I'm going to kit myself out at the autosport show in january and have been flicking through the theiving Tweeks catalogue trying to get a rough idea of want i want. I know i should spend as much as i can afford, especially on the helmet (unfortunetly my top of the range Arai bike helmet will not do as i had it inspected by a marshal at Combe). I have set a limit of £1k for the entire set up (helmet, suit, gloves, boots, underwear). I will obviously try them all on to try and find what fits me best, especially the helmet, but has anyone got any recomendations???

well obviously I'll recommend my new helmet its got 5-stars in the new tests and its carbon

see my linky

also here's the testing site linky

[Edited on 16/12/08 by Mr Whippy]

That looks awesome, but unfortunetly its a bike helmet and i need a car helmet (tests are different and they have a wider opening). Some bike helmets would be OK, my old Arai should be but isn't due to one of the stickers missing, so i don;t want to risk buying something that won't pass!

hmm yeah I don't think it has the sticker on the back for motor sport use that my old one did. But that testing site makes interesting reading, there's a video at the bottom too but my work machine won't play it...

I've got an arai tour X3 (see avatar)

it's the same one as ewan and charlie use on the long way round but with the off road peak removed & a tinted visor = mean looking helmet... The visor is reasonably wide (compared to some sports/bike helmets) and it has the gold ACU sticker on the back...

Bought it a year ago at the bike show for 185 (should have been 250) and managed to blag a tinted visor for £20 instead of £50...

Just a thought

Hi

There is a few considerations to take into account with a new helmet. The main one is that now that Ireland has made HANS devices compulsory for 2009 onwards it will be coming to the UK soon for sure IMHO.

Now it used to be that you could buy the HANS clips and have them fitted by approved installers Ie Tweeks GPR etc. But the regulations have changes and as far as i know only the manufacturer is now allowed to fit the clips to the helmet. Despite tweeks still selling the clips. The helmet will have stickers inside to prove who has fitted the clips to the FIA std etc.

Which means that if having a new helmet it has to be worth having one with the clips already fitted even if not as yet using a HANS device.
Only other consideration is that in these sorts of open top cars it is well worth having one with a chin spoiler. It help prevent helmet lift at speeds approaching 135mph. Hence i am looking for a new helmet

Cheers Matt

Ps There is a difference between bike and car helmets when it comes to MSA/FIA conformity. Probably best if the discussion is kept to CAR helmets to save any confusion.

Cheers matt, I see that some of the helmets are being sld with hans clips holes predrilled, would this be ok, or shall i just tak ethe hit now and buy one with hans clips fitted?

was looking at the bell K1 sport,
http://www.gprdirect.com/OnlineShop/Product.do?c=35&g=230&p=3432

but obviously all this is irrelavent until i try it on. No doubt the only one that will fit well will b ethe Arai GP5!!

GPR are offering 15% off everything, plus there is a sale rail with a range of suits.

Lico UK "Stuart Jones Rally"will do you a deal on racewear.

Helmet wise, Aria GP5. Its silly not to.

quote:

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Originally posted by simes43
GPR are offering 15% off everything, plus there is a sale rail with a range of suits.

Lico UK "Stuart Jones Rally"will do you a deal on racewear.

Helmet wise, Aria GP5. Its silly not to.

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The suppliers are not immune from the slow down. There maybe deals around at the show, however, they usually only have the latest lines which they will be offering 10% max.

If you can get across to GPR at Silverstone they maybe open to a deal or two.

quote:

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Originally posted by simes43
The suppliers are not immune from the slow down. There maybe deals around at the show, however, they usually only have the latest lines which they will be offering 10% max.

If you can get across to GPR at Silverstone they maybe open to a deal or two.

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This looks like a great deal for a low cost (or Locost) crash helmet

If I was in the market for a new lid, I'd be looking at one of these.....


Image deleted by owner

PS I'm not on a comission

quote:

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Originally posted by blackie
This looks like a great deal for a low cost (or Locost) crash helmet

If I was in the market for a new lid, I'd be looking at one of these.....


Image deleted by owner

PS I'm not on a comission

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not on comission too, but i bought sparco ADV circuit and its perfect.


[Edited on 16/12/08 by antonio]

not sure I would want my head protected by the lowest quote.............

Hi
price seems to have very little to do with the actual quality or standard of protection. The V2 is marketed by IKON but the manufacturer of them also has customers who supply very expensive helmets that look very very simalar. The V2 is Snell approved and meets the latest MSA standards.

Seems that IKON dont need to make as much profit as others do.

Cheers Matt

where are the IKON helmets available from, and can you get them with HANS clips?

Hi

They are only available direct from IKON. Tel number is on the add posted above. Re HANS clips they say they are looking into them. Think thats due to the new regs that stipulate who can and can not fit them.

Cheers Matt

http://www.v2sport.com/

The V2 Pro looks excellent value for money

they look amazing value!!! It just feels wrong spending that little on a helmet, but as matt says the levels of safety aren't guaranteed to be linked to the price. mmmmmmmm??

