Entry level suit and helmet/comm setup?

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deaner
Yeah not sure if I could pull off the yellow suit haha!

My pride, fashion sense, etc. are worth a lot less than $200, so I pulled the trigger.

My wife says that once I start winning events and am having my picture taken (for the adoring masses, I assume?) outside the car, I'll have to get a new suit in a different color.

I'm guessing I wear out the suit before that happens.

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KF7RWG
http://www.utahrallygroup.com

My rally helmet is a Peltor, but I have a Bell M4 that I use for the track, and occasionally as a loaner helmet for codrivers.

The M4 is theoretically designed to add a headset. What that really means is that the styrofoamy stuff inside has cutouts in it so that you can stuff small earpieces in the sides and a mic in the chinbar, and tuck some of the wiring in too. In practice, only really small headsets will fit - like the Terraphone one. The Peltor headset has gigantic earpieces and a gigantic mic and really just doesn't fit. The other problem is that since they tuck in behind the foam, you don't get good ear covering, so you don't get the noise reduction of the integrated Peltor earcups.

I need to get a new rally helmet at the end of the year - my Peltor is expiring - and the only ones I'm considering are another Peltor or a Stilo. My problem is that I know I'm going to be using this helmet for hours (and years) and I would like to try one on first. I don't know of any local race shops that have either in stock, and I can't seem to find an online dealer that will allow me to keep returning them until I find one that fits properly.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

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hoche
I need to get a new rally helmet at the end of the year - my Peltor is expiring - and the only ones I'm considering are another Peltor or a Stilo. My problem is that I know I'm going to be using this helmet for hours (and years) and I would like to try one on first. I don't know of any local race shops that have either in stock, and I can't seem to find an online dealer that will allow me to keep returning them until I find one that fits properly.

I'm in the same boat, except this would be my first Peltor/Stilo. I've been emailing back and forth with Bryan from Rocky Mountain Autosports, a couple posts above, and he mentioned there's no charge to return a helmet that doesn't fit. He also offered to send 2 different sizes and I could just return the one that didn't fit.

I should have mentioned Sparco has a 1-layer suit called the Driver for $150. Click on the link and check it out.
Bryan Short
Rocky Mountain Autosports, Inc.
www.rm-autosports.com
bshort@rm-autosports.com

There is a new Sparco that comes with Peltor built in, or for $200 less you can get the same helmet without the intercom. I bought that one with the intention of moving my Peltor stuff into the new helmet but alas the XL was much too small. With is $1k, without it $800. Or close enough to not matter. I bought a $300 Bell instead. Intercoms are for poofs.

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Grant Hughes

OK, can someone in plain English explain to me the difference between a 1000$ and a 200$ helmets both of which have the same rating? Have there been any documented cases where cheaper helmets been shown to be inferior in terms of safety to the more expansive ones?

Thanks,

Klim

I very much doubt you will find "documented cases" to answer your question. That research, if it's even done, would not be published.

What's the difference between a $1000 paint job for your car, and a $200 paint job? Both change your car color to red.

What's the difference between $1000 brakes and $200 in spare parts from the junkyard? Both will stop your car from 60 mph on the highway.

Anders

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

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Anders Green
I very much doubt you will find "documented cases" to answer your question. That research, if it's even done, would not be published.

What's the difference between a $1000 paint job for your car, and a $200 paint job? Both change your car color to red.

What's the difference between $1000 brakes and $200 in spare parts from the junkyard? Both will stop your car from 60 mph on the highway.

Anders

That's the thing, I can usually explain exactly (or at least try) why those two paint jobs are different. This is even truer for the brakes example, weight, pad area, diameter, vent style, cross drilled/slotted/solid, etc, etc. However, I have never seen anywhere a report/write-up that would explain what engineering solutions for safety are present in 1000$ helmets that are absent in 200$ ones. My naive take on it is that if they are the same rating, in terms of safety they are the same, and the differences come in in terms of weight, comfort, material. But I wonder if that's a wrong way of thinking.

Klim

It's not the wrong way of thinking, it's just not getting all the way there. Just for instance, say the minimum breaking strength of a climbing rope to be certified is 2000 lb. All certified ropes should be engineered and built to provide a 2000 lb breaking strength. That doesn't mean some more expensive ropes might not be designed to not break under 10,000 pounds of pressure, but since the testing regime only certifies to 2000, they have the same certification.

The other difference is in material cost. The $1000 helmet is probably made from unobtainium. it's nearly always lighter than the $200 helmet. An argument could be made that the lighter helmet is safer, or at least less fatiguing.

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bknblk2
It's not the wrong way of thinking, it's just not getting all the way there. Just for instance, say the minimum breaking strength of a climbing rope to be certified is 2000 lb. All certified ropes should be engineered and built to provide a 2000 lb breaking strength. That doesn't mean some more expensive ropes might not be designed to not break under 10,000 pounds of pressure, but since the testing regime only certifies to 2000, they have the samecertification.

I see your point. Again, I guess I just never saw any sort of non speculative examination/documents showing that expensive helmets exceed the specs, can withstand or protect from loads that are much higher than cheaper ones. And one would think that if a manufacturer of the expensive helmet has evidence their is indeed safer, they would present it on their website to convince blokes like me to pay 5x for their helmet.

I don't want to derail the discussion, but am genuyly curious about this point. I rented my last safety equipment and also am looking to buy a starter package, and with the wide spread of prices and arguements like "you only got one head so buy the best, ie 1000$ helmet" havents seen any actual facts supporting the notion that expensive helmets are safer.

Klim

are there any $200 helmets that include com gear and hearing protection?

probably wont find graphs of figure about a peltor or stilo being more effective in a crash, but no doubt they are more comfortable and work better.

My experience is that higher priced helmets are better quality, fit better, have more comfortable and longer lasting liners, are on the lighter side, may include perks like vents, velcro on chip strap and Hans nuts [SAH2010]. If none of that matters to you (or your wallet) just remember that the Snell tests are specific, controlled laboratory tests. See http://www.smf.org/testing. Real world impacts can poke holes [figuratively] in lab testis. So look for a brand that has been around for as long as possible. We encourage you do-it-your-selfers to get an inexpensive Bell and add Stilo or Peltor electronics for a under $400 setup. One more thing, be careful with used helmets. Once a helmet has done its job and protected a head from an impact it does not "reset". Even though the shell may look fine the impact absorption material inside the helmet is spent and will not protect its user next time.

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mulik52
And one would think that if a manufacturer of the expensive helmet has evidence their is indeed safer, they would present it on their website to convince blokes like me to pay 5x for their helmet.

I don't want to derail the discussion, but am genuyly curious about this point.

Any such document would eventually be part of a law suit, entered as evidence for some other injury.

Anders

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

a good read: http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2012/10/31/nascar-drivers-racing-helmets-preference.html

Does anyone have experience with these helmets or intercom systems?

http://blackarmorhelmets.com/collections/all

Seems like a product geared to bridge the gap between the Bell/G-Force and Stilo/Peltor price points.