What helmet should I get for autocross? 

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678) 02/22/2015 at 10:35 • Filed to: None

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I am looking to autocross my miata this coming spring and I know that the once piece of gear that I absolutely need is a helmet. I believe I need to look for Snell rated helmets with a SA2010 sticker on it. Anyone have suggestions for where to buy from and what some good entry level helmets would be. I definitely want to spend under $200. Also, is there any other gear I should get?

TopSirloin > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 10:40

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f86sabre > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 10:44

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the 24 Hours of LeMons folks sell helmets at a good price.

dogisbadob > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 10:45

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911e46z06 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 10:59

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I just bought this for LeMons:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00…

It's got good reviews, and looks sweet. Also, my tattoo guy said it was a good blank canvas, and he could do badass arts on it. That is the extent of my knowledge of racing helmets.

Jayhawk Jake > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 11:07

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I have this for AutoX. Used it all season and had no complaints. Inexpensive and good quality

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/hjc…

Other gear would be a tire pressure gauge and a portable compressor/bike pump so you can inflate your tires at the event

2BWise > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 11:17

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SA2015 rated helmets will be coming out this year. One upside to that is anything rated SA2005 that is still in stock will be heavily discounted. You could save a bunch by buying one of those as they are falling out of certification. And for autox that doesn't matter.

daender > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 11:22

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Snell-approved helmets are the standard in my SCCA region.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 11:34

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The store on the 24 hours of lemons site has cheap safety gear

desertdog5051 > daender 02/22/2015 at 11:43

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Funny thing I was reading about helmets. Most manufacturers make most of their helmets to meet the Snell rating but do not submit them because the Snell Foundation charges a lot of money to test them.

Axel-Ripper > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 11:52

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Are you sure you need an SA? I mean if you're going to do track stuff as well for sure get one, but I think most autocross stuff is fine with Snell M ratings. They're significantly cheaper (mine was like $60).

gas head > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 12:18

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I was once given this advice..."buy a $50 helmet if you have a $50 head".

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > gas head 02/22/2015 at 15:27

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Well what is the proper amount I should be looking to spend? I wonder if I should go the used route too unless that is just unsanitary.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jayhawk Jake 02/22/2015 at 15:28

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Are motorcycle helmets the same thing as car specific helmets?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 2BWise 02/22/2015 at 15:29

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Is there any difference between the certification years?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Axel-Ripper 02/22/2015 at 15:31

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Hmm, I am not sure. I had just looked up the SCCA 2015 rules, and it mentioned the SA2010 as an acceptable helmet. I think I have to look more thoroughly, unless you already know the answer for that. I would not be looking to do anything beyond autocross since I would have to do a roll bar, which I would not want to drive around with on the street without a helmet.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > f86sabre 02/22/2015 at 15:33

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Yup, this one seems pretty legit for not too much money http://store.24hoursoflemons.com/product-p/pyr-…

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > desertdog5051 02/22/2015 at 15:35

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I imagine they have to actually crash test a bunch of them, so that cost could add up depending on how many they need to do for certification.

f86sabre > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 15:36

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yep. We've run their helmets for 5 years. They seem to work.

Jayhawk Jake > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 16:45

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I don't know if they are the same but they work. It's SA2010

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Jayhawk Jake 02/22/2015 at 18:28

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Yeah that one seems like a pretty good deal. I also like that revzilla has free returns so I don't have to worry about picking the wrong size.

2BWise > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 19:39

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Yeah but only in use for road racing. Helmets are only legal for ten years from the SA certficiation, which are every five years. So starting this year anything older than a SA2005 is no longer legal for road racing. SA2010 will be good until 2020 and the new 2015s until 2025. At this point any 2005 rated helmets will go on sale for pretty big discounts.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > 2BWise 02/22/2015 at 19:47

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Yeah but i guess I would have to buy a new one next year though if I bought a 2005 now. Might as well at least get 5 years out of a 2010.

2BWise > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 20:19

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For autocross it doesn't matter. Only if you end up doing track events or end up road racing. But yeah if you find a good deal on a 2010 go for it. It was just a suggestion to open up your options on a cheap lid.

Jayhawk Jake > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 21:07

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Yep! I can't recommend the helmet or revzilla enough

desertdog5051 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/22/2015 at 23:04

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I don't recall the specifics. But they did not like the cost involved. I do recall that there was a fee to offer the Snell rating.

gas head > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/23/2015 at 11:09

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My point was don't cheap-out on a helmet that is your most important safety device.