What is the best helmet?

What is the best helmet?

Criteria you consider?
Impact resistance?
Fire proof?
Abrasion resistance?
The most comfortable?
The most durable?

or whatever other criteria you may have.

Thanks, Joel

What application, drag racing, water skiing, motor cycle riding, sky diving or off road racing?

I'm not sure it's the "best" but I have a Simpson Bandit. It was a good chunk of money, but the cheek pad routinely needs readjusted, and the snout hits my nose jussssst a bit, enough to annoy me. I liked the look, but I'm not a huge fan of it. My first helmet was some clearance-priced HJC from a motorcycle shop and it was really comfortable and well made, but its cert expired.

Over the road trucking...you never can be too safe, there is a lot of bad drivers out there.


OK, just kidding, this would be for drag racing and land speed racing.

I would get the current SFI specs needed for both types of racing and go from their, I buy the best ones I can get, it They are built for protecting our brains in bad wrecks, correct

I don't know if it's "the best", but I bought a new G-Force last year that is very comfortable. I've had a variety of helmets over the years; for motorcycles my favorite is Arai, although Shoei is also top-level stuff.

I was on vacation and stopped at a speed shop in Tennessee. The counter guy brought a shopping cart full of helmets out to try on. I picked 3 or 4 then retried those back and picked the one I felt the most comfortable in.Birdtracker

Years ago I went through the whole what helmet fits saga.....I settled on the fit and comfort of Impact helmets. The one I have now will need replaced here in 25 and I will buy another.

The only thing I have ever had trouble with is the strap fraying from putting them on and taking them off so much, which a little epoxy on the end fixes right up.

Tried on many and settled on a Simpson Carbon fiber Bandit. My son has the same helmet.

I just ordered a new Impact 1320. Based on the recommendation of a friend who bought one a few years ago and likes it. And the visibility with the wide eye port. And the fact that Impact is the only helmet still made in the USA as far as I know. And I like the look, simple and clean.

Not the cheapest, but the best helmet IMO.

My head fits a little better in Shoeis, so I've had a few of them. Like you said, both are top shelf and are such quality pieces compared to most of the automotive offerings. I use the Shoei with my Plymouth as well, last I remembered I don't think a car rated helmet is needed until dipping into the 9's.

for us super slow guys, what is a good open face helmet, or don't those exist anymore ?

I have a Snell/DOT rated open face in my car. I think it's a JCB. I bought it off Amazon after my normal dealer retired.

I had the same helmet that didn't have the DOT tag on it and got bounced from Tech at RT66.

Open face ? Anything your face hits at even 30 MPH is gonna make a mess.
BTDT. I'd re-consider that idea.

I probably need a new (legal) helmet; mine must be 10 years old.
I like big eye port, something that will fit with sunglasses, with some ventilation for non-fogging.
Sprint-car buddy likes Bandits, and he's put one to use...

I don’t have much to compare against but my G Force is pretty comfortable

Did you forget you just bought a new helmet 2 years ago???

My preference is the Simpson Bandit.

The Impact 1320 is a great fitting helmet and it's Made In USA. I wore Bell open face helmets for 30 years. When I decided to go with a full face I ordered a Bell. It didn't fit well, the face shield fogged up instantly and it was made in Bahrain. I sent it back and bought the Impact. Couldn't be happier.

My buddy went to PRI with me a few years ago and walked around the place trying on every helmet there. He wears glasses and the helmet had to accommodate them. The Impact was the only one he liked. After using it a few seasons, he is still happy with it. Will have mine soon. Will report my opinion of it.

I've had Simpsons in the past, so we'll see.

How could I forget?

A tech official on Death Week informed me that it is a motorcycle helmet and not fire resistant. Plus the spots where the Nexgen fitting go have thick, non removable hard foam, so I can't mount them. So I need a new one.

I prefer a Bell. But any brand helmet that is Snell approved.

What size helmet does that big melon of yours take? You can try on my HJC if your head will fit.

I dug through the rulebook just for some clarification, and motorcycle helmets (like the RF1400 I have) are ok provided they are Snell M2015/2020 rated, with a couple exceptions. If you go 9.99 or quicker in an open bodied car with a power adder (or open bodied electric) it needs to be an SA rated helmet, not M. Pro mod, top alcohol dragster, top alcohol funny car, top fuel and funny car also all require SA rated helmets instead of M. Everything else, the M designation is ok per the rulebook.

That being said I don't know enough about the differences in helmet ratings to know which would be better if your head contacts a rollbar in an accident, as an example.

The tech said I could use it at my et, but didn't elaborate. (I was driving a 14 second car) The concerning thing to me is that he said it is not fire resistant like a helmet rated for race cars. Facial reconstruction in the burn ward is more costly than a fire resistant helmet.

I have a carbon fiber helmet from Speedway, I am sure it is made by the same people that make G-force because that is what it looks like. It is nice and light weight and fits my big melon well. Has all the appropriate ratings.

M rated helmets are rated and tested for your head hitting an object or hard surface. SA is tested and rated for having something hit you in the head. Fire rating is also included in SA as well as eye port size.

