Planet 9

I want to buy a racing helmet for DE and Auto-X events and was told to go to Frey's Racing but both of their numbers are disconnected. Does anyone have any other suggestions on where I can buy a racing helmet in the Bay Area? I was told to look for a SA2000 Helmet.

Thanks
ECP

Try Wine Country Motorsports

Get an SA2005 helmet, because SA2000 will be rendered obselete by the SA2010 standard next year, and most event won't allow any but the current and immediately superceded standards.

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Simon
Another Brit in Delaware

With a closed car, is it better to have a closed- or open-face helmet? I've heard that in a closed car with airbags, an open-faced helmet is the way to go. True?

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Simon's is a good referral. Now that the Bell distributor has moved from Oakland to Oregon, Winecountry is about the last place in the Bay Area with a large stock where you can actually try on multiple helmets to see how they feel and fit. It's at Sears Point (nee, Infinion) raceway near Sonoma. He is also right about the spec. - get an SA2005.

I would think exactly the opposite - if an airbag went off in my face, I'd much rather have a full-face helmet on. Another thing to consider - in a high speed shunt, if you hit something and cme to a very abrupt stop, making your very heavy helmeted head jerk forward, the chin part of a full face helmet will hit your sternum, keeping your head from travelling forward as much as an open-face helmet would - not a replacement for a HANS device, but better than an open faced helmet, imo.

brad

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22-year PCA Member
PCA DE Instructor

Open or closed? I wear glasses and i know in the past I've had a problem with my glasses fogging up in hot weather on the track (in Wisconsin where the humidity is worse than CA). I would imagine this could bea worse problem with a closed helmet.

Thanks all for your feedback
ECP

Another upside of a closed-face helmet is that with open windows (required in most DEs), the closed model will protect you much better from any stones or chunks of rubber that are kicked up by the car in front.

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Simon
Another Brit in Delaware

check out the Bell S2R; kindof a happy medium full-face for closed cars.

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'06 Cayman S
'65 Chevy C10
'61 Tbird

I was interested in finding out more about SA2010 and found this:

RacingHelmetGuide.com: Snell SA2010 Helmet Announcement

How long will SA2005 helmets be good for? I'm looking into getting an Arai and don't want to drop that kind of money if it's goes obsolete after a couple years.

+1 Wine Country Motorsports

they also give a PCA member discount. fun store right by a track too, with lots of different helmets to try on.

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Livermore Performance has Bell and Aria in stock, Niello Porsche in Rocklin has Sparco helmets in stock. Wine Country is as good as stated above also.

Regarding helmets and airbags: An issue for cervical spine injury can occur when a helmet has any protrusion (read: visor in the open position). The airbag deplyment can force the head back if it catches the open visor.