations. Id prefer something full faced, and preferably has an aire of coolness to it. I was going to go straight stig, but I read that the simpson helmets are good for a narrow oval head, Mine is kind of wide oval.
Open faced helmets are only cool if you can go all pro rally driver with them, other than that you look like one of the fat guys in white at a nascar race.
BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 15:24 |
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Big Oval head, you say?
Soloburrito
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 15:27 |
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Sounds like you have an Arai head. Lucky bastard.
MINI COOPER POWAH!
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 15:40 |
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oval heads tend to fit arai, though if its big all around id suggest simpson....where are you located at?
It's a "Porch-uh"
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 15:45 |
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I would suggest finding a race shop with a good selection and trying them on. Or a online shop with a good return policy. Helmets fit drastically different from each manufacturer. I've found that Bell, Simpson, and Arai fit my head, but G-Force, HJC, and Sparco not so much.
One down side of an open-face helmet is that you'll need eye protection, and sunglasses won't cut it. Rally drivers get away with it because they have closed windows.
BoulderZ
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 16:07 |
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FWIW, I'll second the suggestions to get to a shop to try some on. Note: you can at least try some brands on at a motorcycle dealer/shop, which might be easier to find than a more auto-oriented shop, depending where you are. Also, check the rules for your organizers as M-rated helmets might be acceptable (and are less expensive than the flame-rated SA helmets). Or ask some moto friends if you can try on their lids, if that's not too weird. Finally, some outfits have very reasonable shipping/return policies, knowing that helmet fit is really hard to do remotely, so fit-by-FedEx might be an option. I've had very good experiences with SafeRacer for a lot of gear. For my helmet, I went to OnTrack Performance in Denver after trying on some lids from friends and at the local moto dealer while I was picking up some gloves. For head shape, I can say I like my size L G-Force full-face helmet a lot. It's comfortable, SA-rated, and has nice interchangeable visors. For refernce to other brands: I can't fit in Arai or Bell. Simpsons seemed to vary model to model, but were consistently more than I wanted to pay for my first helmet; i.e. too much money to try out racing when I could get the same safety for less cash, in case it didn't turn out to be my thing to do. For cycling helmet comparison, I fit in Giro and Specialized, but can't do Bell or LG, if that's helpful. Happy shopping, and good luck racing!
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magman007
> MINI COOPER POWAH!
04/22/2014 at 16:24 |
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I am in Sarasota FL. I will see if I can find a shop near by, yeah I have a big dome, and I have been told the simpsons fit a bigger, but narrower head. I just dont want to have side compression.
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MINI COOPER POWAH!
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 16:47 |
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if all else fails, my company has an open return policy. id recommend having your head measured, but ideally the best policy is to try them on in a shop. I think simpsons are big all the way around from experience fitting people at my work. id ddefinitely go with a closed face though, open face is 50 year old outdated technology. ill prob do a post on helmets to oppo this week as part of my safety series.
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MINI COOPER POWAH!
> BoulderZ
04/22/2014 at 16:51 |
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thats funny, you have a rare head! most people is ee tend to have issues with the gforce fit! I also find out that aria moto helmets fit different than car helmets too, it varies by brand. FWIW i think simpson has some of there helmets made elsewhere and rebadged to.
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magman007
> BoulderZ
04/22/2014 at 16:55 |
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Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. I am in Sarasota FL, and I am not sure of any race shops. I know the M rated helmets are cheaper, but I wanted to "buy it right" should I ever need the SA rating to do a real track day or something.
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BoulderZ
> MINI COOPER POWAH!
04/22/2014 at 17:04 |
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Thanks, that's the nicest/most diplomatic way that's been said to me. :) Yeah, helmet fit has been an issue for me forever, and I always end up with weird ones. 12-13 juniors road cycling in the 80s, Kiwi worked best for me. I couldn't stand the fit of the Bell V1-Pro. I was almost always the only one in the pack, but the bonus was my family could always pick me out in a race. I think only one other driver at our Z club track days wears G Force, most everyone else seems to be Bell, then an assortment of Arai and Simpson. Thanks for the info on Arai M/SA differences and the Simpson sub/rebadging! I learned something new today (always good)!
