nice helmet cheap?

[niqui]

hey,
does anybody know where i can find a nice, comfortable and light helmet that meets these specs, preferably in flat black or black in general. i am looking for clearance or dead or overstock to get a good deal, doesnt have to be a 100 bucks, but not 600 either....thks
Snell SA2000, SA2005,
thanks

[von_zoom]

Just FYI, if you want a helmet for HPDE (Driving School) purposes, most schools will not accept M rated helmets - only the SA.

Sorry, I am not aware of the price deals you seek. Good luck.
vz

[niqui]

ok thanks, so i guess i am better of just getting a snell rated one, this school said they will accept m...but in the long run snell makes more sense...
ok, no problem about the prices, but wat do u recommend and from where.
thanks

[lucid]

I don't see how you buy a $450 helmet for $100. Even if you could, I'd stay away from that deal. Helmet is not an item you want to save a ton of money on. Get one that fits you well. Apart from the ratings, that is what matters the most...

[slalomfever]

I highly recommend that you fit the helmet first before purchasing...with that said, you can get a SA-2005 rated helmet for around $250. I think Zamp and Pyrotect are good low-budget choices.

[niterider]

Pyrotect is a good low priced and snell sa approved, I got for like 240 shipped and its worked great.

[MTROIS]

My 2 cents:

- make sure the helmet is snell rated SA-2005. By this I mean especially that you should avoid the SA-2000 ones as they might become outdated next year (some brands are discounting them these days)
- if you do not plan on tracking often (e.g., 2-3 times a year), you could consider an open face helmet such as the Bell Sport Mag which retails for ~$200 (Pyrotect has an equivalent model).

[jml]

HJC makes a very nice Snell rated helmet for about 200 bucks.

[Green///Hell]

Bell has a few helmets from the $200-400 range after that they get just as expensive as the other big names out there

[mightyaa]

I got my $550 dollar helmet on ebay for $125 or so a couple years back. It's a very nice full face SA rated one. Timing has a lot to do with it. Mine is one of those custom graphic ones that was used for a season, then new designs came out. So basically it's overstock (last years model). It is a bright freakin orange helmet, but had all the things I wanted; new in box, fully operable vents, removable liner, adjustable, removable face plate, SA rated, and a respected name brand (Arai). So the deals are out there if you keep your eye out.

[lucid]

I'd still be careful in buying something that seems very cheap on places like ebay. A helmet can be damaged if dropped for instance. There might not be any visible external damage on the shell, so inspect the foam very carefully. You might need to move the lining out of the way to do that, and even that might not be enough to fully inspect the integrity of the foam (if it is crushed from the other side). I don't mean to say real deals are not possible, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

[Buschy]

70k$ car= cheap helmet.........I will never understand.

[niqui]

Originally Posted by buschy

70k$ car= cheap helmet.........I will never understand.

i fully get what you are saying. by cheap i dont mean 100 bucks, i just dont mean 600 or something. it will be my first track event, so i want to see if a enjoy it first and how many i want to join, etc. how serious i am. i know i can get a decent one locally for about 300 cad.
i dont know about ebay for this...i dont mind overstock of clearance, that would be ideal, a nice helmet on sale for around 250 or something.
thanks

[lucid]

you are right. you don't need to pay $600 to be safe. however, some of the less expensive helmets have serious fitmet issues. and this is not just my opinion. guys at HMS told me this, and they deal with these helmets on a daily basis with a variety of people. that said, there are helmets around the ~$300 range with good fitment. HJC is one of them IMO. But when you put on a nice helmet like an Arai, you definitely feel the difference as those thing fit most people like a glove. again, make sure that you get a helmet that fits you right. in an accident, you want proper support; your head should not be moving around in the helmet.

[niqui]

thanks lucid, thats what i am thinking, i will keep searching around, if a deal pops up, im in, but its hard to try things via web you know....
thanks for your above suggestion, my friends have similar helmets, and are very happy, its by g-force...

[niqui]

saw this, but its closed face, i want open face, so i dont pass-out

http://www.soloracer.com/zamprz5sport.html

[lucid]

Originally Posted by r53s65e90

Also keep in mind that the interior of street cars is designed for impacts with skulls and is tested for rollovers and stuff like that. So spending more money IMO will not be buying extra protection just extra coolness. Really good helmets are required in cars with hard roll cages.

Not following you here at all. Impact is impact. The more you can do to have something else other than your head (such as a helmet) absorb the energy the better. Yes, a steel bar will transfer more energy to your head than a somewhat padded pillar or roof, but the latter could still result in serious impact, and you still want to maximize the energy your helmet can absorb. Moreover, your vehicle's interior parts are not the only objects you might come into contact with in a high speed crash.

[DoNDoN]

+1 on HJC

[niqui]

hjc...ok, any particular models, there are so many and they all are described similarly.

[von_zoom]

The most important consideration is what you are attempting to protect. You can injure a leg, foot, hand, arm etc, and in the main they will mend relatively back to normal. OTOH, you knock your noggin, and it could be a crap shoot on the outcome. My advice, buy quality and protection over price. The fact you are considering buying a helmet indicates you have potential concern over your safety. Don't compromise it. Visit a shop that sells helmets, try them on, ask questions regarding the quality of this over that, and come away with a product that will afford the protection you seek, and incidently, need.
vz

[DoNDoN]

Originally Posted by niqui

hjc...ok, any particular models, there are so many and they all are described similarly.

I have this one.

HJC AR-10

[von_zoom]

You know, after re-reading this topic again, you may want to consider renting a helmet from the organizer of the event you will be participating in. If the event venue has a track shop, look into what helmets they carry, try a few on, and get a first hand feel for what you may want to buy. After you complete your track event, you can then decide if you want to continue the sport (which I think that you will), and make an intelligent decission on the helmet issue. Just a thought, good luck, and have fun.
vz