Looking for a half decent bike helmet. Anyone got any recommendations? Preferably cost less than £50.
Its only for use in the Locost and on a track day or 2. I believe that ACU Gold and the ECE certificates are enough for normal track days etc? But not
for actual motorsport?
David
go to your local bike shop and see what they have. they should be able to advise you.
I got my nitro racing helmet off ebay for less that £50 delivered. It was 90 - 100 in the shops. I went to a shop first to get the size.
IMHO by the time you need the extra safety of a premium helmet over a cheapo one in cars like ours your head probably wont be attached to yer body
anyway.
If you are going to spend alot of money get a Nomex lined comp helmet.
On a bike its a different matter though.
- Jim (Arai Giga)
Expensive helmets for bikers sounds fair enough. Im sure some expensive ones are more marketing hype than true better performance.
Helmets for weekend car drives and hobby track use, im sure, wont be subjected to the same potential abuse. I use mine to stop bugs and small stones
trying to embed themselves in my forehead. I feel confident that the possibility of needing it to stop my head from contacting the tarmac is somewhat
reduced compared to riding bikes.
If i had a bike then my thoughts would be completely reversed.
So the question is - what is a good budget helmet for open top car hobby use?
I agree you cant put a price on ya nut even if its the odd track day road use, My bike lid an Arai was £410 and when i used to race superstox i had a
simpson, even when mrs rode a 125 scooter she had a £200 lid just my thoughts.
quote:
Originally posted by CaLviNx
Hmm low cost helmets...I think my head is worth more than fify quid
Go somewhere and try em on, nothing worse than a lid that is uncomfortable or ill fitting.
Some of the cheaper ones are a pig for misting up too, look for good ventilation.
Can't agree more, good ventilation is important. Bear in mind you'll probably do most of your driving in the summer, when the sun is
beating down on your head, so don't get a matt black one!
Also go for as lightweight as you can afford (IMHO) as the cornering forces on your neck are higher in a car than on a bike. Car shouldn't lean
over as much as a bike.
If my helmet ever hits the deck, I'm really in trouble, it's there so I don't go blind, deaf or pebble dashed.
Mike
Forgot to add, try to get one with a deep chinpiece, otherwise the wind gets under the front and tries to pull the lid off, its more of a problem in a car cos your sat upright rather than head down looking up, as on a sports bike.
MPS have some twenty quidders, you can't buy a visor for a Shoei or Arai for that much. As mentioned you will only be using them for windshield not as actual protection from impact. Look here.
Cheers for all the replies guys. 
I really only want one to keep stuff out of my face. If I was buying one to ride a bike then I wouldnt hesitate to spend £250+ on a Shoei or Arai
lid.
Thanks for the links etc. Will find out my size and go from there.
Cheers,
David
you also want one for comfort,we used to sell some cheap ones for the scooter folk and they do the job but once its been on your head for 10 mins
you'll wish you'd spent the extra money.a badly fitting helmet can cause headaches and the wind noise is anough to drive you mad.for £50 you
might as well wear a box and some shades
[Edited on 12/1/06 by OX]
Apparently, the major testing difference between bike and car helmet testing is that in a car the helmet is likely to be repeatedly bounced off the
rollcage (or something near to your head), impacting the same spot on the lid. If you come off your bike it gets whacked all over but unlikely to be
hit repeatedly in one spot. I mnaged to find a Shark RSV for £90 that has both the bike 'gold sticker' and have the 'blue sticker'
(be approved to BS6658A, it's the A that's important here, if it's a green sticker it's BS6658B) , which is good enough to do
sprints/hillclimbs. Worth having a look seeing as they're out there
Aren't all helmets manufactured to a european standard for safety? If so, it should give the same level of protection whether it be £500 or £50
(If it complies with the safety standard). Whether a more expensive helmet actually exceeds those standards will only be known in the unfortunate
event of an accident.
