[robz71lm7]

After sunday's autocross a novice asked on our region's message board about getting a cheap helmet. He got replies ranging from links where you could get an M2000 helmet for $60 and one even $49!

The site we raced at sunday was a military air strip with tall grass off the sides. The dirt wasn't always flat and smooth. In fact, yesterday and S2000 went off into the grass sideways-he wasn't the only one to go off into the grass. Now is it just me or this the kind of place where a good possibility of rolling over exists?

It just kind of disturbs me that people will recommend and use such cheap helmets. Am I being a little excessive here?

What's everyone's opinion on helmets in autocross?

[robz71lm7]

The SA helmets are tested against a rollbar anvil and are struck 3 times in each test zone.

While you are correct on the addition of the 4th test (roll bar), which is tested 3 times, the other tests are all exactly the same as the M standard and are either 1 or 2 impacts:
2 on flat anvil
2 on hemisperical anvil
1 on edge anvil

I really don't get the guys who bolt it to the rear seat bolts. They're both permanent and below the shoulders!

The rear seatbelt mounting point is far enough back that the angle created is acceptable to meet DOT restraint standards IF they are used with an appropriate restraint system like those from Schroth, which has a unique anti-sub-marining design ( http://www.schroth.com/products_en/asm.htm ). Unfortunately, I think many people have seen these belts in use like this in other cars and think they can use any harness safely like this, which is not the case.

Yes, as I said in my other post the 4th test is the difference-I didn't mean to imply the other impact tests were any different. I see I wasn't entirely clear there.

On to the belts...

My issue isn't with submarining (although I see how that could happen), but rather with spinal compression. It's funny you mention Schroth, because those are the belts some guys are using locally. I've seen them making a roughly 45* angle with the seat/floor. Ideal is around 5 to 10*.

Man I didn't expect this to turn into a long thread. And btw, I'm no safety nazi. In fact I find the safety program here at work (power plant) to be quite annoying at times.