[Edited on 16/12/08 by MK9R]

quote:

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Originally posted by MK9R
they look amazing value!!! It just feels wrong spending that little on a helmet, but as matt says the levels of safety aren't guaranteed to be linked to the price. mmmmmmmm??

[Edited on 16/12/08 by MK9R]

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A cheap copy of a Bell. Nice.

If you get the chance to pick up and compare a Bell and an Aria at the Autosport, do.

It takes about 3 seconds to realise the significant difference in quality between the two companies products.

Try the US for better prices, even now, if you know someone who is going out there. I got my GP5 there and saved £400 quid.

Shops (& presumably DT) whack a big mark up on manufacturers stuff, it could be as high as 100% in some cases. So buying direct you should be able to get a much better price than for something comparable in the shops. I'm sure there are differences between Arai and Bell quality-wise, and it's up to the buyer if they feel the price difference is worth it. Personally if a helmet meets SA or UK testing standards and is MSA approved then that's the main criteria for me. I could buy a Rolex but my Citizen keeps pretty good time......

quote:

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Originally posted by General Bilko

I could buy a Rolex but my Citizen keeps pretty good time......

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HI

Dear oh dear please do not get me started on the use of SAFTEY related products being used. Espesialy in the locost championship.

Cheers Matt

Are you advocating the use of extra safety/protection equipment or the sad nonsense you hear from time to time that because it is club racing accidents dont hurt?


Over the last two seasons we have had at least three fires, numerous broken bones, drivers actually hitting armco with parts of their bodies.........................

Spend as much as you can.

I tried on as many helmets as I could get my hands on before I bought my current one. Each manufacturer seems to make them a slightly different shape and fit. Personally I liked the Arai GP5K best (good safety ratings, comfortable and the price didn't seem ridiculous - lets face it you only get one head!)

I ended up buying all of my gear (helmet, suit, boots, gloves, nomex etc) from Demon Tweaks at the Autosport show (before my first season of Locost) and they were happy to discount it all for me. In the end they paid the vat. I'm not sure if their margins are as big at the moment but there is definitely deals to be had.

Vicky
Locost 71

I raced downhill mountain biking for years, and went through at least one, sometimes two helmets per season. They have to FIT. If not, your life is miserable (cause it can move around), and obviously less well protected if you crash.

Hi,

Last year at Mallory Park I had what can be described as a minor tap against the hairpin wall, the damage to my locost was Nose cone, Steering rack, slight kink on the chassis, with a large hole in the Radiator, together with a few minor other bits...All of which are in the process of being repaired. The 2 bruises incurred where the straps pulled tight together with the injury to my neck, for which I am having weekly physio on, will in time heal ready for next year.
My wife who heard the bang while standing on the other side of the banking said " She went cold as she knew I had, had an off", so upon her insistence we have bought a new helmet with Hans Posts and a Hans device which was over £750.00 for the pair, which means I won't compete for the whole of the season, however I will be safe (as safe as motor sport can be) when I do race. Basically (in my long winded way) I am saying buy what you can afford but never go cheap thinking it can't happen to me, cos one day it might.

Andy P

cheers all, i reckon i'll end up with a GP5K, purely because when i bought my bike helmet the Arai was the best fit

Hi

Don't get me wrong here i am not for a moment suggesting that cheaper products are all you need to buy. But where do you draw the line. If a helmet has passed all the tests with flying colours that the others have and is sold cheaper purely due to the company selling it has less over heads to meet. Dose it make the product a load of rubbish.

There are many discussions currently going on in many forums regarding HANS devises and how they will save your life. But when doing some research you also hear that theres as much chance of it doing you some harm in certain circumstances. Then theres the guys who spend on a HANS and a new expensive helmet believing they are safer. But are still sat in a fiberglass seat with inadequate support with brackets that are likely to cause serious injury to the body in an accident. And have a roll cage around them thats too close to thier heads and attached too the chassis with 2 8mm bolts of inadequate shear strength in a NON approved MSA mounting desighn. Meaning that your HANS device and expencive helmet are of no real benefit in a majority of accidents.

So where do you draw the line ?.

Cheers Matt

Sorry if this post is slightly off topic.

I try and look at safety in terms of "acceptable risk" and I recognise that the levels of acceptable risk are different from person to person. For me it's acceptable to race my car but for others, simply racing at all is an unacceptable risk. I'm not sure I would think it an acceptable risk to race in the old GP cars that had fuel cells surrounding the drivers, no roll protection or seat belts but fortunately people like Fangio/Moss etc did.

Again, for me it's acceptable to race without a HANS device although I'd like one and I would/have raced without a full roll cage.

To come up with what is acceptable is a personal thing as I've said and I tend to review the risk levels constantly and weigh them up against costs/ family/likely hood of accident occuring/severity of injury occuring as a result of accident etc.

If one day I have an accident and the injuries could've been prevented by better saftey equipment then I will hopefully see that I took what I believed was an acceptable risk and not blame anyone but me.

I do however think it's important to weigh up what is acceptable to each person as we all have a choice wether to compete or not and people need to take more resposibility for their own/others saftey when on track. Sadly, alot of people seem to abdicate this responsibilty to the Stewards/rule makers/trackday organisers etc and then seek to blame them when things go wrong.