Best Racing Helmets

Some people will only buy their helmets by their looks. You should first ponder some essential characteristics like the safety a helmet can provide or the experience while wearing it such as the comfort or venting. It’s okay if you are a bit lost or overwhelmed by the number of helmets on the market: we are here to help.

After extensive research, we’ve decided that the best karting helmet on the market is the HJC AR10 III (link to check the price here). This is not the best helmet on the market per se but the one with the best quality-price ratio. To sum it up: it looks great, it is Snell approved which means it is very safe, it is comfy, nicely vented and not that expensive. It has a nice visor and it is made with composite polycarbonate, making it hard, protective and light. Lastly, HJC designed this helmet to suit as many head shapes as possible. Overall, a very good helmet.

You should not buy the cheapest helmets on the market as they often fall short of expectations. Rather, try to find the most qualitative helmet for its price. Like the HJC AR10 III for instance.

If you are not sure how to start your helmet hunt we got you covered.

What To Look For in a Helmet

There are many things to consider when buying a helmet:
  • Safety. You want your helmet to protect your precious brain. Look for a helmet with a composite or carbon material as they are harder and lighter.
  • Parts availability and after-sale service. If you want to invest quite a sum in your helmet you should check if you can repair it or find parts if needed. Usually, the biggest brands will provide such services.
  • Comfort. You should pick a helmet that fits your head shape. See if your helmet come with adjustable cheek pads for example. Different helmet brands also make helmets for different head shapes.
  • Helmet weight. The heavier the helmet, the harder it is to wear it while racing. Check if you can bear the weight during a long race before buying.
  • Ventilation. This joins the comfort point. You need to have a helmet who is designed to allow an air influx in hot summer days.
  • Design. You should pick a helmet that you think is cool. This is not as important as safety features obviously but it is still cool to be stylish.
  • Aerodynamics. If you race at high speed, you will need your helmet to be aerodynamic. It should not create friction or resistance to air. Check its designs.
  • Lastly price. You should avoid the cheapest helmets as helmets are a key safety feature of any decent racer. But you also don’t need to spend thousands to get that good helmet you are looking for.

Top Brands That You Should Consider

When it comes to karting or racing helmets there are brands considered to be the best such as:
  • Arai – Arai is a very solid helmet brand with good designs and with everything a good racer is looking for.
  • Bell – They are a solid choice when it comes to helmets. They make it for all motorsports (rally, karting, etc), with various designs and very good quality.
  • Simpson – Solid choice with original designs. We recommend it if you are willing to pay for a premium helmet as they are a bit more expensive.
  • Sparco – Very good quality helmets, a bit overpriced for the quality and with good designs.
  • Stilo – If you have big money to spend, buy this. Probably the best helmets on the market but way too expensive.
  • ZAMP – Also a very good choice, cheaper and slightly less good than most of the brands listed here.

Things to Know About Safety

If you want a helmet for racing purposes you should pick a helmet which complies to the following standards: FIA 8859-2015, SNELL SA2010-SA2015, SNELL K2010-K2015. As a general rule, you should get a helmet that has an FIA or Snell compliance.

The FIA is the governing body for motorsports around the world. You know that when a helmet is FIA approved it can be used while doing some serious racing. The SNELL approval was created by the Snell foundation after William Snell died in a sports car accident after his helmet failed to protect him. Snell approval is the highest safety standards for helmets.

 

You should look very closely into these standards. An important word of caution: do not use or buy an already used helmet. Over time and as a consequence of the various shocks and bumps it has withstood, a helmet can lose its protective power. Always buy a new helmet. Even if it looks good on the outside, the protective shells could be damaged.

About the Racing/Karting Helmets Technology

Helmets today are really technological products. There are some features that are quite new that any helmet expert should know, starting with helmet material.

A helmet’s outer shell is usually made of polycarbonate, carbon or fibreglass while the core is made of polystyrene or polypropylene. Carbon is more expensive than composite alloys and also lighter. Composite alloys are more expensive the fibreglass and also lighter. By the material used to make it, you can see if you have a good quality helmet.

Another important point regarding comfort is the presence of adjustable cheek pads. It greatly increases comfort by allowing you to customize the interior of the helmet.

Venting systems have also made quite an improvement. More and more helmets have sophisticated venting systems that allow the air to circulate and cool down the user’s very precious brain.

If using for racing purposed, a focus should be made also on visors. The right visor should be used for the right conditions depending on the level of brightness for example. A helmet with an adaptative visor could be a good choice.

Lastly, a good innovation was the creation of the removable liners for cleaning purposes. This is a very handy feature allowing you to clean your helmet easily.

How to Choose the Correct Size of Helmet

Measuring your head size in order to choose the correct helmet size is very easy. Pick a fabric measuring tape and measure your head around the forehead, just above the eyebrows. All the helmet manufacturers used a sizing system that is based on the circumference of the head around the forehead. You can check the sizing guides on any major helmet manufacturers site. Here you have it for HJC.

One last very important thing before we leave you in the world of helmet hunting: always try the helmets you are interested in first. You need to be sure of your choice for all the reasons we showed above.

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