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      02-11-2013, 01:17 PM   #1
utenigma
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Gear for autoX

I'm attending an AutoX novice school here in a couple of weeks, and I'm wondering what helmet I should get.

Any suggestions? I think I'll probably do this a few times a year - like maybe once a quarter - so nothing too expensive. If I get all obsessed, I can just get a nicer one later, just don't want to get one that I'm going to hate because it doesn't have <x> or get the wrong thing and just look stupid....
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      02-11-2013, 02:11 PM   #2
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I got a G-force full face ($250 I think) and I'm happy with it, I decided on full face mainly for the occasional karting I do
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      02-11-2013, 02:34 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by scott@bmwhn View Post
I got a G-force full face ($250 I think) and I'm happy with it, I decided on full face mainly for the occasional karting I do
That's what I was looking at, but I think I'm leaning toward something like the G-Force Pro Phenom open face. Any downside to open-face? When is closed face required?
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      02-11-2013, 03:00 PM   #4
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not to sure on open/closed requirments but I've been to DE's and autoX's and there is a mix of both . Open will be more comfortable (not so stuffy) but closed face is nice for karting since it keeps the wind off your face

...If I had to guess I would say that full face is only required for "open-cockpit" racing
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      02-11-2013, 03:11 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by utenigma View Post
That's what I was looking at, but I think I'm leaning toward something like the G-Force Pro Phenom open face. Any downside to open-face? When is closed face required?
Get an open face. Viewing and breathing are so much easier. I use full face only because I have a motorcycle helmet which does double duty.

I've been out of the autox scene for a while but here are some thoughts for you to have;

1. Air pressure gauge - It's amazing how much pressure you will gain over the course of running a 50 second lap. You'll need to adjust your airpressure every lap. Buy a decent gauge with a bleeder.

2. Air pump or tank - I like using an air pump some people use an air tank. Pep Boys has a Masterflow MF-1040 ($45) or MF-1045 ($80). Buy spare fuses but other than that work pretty well. I use it to air up my off road tires which take a significantly more volume of air and it's very fast. The MF-1045 allows you to go directly off the battery which is what I prefer to do.

3. White shoe polish for your tires - Mark lines on the sides of you tires to tell you how much your riding up the walls of your tires. You can use this as a gauge if you're running enough pressure.

4. When you get to the point of changing tires, you will need to bring a jack, torque wrench. Having a cordless impact wrench is always really helpful. If you only have an impact driver (usually come in 10pc cordless kits), it's still really helpful to put on and take off lugs as you will find when you get to spinning on your 20th lug.

Other miscellaneous stuff;

- Take all your junk out of your car at home so you don't have to leave it on the ground in the parking lot. Some people buy those clear tubs from target to put stuff in. Even the stuff in your map pockets, take out. One time I had a lot of napkins and papers in my door map pockets and went through high speed esses (on a road coarse not autox). The back end stepped out and I found myself going 95mph backwards. "POOF!" It was instant white out! I had crap flying all over my car. Stuff that you think doesn't move will rattle around and go all over the place. Take it out.

- Lawn chair, sun screen, sun glasses, iPad, camera (if you have a GoPro or a camera mount, you should tape yourself. It's fun to watch later. Just watch your language if your kids watch

- When you go out on the track to pick up cones, pick a place that you need to see how to get through faster or are having trouble with.

That's all that I can think of off the top of my head. If I think of anything else, I'll edit this. Happy auto-xing.
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      02-11-2013, 03:14 PM   #6
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Oops, sorry for the long winded post. I re-read what you asked for which was just open or closed face helmet and not suggestions on what to bring. My short and long answer; open face.
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      02-11-2013, 04:39 PM   #7
utenigma
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Originally Posted by stom_m3 View Post
Oops, sorry for the long winded post. I re-read what you asked for which was just open or closed face helmet and not suggestions on what to bring. My short and long answer; open face.
No problem - I found it very informative. Thanks for spending the time
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      02-11-2013, 05:23 PM   #8
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I would lean toward closed face for its increased safety and versatility. However, if you are only going to do autocross and you car will always have airbags, then open face should be fine.
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      02-18-2013, 02:35 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by utenigma View Post
No problem - I found it very informative. Thanks for spending the time
+1 Great post
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