SA2000 Helmet for Miata - Full or Open Face?

JonathanEvans · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2004 3:45 pm

Looking to stop the vicious cycle of renting helmets from OG Racing (great guys) and actually pony up the dough for a new helmet of my own before the Feb VIR event.

Is there any race/event/club/class/car that would not allow an SA2000 open face helmet? More specifically, TT and driving events, spec miata and BMWCCA events.

I'll probably race with the top down most times with the miata (I think) just for visibility issues. Is an open face better or worse? I'm guessing it's cold in the winter, but much cooler in the summer.

As far as protection is concerned, is there a big difference at miata speeds? Even though I hope I never leave the cockpit in a crash, Am I taking a risk with an open face?

Is it obvious that I don't have much motorcycle experience?

Thanks
Jonathan Evans
'92 miata
'95 M3

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2004 4:18 pm

Quote:

As far as protection is concerned, is there a big difference at miata speeds

I wouldn't look at it from a speed aspect. Look around you cockpit and see what you want your face smashing into. Hopefully your harness won't fail, but supposedly it did fail for Earnhardt.

I've always heard motorcycle riders and racers say to dress for the crash first then comfort.

Just my $.02.

Joseph Volk · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2004 5:22 pm

I was talking to one SM guy at summit who was talking about having his shield open one click. Well anyway a piece of debris got kicked up hit his mirror, got past the window netting, and still managed to make it paast the shield that was almost closed. That answers the question for me. Depth perception is a good thing, and it requires 2 eyes.

AndersGreen · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2004 5:55 pm

I have an open faced helmet. I use it for a couple of reasons, most of which are probably not applicable to you:

1) The car is often sideways. I need to look out the side windows sometimes. As you can see from the picture below, looking sideways is not a problem with the big opening.

2) I sometimes need to talk to my codriver. Yes, we have in-helmet intercoms. And with the pounding a rally car takes, they sometimes fail.

3) Rally cars race with the windows up. (We are not concerned with corner workers getting to us quickly: there are no corner workers. We are concerned about getting poked by a branch or thrown up rocks/dirt.)

I wouldn't worry about the heat. You'll be pumped enough about racing to not notice it. I've run in the middle of summer with an overheating engine and the interior heat on full in South Carolina, and it didn't bother me while on course.

Diane Hall · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2004 6:20 pm

For me, if I was to go chin/nose first into the steering wheel, I'd much prefer to have a helmet covering that chin/nose. Yes, even in Miatas. (~120 MPH going into the breaking zone for T1 at VIR if I nail HogPen. Not the fastest car out there by far, but I still don't want my head hitting anything hard at that speed without a helmet covering it.)

Perhaps this goes back to my mother having her nose ripped off by a steering wheel when I was a kid. (Yes, the doctors sewed it back on.)

Ultimately it's personal preference on what you buy.

Good luck with your decision, and see you at VIR.

Mark Vitacco · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2004 11:32 pm

I am not aware of any Marque Club or group doing HPDE that
Mandate a close face helmet. Only trend I am aware of is to
migrate to SA spec.

I strongly recomend a closed face helmet.

Many models have such
large eye openings (such as the Simpson Voyager) that wearing
glasses and vision is a non issue.

JonathanEvans · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2004 4:20 pm

Thanks gang, for the sometimes graphic images of what could happen with an open faced helmet. I think I may start shopping for closed faced helmets...

Thanks
Jonathan Evans

Joseph Volk · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2004 4:27 pm

Besides, you've got to love being able to run the smoked shield at VIR in the late/early season when the sun stays low enough that you will be driving into it at some point on the track.

gary kole · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2004 6:18 pm

try the new g force hybrid if you want the feel of an open with the protection of a full.

Marvin McBride · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2004 9:45 pm

I enjoyed the dickens out of running my street Miata at speed with the top down - but it's mostly about the "feel" of an open car. In the category of "once bitten, twice shy," I once had a partially latched top blow back on me on I-40 at 65 mph, and have always been leary of something similar happening at 120 mph. I have run with the convertible top up, as well, in rain, or when required by the sanctioning body of the event. There's really no significant difference to speak of regarding visibility. Top speed is higher with the soft top up rather than down, and faster still with the hardtop. Other than in Feb, you're hot no matter what, and for the 30 min you're on track at one time, open face vs. closed face helmet's not really an issue (the fire suit is a much bigger contributor to overheating.)