The SA standard was designed for competitive auto racing while the M standard was for motorcycling and other motorsports. The K standard was released to accommodate helmets used in karting. There are three major differences between them:

The SA standard requires flammability test while the M and K standards do not.
The SA and K standards allow for a narrower visual field than the M standard (Some SA and K certified helmets may not be street legal).
The SA and K standards include a rollbar multi-impact test while the M standard does not.

thanks for the rating clarification CM.
i learned something new that [hopefully] will protect my old noggin as good as possible, even though i'm in a super slow class. [roughly 11.90-12.50]

Yes, that rating clarification is very useful! Thank you.

When it comes to body protection clothes and devices I buy the best I can get
I do hate that the helmet industry has gotten NHRA to limit the use of helmets, seat belts and other driver safety gear base on how old they are instead of what condition they are in

How does a vented helmet prevent fire from entering the vents?

It doesn’t.

Thee SFI spec helmets with the neck socks required are probably fire resistance

That is a scary thought.
One method might be the use of a low melt temp air supply hose to self disconnect to assist with vehicle exit and also terminate any path for hot pressurized air being forced inside the helmet.
Additionally, a crash sensor electrical cutoff switch on the helmet air supply fan might be another precaution.

This got me to thinking about a new helmet, and Speedway is having a sale of sorts.
The inner liners - often Nomex, or what's called a Nomex blend - are fire-retardant, but yeah, helmet vents supply oxygen...
So, hard to quantify, but that's what head socks are supposed to do.
But those have their limits too, as anyone who knows who Niki Lauda was can tell.

Anyway, I see Speedway's selling Zamp helmets - never heard of them, but the company has a Meridian, ID address...a couple miles from my new place.
Supposedly a Euro-centric helmet maker, owned by Bell.

A few decades back at a Miami Beach hotel Niki sat down for breakfast at the adjacent table.
It was rather sobering.
I have incredible respect the man/driver.
My concern with supplied air helmets is not so much fire, as it is breathing superheated air into the lungs, which a head sock cannot prevent.

Some say they have liners of nomex and some have liners of EPS. What is EPS? The EPS that I know of is expanded polystyrene foam. But that couldn't be a liner, the liner is cloth right?

I was looking at the impact 1320 on their website. You can pay extra to get your helmet with NextGen mounts on it. But I couldn't figure out if you don't buy them next-gen mounts, if the threaded inserts are already in there. I suppose I'll have to call them.

By all means call them, but I believe most upper end helmets have the area reinforced and the screw inserts already installed, which makes a lot of sense rather than run the risk of the buyer yanking out the liner/padding and drilling holes.
The EPS is basically Styrofoam, covered by fabric (nomex?). The padding is best if it does not rebound, causing more brain injury, and helmets in hard hits are one time use.

If you wreck a car at an NHRA race, two things happen immediately. They pull the cert sticker off the chassis and they pull the Snell sticker out of the helmet.

Does the driver first get to take his helmet off?

I did not know that.

edit: In further reflection taking off the chassis cert I can understand, but delabeling my helmet starts to be an issue, unless that is agreed to in some small print somewhere in advance. Not being able to prove a helmet was Snell approved post crash post Snell tag removal. seems to be problematic for me,

Looks like all SA 2015 and SA2020 helmets are required to have the M6 threaded holes pre-installed for the Hans device.

I think I'm going to go with the Impact 1320. I've heard only good about it, and I like that it is made in the USA. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

Purpose is to prevent it from being used going forward. Or at least passing tech. NHRA can confiscate anything. Read the rule book. Ask Matt Smith. Just how it is.








Lead time is over a month. Don't wait until a week before you need it.

Speedway has my size and color choice in stock, so I ordered it this morning. I already have a tracking #. Jegs is cheaper, but neither Jegs or Summit had it in stock, I would have to wait weeks. Hopefully, I'm going to Sick Week in a few weeks, so I didn't want to risk an extended wait time.

My Impact 1320 just arrived.

Very nice. Very, very nice. Removable cheek pads. Fits like a glove. Good peripheral vision. Able to get glasses on. Beautiful fit and finish. Made in USA.

Well worth the price and the wait. Very happy with that purchase.

My list of criteria would be (if I didn’t have a cheap head! 🤣🤣)
1) fit
2) weight

The less weight you have flailing around attached to your head the better.

Carbon fiber, but, $$$$$$

I got my new Impact 1320 in time to use it on Sick Week. It had the m6 threads to mount the Hans stuff. I'm very pleased with it.

Carbon fiber!

I see that you got your helmet but I wanted to add for anyone that maybe reads this in the future I have a Racequip Helmet and really like it. It's comfortable and is snug unlike some other helmets I've had in the past.

I recently bought a Simpson CF helmet on their clearance sale. It seems like a pretty good helmet. It fits well and I like the lighter weight. The price was good IMO.
https://www.holley.com/products/safety_equipment/helmets/helmets/venator/parts/785005C

Last couple helmets for me have been Impact.

They fit tight enough and are still comfortable.