About helmets? I have an Arai helmet that I got back in 2000ish and can't find any model numbers or anything.. Probably covered up by the airbrush I had done on it years ago. I need to get some new cheeks and a shield for it.

Gonna try to call the place I bought it from and see if they might still have anything on file for when I originally purchased it (fingers crossed)..

Please excuse the nastiness, it hasn't been used since probably late '04.. It has been a successful dust collector for the last few years though.. lmao

 

I know a little about helmets....what is it that you need to know about them? Is it for autox or drag or whelen-series or what?

 

It's an Arai (brand) motorcycle helmet...Ofcourse I used it when I was racing stock cars because at the time Racing helmets like Simpson hadn't really caught up with the strength and reliability of Motorcycle helmets.. Actully I don't know if they have ever caught up, Jeff Gordon still usues Arai helmets for every race..

I'm just trying to find out what model it is and there seems to be no info on the web about older model Arai helmets..

 

So you want to know the model of you Arai helmet? Did you add the HANS anchors? Also, you might know this, but Snell M helmets and Snell SA helmets have to meet different standards. SA helmets which are used for auto racing are required to have things like a Nomex liner and Lexan shields, sometimes have smaller eyeports, making some not even legal to use for a motorcycle due to the limited visibility. SA helmets are usually safer than M rated helmets. Jeff Gordan may use and Arai helmets, but that sucker is SA rated. Companies like Simpson, and Bell will sometimes make a M rated and a SA rated version of the same model helmet.

 

You should be able to see it on the inside underneath the foam and everything at the tip top of the helmet. I have an Arai that I got in '05 when I started racing street bikes and mine says it right at the chin on the inside and in the very top.

Maybe yours would be the same.

 

I'm sure that it's the best of the best, I'm far behind in helmet technology, but it looks very similar to mine (newer, much nicer version ofcourse.)





It has the air vents on the front, top and the (for lack of a better term) air deflector on the back.


And to answer your first question, yes. I added the Hutchens anchors because at the time the technology was very new and they hadn't made affordable helmets with the anchors already installed.

BTW I bought the helmet from Castle Motorsports which is a local motorcycle/ powersport dealer here in TN, so I'm about 99.9% sure that it's a motorcycle helmet.

 

why do you want to know?

 

Evan, buy a HANS. Hutchens can do more harm than good. I'm pretty sure they have banned hutchens at our local track. And are you looking for a newer motorcycle helmet or are you getting back into racing? If you're getting back into racing, check the rules. Not a lot of tracks check helmet ratings, but 95% of them have rules on certain ratings.

 

I wouldnt use it for motorcycle use...too old...the foam degrades over time. Ill get a new helmet every 3-4 years if I dont crash with it first.

 

Dude, where do you get this stuff lately?? lol That hutchens device saved me several times from serious injury, did someone at your local track hang another driver with their hutchens or something?


lmao

 

No, but a guy broke his neck two years ago because it didn't have enough sturdiness between his shoulders and head. HANS is superior because it's got the piece that actually goes over your shoulders and has the pad in the back to prevent from bending. Hutchens has also been banned from NASCARs top 3 series.

 

I don't know anything about Hutchens, but just the angle that that little D-bracket is at looks like it would compress the neck during a wreck. I've never heard of Hutchens but the SCCA is thinking about making the Hans required in Club racing events and not just the Pro Series like the Speed World Challenge.

 

Hutchens -
It's like a full body strap system with the two helmet connectors coming from the back/shoulder area. **Note that there is no real neck support** it's meant more to keep your head from being able to twist.


HANS -
**Note the neck support***, so it's got a similar head restraint as the hutchens that keeps your head from twisting and turning, but the added neck support helps keep your neck from angling up as well. (which is what broke the guys neck out at our track)

 

Hutchens has several new products that are on the market.. Essentially very similar to the old, but has a better strapping system around your chest. A lot of drivers use the new "Hutchens" systems in Nascar, like Mike Skinner for example..

Don't get me wrong, the Hans device is great, but it doesn't really do anything any differently than the Hutchens when used correctly. It basically just keeps a steady pressure towards the back of your head so if you get into a hard impact it prevents your head from snapping forward. The hutchens also has a full strap that goes from the center of your back and straps into a 5-point harness.

Trust me Nick, I've used the thing many, many times and it saved me from a lot of pain.

 

Well I haven't seen too many of their newer products, really....nothing past 2004 anyway.

 

http://www.safetysolutionsracing.com/wordpress/?cat=14

 

bunch of sissies. this is how you crash..

 

^^^ HAHAHAHA!!!!!

That Hutchens device looks crazy, I've never seen anything like that before. I guess it couldn't compress the neck if it's connected to you like that. IDK.

 

i know my local track recommends SA rated helmets, because they are better for multiple impacts than a M helmet. so in the case of a roll over or something, the helmet will stay together better, that is about the only diff i know between the class M and SA rated helmets i know that IMCA requires SA rated helmets though...

 

Our track supposedly has a rule that enforces SA helmets only for all divisions but I've never seen it. Most guys in streetstock and mods just use the M rated ones because they're cheaper. No one ever checks out safety after they've got their tech inspection sticker. The only people who ever seem to check our the touring series like USLMA and the Nascar Camping World Series

 

i have a M rated helmet because it was cheaper, and i was running a slow class, i will still use my M helmet until i get the money for a new one or i get in trouble for it, last year they caught one of my team mates driving a limited with a M helmet and he got in trouble, so he is getting a new helmet soon... it just depends on who is looking and how they noticed it...