As long as the helmet fits good, is comfortable and provides adequate ventilation, I wouldn't be too concerned whether it's £50 or £500.
There are two sets of standards from what I can tell.
Basically theres the ECE/ACU ratings and a BS rating. The BS rating is actually higher than the ACU rating.
Theres some more detail here:
http://www.bristolmc.org.uk/Reference/crash_helmets.htm
I think ECE/ACU is plenty for use in a car. But would probably invest in a BS one if I was riding a bike.
Having had a scare on the road with a rabbit, heard of several bird strikes and been lucky enough too walk away from a open top car that rolled
several times whilst clipping the top of a edge i would advise get the best you can afford, every time i think back too the incident over the edge it
sends shudders down my spine when i think what could have been, i was SO lucky a few inches lower god knows what would have happened, also its worth
upgrading the visor too a competition spec one, bits drop off cars during track days, nuts, bolts even wheel balance weights, one of these in the
clock at 100mph aint too tasty.
One very near miss like i had will make you value your head and make you think of the family you have at home.
No second chances on this one.
All I'm suggesting is that you don't always get what you pay for........ Buy an expensive helmet if thats what you want but if you're
not too concerned about the 'brand' you can save yourself a few quid and get a helmet to the same standard without the label 
Me too, by best you can afford I mean standard not name, and upgrade the visor. If one meets a standard and one exceeds it which is best ? They both carry the same sticker.
Just bought one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4604351153
Looked good, and was the right price.
Cheers for all the help/opinions,
David
Exactly the same as mine. I paid about the same. They retail at 90 - 100 in shops (or did 8 months ago). Im no expert in helmets but cant fault mine.
There are loads of vents. Occasionally i have to lift front of visor a touch to clear mist but thats only cos i dont know what im doing with vents
(wasnt as bad when i cleaned with RainX).
Well done. You will be happy with it im sure.
got my dad one of them nitro helmets, seem more than good enough for the job and pretty comfy too, worn it myself a time or 2 when i've had the
linings out of mine for cleaning.
HJC imo are very good value, gone through a few helmets trying to find a comfy one then bought a AC-11 and fell in love! oh and it's got a cool
colour scheme too
My local bike shop has Nitros at £39.99. I paid £100 for my Premier carbon/kevlar for bike use, nice and light.
Got it today...
Nice and comfy, well made and has a removeable lining as well.
That'll do me. Will get its first proper try out on Saturday, off out for a blast in our Formula SAE car 
David
PS Before anyone says anything, I know tinted visors are illegal for road use, but I couldnt resist 
Rescued attachment NV800 helmet.jpg
quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
There are two sets of standards from what I can tell.
Basically theres the ECE/ACU ratings and a BS rating. The BS rating is actually higher than the ACU rating.
Theres some more detail here:
http://www.bristolmc.org.uk/Reference/crash_helmets.htm
I think ECE/ACU is plenty for use in a car. But would probably invest in a BS one if I was riding a bike.
quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
Got it today...
Nice and comfy, well made and has a removeable lining as well.
That'll do me. Will get its first proper try out on Saturday, off out for a blast in our Formula SAE car
David
PS Before anyone says anything, I know tinted visors are illegal for road use, but I couldnt resist
All the info that I could find was on bike use, and they all say that tinted visors are illegal for use on the road in the UK. The visor I got was a
proper Nitro one and complies with all the BS impact testing.
No idea on car use. But as you say, you are allowed to wear sunglasses, so why not tinted visors? There is no requirement for head protection in
open-topped cars, so maybe the rule doesnt apply. That would be my argument if stopped for wearing a tinted visor. But obiviously its a bit of a grey
area...
David
To be compliant with the law, a bike visor has to meet a BS (BS 4110) and also allow a certain amount of light through it (I think its about the 50%
mark). Some tinted visors are road legal, mirrored or black are not.
