Helmet Help

[Spuds]

So, I'm buying my first car helmet for both autocross and HDPE. I went to a retailer and tried a few entry level helmets on and wound up buying a basic G-Force Rift. Fast forward a week and I've got both a medium and a large in my possession, and a shipping label to send back (at least) one of them.

The medium size is definitely a better fit and is quite snug up top (small would probably be too small), but if I push the chin bar straight back towards my face with moderate force the helmet just pivots on my forehead and the chin bar hits my chin. I can also pull the chin bar up to cover my sight line even with the strap as tight as I can get it.

I obviously don't intend to crash, but if I were to, it seems like this might actually be worse than an open face helmet considering I have air bags and such. It feels like the cheek pads just have too much give and I need a different helmet, but I figured I would ask if this is normal?

[andys_garage]

your cheeks should be getting squeezed a little by the cheek pads. sounds like g-force isn't the right brand for you, different brands do fit differently.

[Desertnate]

Everyone's head is a little different and you just have to shop around and try on different helmets. This gets hard when, if like me, you don't have a lot of motorsports shops in your area.

From trial and error I've found HJC Motorsports SNELL SA helmets and Pyrotect helmets tend to fit me the best. I experienced the Pyrotect as a loaner at an HPDE and the HJC's on pure luck after reading an article at Winding Road and ordering one.

[Matt93SE]

What others have said. You need to find one that fits you better. Some of the mid-grade and higher end helmets have multiple sizes of replaceable cheek and crown pads that you can use to tune the fit.

The shape of my melon makes it hard to find helmets because many put a pressure point on my forehead which give me severe headaches after an hour in the car. I have a bit of an egg shaped head that's fairly long and narrow on the crown, but I also have a Dadbod-- so I have big cheeks and a double chin (hey, at least I'm honest, right? ).

I have a friend in Houston area that runs a safety gear shop, so I went and spent a couple hours trying on everything from a $279 Pyrotect to a $3500 carbon Stilo. I wound up with Simpson's Viper helmet which is one of their lower tier (but still Simpson quality).

Sooooo, best bet is to find you a shop with lots of helmets to try on. it's worth a few hours of driving to get to a place with people that know their gear and can advise you of what fits with a certain shape. Tell them your fitment issues on this G-Force and see if they can guide you to something more appropriate for your shape.

[Spuds]

Well, I called the retailer to ask about it, they seemed to think it was normal.

Maybe I should take the drive out again and show them in person... Possibly try different helmets anyway? Or maybe they are right and it's fine? Grrrrrrrrr

[soundman98]

any possibility of asking people at the upcoming HDPE event? it may be a little late at that point for that specific event, but the knowledge gained would be worth it.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by soundman98

any possibility of asking people at the upcoming HDPE event? it may be a little late at that point for that specific event, but the knowledge gained would be worth it.

Yeah autocross is first, but that's probably what I am going to do, ask someone in person to help me out. Having experimented with the provided shims a bit more tonight, I think it will work fine.

[cmiovino]

I'm with some others here. I found Pyrotect fits me well, so this time around I was able to order the same size in their newer model and it fit well.

Helmets should fit firm and tight enough that they're not flopping around on your head. Basically you should be able to the shake your head moderately and it shouldn't be flopping around. A lot of this stability comes from the cheek pads.

Try all different helmets and see what fits you best. Everyone's head and sizing is different.

[bcj]

After X hours the padding will conform more. New helmets should be quite snug, but not painful.

It's a good thing to have padding you can pull out and wash separately.
They get sweaty and sticky after X hours too.

Shell shape and padding secure points play a significant part in fitting.
I have a Shoei shaped head and have used them for years motorcycling.
My latest is a Scorpion though. They weren't a company years ago, so it's good to shop around and not be anal about brands.

[Matt93SE]

Your face should never be able to contact hard parts of the helmet with only the forces from your hands pushing on it.

If that happens, imagine what you'll encounter if you're ever in a real collision.

I would highly recommend continuing to look for better fittment.

[boxkita]

visit a motorcycle shop if you can't find a motorsports shop. You can at least check out the major manufacturers. If you have an hjc head shape, not much else is going to fit. So get the lower lever hjc helmet.

Fit should be snug. If moving your head rapidly in any direction causes the helmet to move it's too loose. Hitting the airbag with a loose helmet is a good way to get an ambulance ride.

An open face helmet only makes it easier to talk to someone. Otherwise a full face with a shield will protect the best. Wearing a head sock/balaclava (nomex or similar material) will give you a removable sweat barrier as well as protection your neck and chin in case of a fire.

if you are in street car (no cage), a simpson hybrid hans device might be worth the money (https://www.hansdevice.com/products/hybrid-pro-lite). A neck collar is useless, don't buy one or use one.

[boxkita]

Originally Posted by Matt93SE

Your face should never be able to contact hard parts of the helmet with only the forces from your hands pushing on it.

If that happens, imagine what you'll encounter if you're ever in a real collision.

I would highly recommend continuing to look for better fittment.

hitting the b pillar (what the upper end of seat belt mounts to) with a loose fitting helmet, will most likely give you a concussion. More likely you'll wake up in the ambulance an hour later wondering how you got there.