For PCA Club Racing, 2005 has been extended to Jan 2017 (couldn't find anything specific to autocross, so regions must define their own requirements). Personally I've always considered autocrossing to be low enough risk for head injury that most helmets will do (save a bike helmet). But, as Jay pointed out, it's your brain ;)

For wheel-to-wheel I would not go more than 5 years with a helmet, again personal choice, so I'd be buying the latest Snell version available.

Yep, I think the two regions I have AX'd with have different rules about still using the SA2005's.


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Yes, you want as much protection as you can get.

Right you are for SA2005, M are not allowed, but that means another 5.5 months
would not make sense to buy a new helmet for just 5.5 months

They extended it only because of delays in manufactures getting 2015 helmets to market

I know that PCA Zone 8 is 2010 or newer

Sadly, you are correct. The frustrating part is serious injuries often happens when/where you'd never expected it :/ Often happens to the wrong ppl also

Let's not forget

Michael Schumacher Health Status News And Rumors: Racer's Family Continue To Hope Amidst Signs of Bleak Future : News : Headlines & Global News

Poor Schumi :(

M's are not allowed? Nobody (PCA Zone 8, and whoever runs Fontana and Big Bear) has complained about my M2015.

I bought an M because nobody in Ventura County carries SA. For you guys who recommend buying in a store, where do you get SA helmets? (Buying in a store is good advice; all the on-line sizing guides were wrong in my case.)

When I was into bicycling, the advice was to buy a new helmet every five years because sunlight attacked and weakened the plastics used in the shells. Not sure if or how that applies to auto racing; I rode my bike 4K miles a year, so it was in the sun a lot. Now? once a month is a lot.

PCA Zone 8 is Ok with M other than Club Racing. POC does not allow M helmets

The rule of thumb is to replace a helmet every five years. The styrofoam, glues, and plastics degrade over time. It happens whether you wear the helmet or not.

For quite a few years, the Snell Foundation was criticized for having a test standard that encouraged too hard of lining, as the tests required all size helmets to use the same identical 5 kg mass headform, and to withstand multiple blows to the exact same location.

One of the motorcycle magazines attacked Snell strongly for this with their own independent test, and a comparison to Euro standards which had a much softer lining. The magazine editor was canned for losing all that helmet advertising business, but it may have save a few people's lives.

Snell finally admitted the error of their ways, and the SA2010 / M2010 standards used a graduated headform mass from the smallest to largest size helmet.

Now Snell has added a few more test features for SA2015:http://www.smf.org/standards/sa/2015/SA2015releaseNotes.pdf

Some manufacturers have also introduced a liner for 2015 that has internal corrugations like a small egg crating pattern that should absorb energy more gradually. I am guessing this is in response to the new low speed test criteria.

So, I would encourage everyone to purchase the newest Snell standard, or find an ECE standard helmet, and try to convince the tech inspector that Snell is not the only standard in the world.

Probably the best reason to get a 2015 helmet. Since as someone earlier stated - the really are only good for about 5 years of use anyway and less if you are a very frequent user.

It is my understanding that in the past, the major differences between the SA and M standards were that the SA required absorption of more energy, and of multiple impacts, such as a head hitting a rollbar several times in a roll-over accident. That is why the SA liners are stiffer than the M liners.

The SA helmets also had some flame retardant standards for the liner materials used.

If you read the test standards, both M and SA require multiple impacts in the same location. As I recall there is some difference in the allowable g-forces, but it did not seem like a big difference when I read through it some time ago.

The main difference seems to be that fire proof materials are required for for SA rating.

Too bad that the whole US industry for auto racing and motorcycles has been "brain washed" (so to speak) into believing that Snell is the only acceptable standard.