Sunglasses are not illegal when riding a bike if they allow more than about 20% through, same applies to visor inserts. Quite why anyone would want
to ride with glasses on out of choice is beyond me, Id rather have nothing in such close proximity to my eyes which could end up right in there in
even the smallest of accidents.
Im not entirely sure the legality of wearing a black visor in a car. I certainly intend to, and I suppose if senor plod has a go, you can always take
the lid off and continue on your merry little way. The chances of the average bobby knowing the law on this one is slim anyway (not meant as a slur
on those who protect and serve).
If your concerned, either get a tinted, road legal one, carry the clear legal one with you to change or use a removable visor tint which sticks on the
inside and can be removed in seconds.
As for the debate of good vs cheap. I see both sides of the argument. If its intended as nothing more than to stop debris smacking you in the face
at motorway speeds, then any helmet will do. If however you want more and you envisage a time when your heed may contact another part of the car,
then a more expensive version would be justified. For me, in the past I have had nothing but Arai on the bike and Peltor/Sparco in the car. I did
that as my heads squishy insides are fairly useful from time to time and I couldnt put a price on it.
Another option, if I was intending to spend circa £400 on an Arai, Id rather get one which I can use in motorsport, as the Arai/Shoei bike lids dont
comply with new blue book regs. If you have no intention of ever competing, then that option isnt for you.
However, I see nothing wrong with getting a middle of the road (Id personally avoid cheap polycarb lids having seen 2 of them crack clean in half down
the seam) helmet for around the £100 mark. There are hundreds of them around which are possibly end of line or last years models. My local bike
dealer does Suomy Gunwinds for 99 quid in a variety of colours and sizes, their only crime to mean theyre sold a 1/3 of the RRP is they are out of
date models/colours.
Another case of horses for courses, but I think a dash of reality and risk assesment comes into it,
Cheers
Richie
[Edited on 18/1/06 by RichieC]
Is it just a style thing, or are you after glare reduction?
If just glare why not have a clear visor and wear sunglasses? While I've had some limited success discussing why I hadn't broken the law
(with a dog handler FWIW ) I'd persoanally prefer to avoid the hassle in the first place.
Its to scare old ladies, nothing I think works better than a simpson bandit and black visor
FWIW The Nitro helmet I got is Fibreglass, not polycarb. Its covered in stickers around the back, ACU (BMS), ECER etc. Weight its 1540g according to
the sticker on the back.
As for the black visor, its more a style thing I guess, but it should be good for glare reduction in the summer as well. I wear glasses anyway, and
somewhere I have a pair of prescription sunglasses, though they are a bit out of date now! I have got a clear visor as well, as all helmets are
supplied with clear ones in the UK, not with tinted/mirrored etc.
David
Sorry mate, I was meaning polycarb lids in general, not yours. A mate has a Nitro for arsing about on our mini motos and it seems fine.
Rich
Totally agree.....
white Simpson bandit with black visor.
Ever tried taking sunglasses off while moving?....whooosh gone! Black visor is the best bet unless it's dark that is, then a clear one is a good
idea if you like seeing where you are going
You could always get a Caberg helmet - most come with a built-in secondary dark visor that's lowered by pulling a lever on the side. Very
convenient. You can get a double-glazed clear visor to go with it, as well.
Trouble is - they're just a wee bit more than £50.
David
Helmets being put to good use. Nice and comfy and doesn't even steam up a bit. (Was a little chilly out on Saturday (see pic)!) Highly
recommended by me anyway
David
Rescued attachment In car 2sm.JPG
Only slightly relevant, and probably even less interesting, but..... I had heard that one of the main differences between bike and car helmets was the fact that the car lining/insides had to be more fire retardant than bike one.....makes sense I guess...
Not covered so far in this thread is the noise factor haveing used Bell helmets in the past which were superb for wind noise I bought a AGV helmet last year (they must be good Ago used to wear one) only to find the noise from the visor is appalling. As you don't find this out until its too late to change it. I would urge your to find somebody with the model you like and ask them about wind noise.