As far as open face vs. closed face helmet, I initially got an open-faced helmet for autox - it was a little cheaper, and probably a little cooler. However, once I got on track, I went to the closed-face helmet: much more protection for my jaw in a crash, some more protection for my neck (with a collar), and with the face shield down, a few more seconds of fire protection. Hopefully, you'll never need either, but if you're buying your first helmet, and you're going on track, I'd sure go with the closed face style.

Mark Vitacco · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2004 10:35 pm

A piece of THSCC history !

Someone mentioned Rob Miles of EMRA in the signature. After he moved
to the Triad area he hooked up with our club and CarGuys for a while.
Believe it or not, Rob Miles was a consultant on the origional Time Trial
Managment team. Rob actually ran pit out, launching the cars, as
he did so many times at Bridehampton, at VIR-S in April 2000, the
first club event run at that venue.

Lost track of him soon after that. SOme members of THSCC also
had dealings with the LaBarbara's- another nut case that briefly compaigned a Trans Am Mustang and got on TV every time he
was lapped by Ron Fellows. THSCC, EMRA, there is a common
thread here, most of us are "not right"

I know this has nothing to do with helmets but that thread has been
done to death.

We had an inncident at GarGUys,. not all that long ago, the last
year Kenely ran it, that which pretty much settled the open face/
close face helmet issue:

Deer came through winshield and hit
instructor in the face at the vicinity of pit out at Summit
at or near terminal speed. Actually it was a pack of three cars,
deer cleared first car, hit A Pilor of second car was cut
in two. Half the dear struck winshield of third car hitting
instructor square in the face, broke seat and knocked him
against rear seat. Instructor had an open face helmet.

He lived but needed several operations. Novice
or near novice student driver, to their credit, kept control of the car and stopped near a worker station. I still get shivers when I
think about it.

JonathanEvans · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2004 10:33 am

Thanks again for the opinions and stories that have convinced me to go closed face.

I hadn't even thought of foreign objects entering the car at speed. Yikes.

-Jonathan

Diane Hall · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2004 10:59 am

Mark Vitacco wrote:

A piece of THSCC history !

Someone mentioned Rob Miles of EMRA in the signature. ...

Lost track of him soon after that. SOme members of THSCC also
had dealings with the LaBarbara's- another nut case that briefly compaigned a Trans Am Mustang and got on TV every time he
was lapped by Ron Fellows. THSCC, EMRA, there is a common
thread here, most of us are "not right"

Rob is working in NY and he and his lady just bought a house in NJ.

Rich and Linda are also in NJ. No longer campaigning the TransAM. Linda was my very first track instructor (at Watkins Glen). She was great. Rich also rode a session with me. He was the first instructor I spun (toe of the boot). He took me for a ride in Linda's car (>500hp mustang) and blew a tire going into Turn 1, and by the time we got back to the pits, he'd flat-spotted her RIM. She wasn't all that pleased about that. Ahhh... the memories. Seen them several time over the years crewing for the TransAM races or at Car Guys (years ago). Fun people.

K2 and Tom keep up with all of them regularly, if you are ever curious about how they are doing.

David Spratte · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2004 3:00 pm

Mark Vitacco wrote:

Novice
or near novice student driver, to their credit, kept control of the car and stopped near a worker station. I still get shivers when I
think about it.

Full face helmet on the driver I take it?

gary kole · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2004 4:24 pm

yes its a y in there. diane, rob told me to look you up a while ago. rob and i go a ways back. he codrove my itb car in some enduros (yes i am certifiable i know). we are best buds, talk several x's a week. he'll probably come down to summit to meet me for a test day in april. he's got a spec miata now (well it used to be the street car). jean's a great lady and rob a few weeks ago "popped the ?". yes, he's getting married again.

[edited by Diane for removal of personal health info the person may not want on the internet]

i'll look for you at vir. as we type rob is on the phone vowing to infiltrate this forum, and then hunt some of you down.

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SA2000 Helmet for Miata - Full or Open Face?

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