For those looking to get into more avenues of motorsports, a proper helmet is a must. Most all tracks with the exception of drag will require a specific Snell rated helmet. For drag racing you usually need a helmet only if your car pulls a 13.99 or lower ET. But of course this is only a rule of thumb as it is track dependant, some require helmets no matter how slow your car is. Otherwise if you are looking to actually drive your car in anything other than a straight line a proper helmet will likely always be required.

The Snell Memorial Foundation
quote:About the Snell Foundation

William "Pete" Snell was a popular amateur sports car race driver who was killed in a crash in 1956. He died of massive head injuries when the auto racing helmet he was wearing failed to protect his head. As a memorial to Pete, a group of scientists, physicians, racing colleagues and friends teamed together in a dedicated effort to promote research, education, testing and development of standards geared to improve the effectiveness of automotive racing helmets. Through their work, the Snell Memorial Foundation was established in 1957. The Foundation has a Board of Directors that oversee the Foundation's operations. The board is comprised of Medical Doctors and Ph. Ded research scientists and engineers, all of which have distinguished themselves in the areas of safety and/or head injury.

Today, Snell is known for its ongoing work in setting, maintaining and upgrading the most authoritative helmet standards in the U.S. and throughout the world. Snell tests thousands of helmets each year and maintains its objectivity by remaining independent of helmet manufacturers, as well as local and national governments. Its state-of-the-art testing facility is located in North Highlands California.

Helmets meeting Snell Standards provide the highest level of protection available. Snell Standards significantly surpass those set by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) and the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission's 16 CFR Part 1203



Recognized as the nationwide standard for testing and certifying helmet construction, Snell certified helmets are the ONLY helmets you should be looking at. Not just for safety, but for every automotive event where a helmet will be required, they will almost always require a specific Snell certification.



You can see from this chart all the Snell certification labels to date. For automotive applications we are concerned with the SA (Sports Application) rating. At the time of this article's creation, the current rating you'd be interested in for automotive sports activities would be SA2000. Most road courses will likely still accept SA95 and some autocross groups still accept SA90 and M rated helmets as well. There's no telling for how long your helmet will be good for though if you don't get one with a current rating.

Helmet standards are updated by the Snell Foundation every 5 years. Since SA2005 is the current standard, SA2010 will be the next standard being introduced around 2010. For competitive track use, you will likely need to keep up to date on the helmet standard. For autocross and non-competitive track use, they will usually accept the previous standards as well. Autocross groups are usually lenient enough to accept M rated helmets. But this depends solely on the club and/or track that is hosting the driving event, it is their own decision as to what helmets they will accept so best to contact event organizers beforehand if you do not have a current SA rated helmet.

quote:Why do I have to replace a helmet every 5 years?

The five year replacement recommendation is a consensus position from both the helmet manufacturers and the Snell Foundation. Glues, resins and other materials used in helmet production can affect liner materials, and general liner deterioration as a function of hair oils, body fluids and cosmetics, and normal "wear and tear" all contribute to helmet degradation. Additionally, experience indicates there will be a noticeable improvement in the protective characteristic of helmets over a five year period due to advances in materials, design and the standards. Thus, the recommendation for five year helmet replacement is a judgment call stemming from prudent safety philosophy.


When looking at helmets you can find the certification rating label either sewn inside the chin strap or a sticker placed underneath the removable comfort padding inside the helmet.

Fitting a helmet

Different helmet manufacturers generally have slightly different sizing guidelines, but here is one of the popular sizing guidelines just to give you an idea. Head circumference is measured from right above the eyebrows and around the largest portion of the head. If you are in between sizes, go up to the next largest size.

Head circumference = Helmet Size

19 3/4 in. = Child S/M
21 1/4 in. = Child L/XL
21 1/8 in. = XXS Small
21 1/4 in. = XS Small
21 5/8 in. = Small
22 3/8 in. = Medium
23 1/8 in. = Large
23 1/2 in. = XL Large
24 1/4 in. = XXL Large
24 5/8 in. = XXXL Large

NOTE: This is may or may not apply to your specific brand helmet, it is just one standard to represent a rough estimate of what you can expect as far as helmet size is concerned.

Also different heads have different shapes, so you may measure your head to fit one size while in reality it will not fit. It is recommended to try helmets on at first until you get a good idea of what size you are. Buying a helmet over the internet if you haven't tried helmets on before can be risky as you may find out your particular head shape doesn't match the size you thought you were.

When trying on a brand new helmet, realize that there is a period of "break-in" involved with the padding so if a helmet seems to fit tightly now, it will loosen up a bit later on. There are different ways to put on different helmets so try as much as you can to get the helmet on, if it feels very tight while going on don't dismiss the helmet right away as being too small.
quote:From Bell Helmets on helmet fitting

Now that you are wearing the helmet, use a mirror to look carefully at the way it fits. Check to see if the cheek pads are in contact with the cheeks. Is there excess pressure on the cheeks? Look for gaps between the temples and the brow pad.

Check the back of the helmet where the neck roll (if the helmet has one) makes contact with the neck. Does it touch at all? Or is it pushing the helmet away at the rear, causing it to roll down over the eyes in front?

After you have made your visual check, grab the helmet in your hands - one on either side - and try to rotate the helmet from side-to-side. Note any movement of the skin while doing this, as well as the amount of resistance to movement. Hold your head steady to do this.

Next check movement up and down, again noting skin movement and resistance. If in either test there was little or no skin movement, and/or the helmet moved very easily, the helmet is too large.



A properly fitted helmet will cause the skin to move as the helmet moves. And, it will feel to the wearer as if evenly distributed pressure is being continuously exerted around the head.

Now fasten the chin strap, so you can check it. After the strap has been tightly fastened, hold your head steady, and note that this test may be a little uncomfortable, but that it is very important. Reach over the top of the helmet, grabbing the bottom edge with your fingers. Then try to roll the helmet off your head. If it comes off, it is undoubtedly too large.






With that in mind hopefully you will be better able to select the right size helmet for you.

Open face vs closed face helmets

This really is a personal choice for you to make yourself. You have both open and closed face helmets available and what you get is up to you. Open face helmets are generally more comfortable and practical to use inside a closed street car with airbags. They are suitable for non-competitive and solo competitive events where crashes are rare and usually not as severe, of course anything can happen. Closed face helmets offer more protection in any case as it will cover your cheekbones, jawbones, and chin while an open face generally will not. A closed face helmet will protect you the best for that worst case scenario and should be the only option considered for wheel to wheel competitive racing.