If I lived in a state where helmets were optional I would wear a DOT or nothing at all but I live in a Cali and where you must wear dot only. For us the closest thing to no helmet is a small novelty helmet. Its better than nothing at all.

 

That is pretty slick.

This is an interesting discussion.. This helmet made me think..
What makes a DOT approved helmet?
Where are the standards that make a helmet good enough for DOT rating?
I'm sure I could probably google it out there somewhere.
Just food for thought.

 

Well I called ACC yesterday and had a nice chat with one of the people there. Basically the only reason their non-DOT didn't pass was because of the penetration test. Here is an email response from them:

** The only difference between our DOT and Non-Dot is the fact that the Non-Dot will not pass the penetration test. The test consists of a seven-pound spear dropped from approx. ten feet onto the helmet that is resting on a head form. This head-form has a very thin layer of wax on the surface. The spear is dropped and the tip cannot mark the head form. It is a very black and white test. Mark the head form and it fails, don't mark it and it passes. Both helmets pass the rest of the structural DOT tests. The liners on the two helmets are different , the DOT having a 5/8" thick urethane one and the Non-Dot having the 1/2" of Ensolite energy absorbing foam. The shells are the same except for shape and size, they are manufactured using the same materials and process. **

The other difference between their helmets and other manufacturers is the way they are made. For instance, my Harley helmet is made from the same size shell no matter what size head it will be fitted for. They then make up the size difference by adding more padding. As an example, if the minimum thickness to meet the DOT standards is 1" of padding, then that is what is used for a an Xlarge helmet. To make that same helmet shell fit a small head more padding is used. So...the smaller your noggin the more you will look like a bobblehead.

ACC makes their helmets in the opposite way. The start with the head size first and use enough padding to fit that sized head (sm, med, lg, etc.) then they make the shell to fit. Instead of using just one size shell they use 4 different size shells for their helmets. That way a shell made to fit a large head isn't used for a smaller head. Basically working from the head size outward.

Their DOT helmets have 5/8" of padding and their non-DOT helmets have 1/2" of padding. The DOTs use a "patent pending" material where the non-DOTs use a material called Ensolite. The guy said he could guarantee that my Harley helmet would sit at least 1 1/2" off my head and their DOT helmet would be a MAX of 5/8". I measured the padding thickness of my Harley helmet - 1 3/4" thick.

So....chances are I will be ordering one of their DOT helmets and compare it to my Harley helmet. The question I have is at what speed would that 7 pound spear dropped from 10 feet equal out to? I would think maybe about 15 mph (just guessing) at impact? So...would that mean that DOT helmets are protecting us from a penetration only up to that speed and maybe a bit more? And if the only difference between their DOT and non-DOT is the penetration test (that is only good for about 15 mph.) than why not get a non-DOT and have the same basic protection (after the 15 mph mark) but have more comfort?


Brian

 

Brian, this is a great read and great info..
I missed something though and am dying to look at their website. [8D]
Who is ACC? What helmet are you talking about here?


And I just looked up at your picture.. DUDE.. You got some HUGE GUNS!!
Dang... I gotta get back in the gym!

 

Babs...

The site is carbonfiberhelmets.com

As someone stated earlier they have both DOT and non-DOT helmets. Here is the link to their DOT helmets and this is to their non-DOT helmets.

Let me know what you think


Brian

 

Oh yeah.. I looked at them.. They look pretty cool. I'd say if they fit good that would be a great helmet. I really dig their custom sheet metal stuff too with the carbon fiber overlay. The helmets are a little pricey though for 1/2 shells, even DOT's, but they're really nice. Any DOT will be a safety improvement over wearing the non-DOT's when it counts.. meaning if the head and pavement unites, which let's hope never happens.

 

just bought a new helmet the other day, and although it dosn't look as cool, it will protect me a bit better than non DOT. I liked some other halfs a bit better, but I needed a new one straight away since my other cheapo was loosing its glue to the foam.

 

http://carbonfiberhelmets.com

 

more low profile helmets but cheaper

 

Let me just say that the DOT I got from ACC (carbonfiberhelmets.com), feels even lighter than my novelty, and it fits great. At first I got their Medium/Large and it was a liitle loose, they exchanged it for Small/Medium, no questions asked. They have a section on their web site explaing the whole DOT approval thing. I am sold. At the very least it is legal here in California, where they have been known to crack down on novelty helmets in some areas from time to time. The best $200 I have ever spent.