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MINI COOPER POWAH!
> BoulderZ
04/22/2014 at 17:10 |
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Anytime, I work for a prominent Safety shop,(though neither of the ones you mentioned) and educating people is my job. Bell tends to fit most people across the board, which seems to be why it is so popular, like i said in another post, I'm going to do an Oppo post on helmets this week in continuation of my safety series.
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BoulderZ
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 17:17 |
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Yeah, I went SA-rated for similar reasons. First, my car is a '78 Z with a large, rear-mounted gas tank. I don't race door-to-door, just track days and timed events, but fire is just not to be messed with. I went full-face due to the old-school dash and steering column configuration, too. In some cars, a full-face vs. open-face helmet can make a difference in feasibility for through-the-window driver extraction. That's not possible in my car with either helmet, so it wasn't a consideration in my case, but YMMV.
There seem to be a lot of "speed shops" in the Sarasota area, according to the GooglyTubez, but Bell's site only lists moto shops as dealers there. Might be worth calling a few of the shops and see if they're tuning outfits, or full equipment type dealers, before dealing with cross-town traffic. Any local clubs/forums that can give you close-by dealer references? That's how I found OnTrack here, anyway.
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BoulderZ
> MINI COOPER POWAH!
04/22/2014 at 17:23 |
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Looking forward to that! I wish I fit in Bell. I'm quite impressed with both their products and their conduct over the years. I'm looking forward to your continuing series! I'm hoping to work up a better harness system in my car for track use. After I get the exhaust header stud problem resolved. I thought perhaps the Schroth 4-points were my solution to keeping street belts for street, and harness for track, but there was insufficient room from seat to rear mount. I'm hoping your articles will help fill the blank spots in my safety knowledge, and maybe also reveal some paths forward with my car.
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MINI COOPER POWAH!
> BoulderZ
04/22/2014 at 17:32 |
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friends dont let friends use four points.
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magman007
> BoulderZ
04/22/2014 at 17:36 |
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I will ask next auto x event and ask around, see what I can find. Everything here is motorcycle helmets and motor cycle shops, not that that a problem, but its not my bag you know? I considered trying on a few helmets at a motor cycle shop just to get an idea, maybe see if I can track down a Simpson motorcycle helmet and base my judgement off of them, but I understand between SA and M there can be some fitment nuances as well.
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magman007
> MINI COOPER POWAH!
04/22/2014 at 17:48 |
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What is your prominent safety shops return policy? I would happily put my business in your direction. You can e-mail me william.badnaruk at gmail if you do not wish to openly disclose. My Top Gear love tells me to go Simpson bandit, my chris harris love says arai, my dome says what ever fits best and I can wear all day without a pressure point headache at the end of the day.
The open faced unit I borrowed fit nicely, but I noticed compression on my forehead and on the back of my skull, leading me to believe I need to find something a bit more oval for my head, but nothing too oval, as then it will crush the sides of my head.
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MINI COOPER POWAH!
> magman007
04/22/2014 at 17:53 |
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William,
Im done work in about 15 minutes here, i will shoot you an email when i get home tonight.
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BoulderZ
> MINI COOPER POWAH!
04/23/2014 at 17:52 |
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Interesting, thanks. I looked again at what I had been working with . I remembered incorrectly. It was 3 or 4 years ago, and I couldn't even tell you what I had for lunch yesterday. Anyway, turns out it's technically not a 4 point, I guess. It's this: http://www.schrothracing.com/tuning/rallye/…
Any thoughts on this? I had to abandon the plan at the time as the configuration wouldn't work in my car. Seats are Corbeau Targa RS, in a 280Z. The was insufficient distance between the harness openings in the seat back and the Schroth-spec'd upper anchor points.
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MINI COOPER POWAH!
> BoulderZ
04/24/2014 at 09:22 |
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5/6 point belts are preferred because the anti submarine (crotch) belt keeps you from sliding down and the lap belt getting into your soft spots (stomach)