PatentedS2k

I want to buy a helmet for auto crossing this season and dont want to spend a ton. My brother has a Scorpion helment for his bike. He says he really likes it and and doesn't know why it wouldn't work as an auto cross helmet. Does anyone have any opinions on this? Is there any difference between a motoycycle helment and one suitable for auto cross?

The following is a link to a review of the helmet I am considering:
Scorpion helmet review

Thanks,
Colin

Matt_in_VA

I have an opinion on this. I was in the motorcycle industry for fourteen years and sold thousands of helmets during that time. For three of those years I was the National Sales Manager for the Motorsport Division of Bell Helmets back in the early 80's.

IMO, for Auto Crossing you should be OK with this motorcycle helmet. If you were tracking your car then I would change my opinion. In either case, it is my opinion that one should always buy a Snell Foundation approved helmet, as IMO the DOT standard is the minimum standard.

The difference between an "M" (Motorcycle) Snell approved helmet and an "SA" (Auto) approved helmet is based on two important differences in how the helmet is constructed based on the likely hood of how it will need to perform in an "accident". In the Motorcycle world (even while road racing) it is unlikely that the helmet will experience multiple impacts to the same spot on the helmet as when a rider gets "spit off" they most often slide and tumble. There is little risk of fire (unless one is Mark Brellsford at the Daytona 200 back in 1973)

A link to an incredible photo can be found here:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame...opage.asp?id=32

On the other hand an Snell "SA" approved helmet for competitive autosports has two major design differences. The first and IMO the most important is that considering that one is strapped into a seat and is (hopefully) going to stay there, it has a different shell designed to withstand multiple impacts to the same location (typically the roll bar) and the second is a flame retardant material in the lining in case of fire. The real protection from fire is from a Nomex balaclava that should be worn but the material typically used in motorcycle helmets are designed to help wick perspiration away from the head and are usually made from material that will melt.

More information about the Snell Foundations testing standards can be found here:

http://www.smf.org/

e3opian

Great information Matt! :thumpup: Thanks for posting this..

-Aaron

PatentedS2k

Matt,

Thanks a bunch for the post. Do you (or anyone else) have any favorites among the SA2005 helmets? Any preferred brands/models? I plan on doing a few auto crosses and maybe a FATT at Summit Point some day and would like to have my own helmet, but dont want to spend a ton. Obviously I understand the importance of a helmet, but would a $600 helmet provide much of an advantage over an entry-level model for use in an auto cross?

bighead

I would get a SA2000 helmet... they are still good under all governing bodies (scca, etc) and are on closeout since the 2005 ratings have come out.

http://www.ogracing.com and http://www.thebellstore.com are good places to find one.

Matt_in_VA

IMHO, in a word: NO.

I would not recommend a helmet that is not Snell approved. Some tracks will not allow M rated helmets so be advised of that. Furthermore, some only allow two generations helmets with the latest Snell sticker and one generation before it. Not two generations old. So, I believe that you are better off with an SA approved helmet because of the multiple impact protection that an M rated shell will not provide.

Historically, the difference in the higher end helmets and the level of protection that they can provide is based on several things. The thickness in the fibreglass shell itself, the type of resin used to laminate it, the thickness of the polystyrene liner and the bead size used. A larger bead for lower speeds and a smaller bead for higher speed helmets.

IMO, with the relatively slow speeds at an auto cross an entry level SA Snell approved helmet should be fine. It you serious about tracking the car and will be at risk at triple digit speeds then I would suggest investing in a higher performance helmet. Like the old Bell slogan says: If you have a $10 head wear a $10 helmet.

For FCT04 I needed a new helmet (as my M rated helmet was out of date). I got lucky and found a Pyrotect that had been mismanufactured at the Bell Store. They accidently put an M cloth interior in an SA rated shell. Because of the lack of fire protection they could not put an SA Snell sticker in it. So, I would up with the best of both worlds: The perspiration absorbtion of a motorcycle interior with the multiple impact protection of an SA shell at a great price.

P.S. I was a tried and true Bell fan for years, as I truely believed they were the best helmet made. Before the company was sold back in 1984 in it's thirty year history Bell had NEVER lost a product liability lawsuit for producing a faulty product. Even the raw materials where impounded and tested for quality assurance before the materials where released to manufacturing. It is my opinion that the new owner changed how the company did business and got away from the process in the interest of profits. For example, the fibreglass shells where no longer hand laid using a cross cut method alternating each later at 90*, they went to machince bag molding using pieces of fibreglass not sheets, etc.

With all of that stated: IMO I don't think that you could go wrong with a Snell Approved helmet from Arai, Bell, Simpson or Shoei.