Carbon Fiber Racing Helmets: Are They Worth The Premium?

If you’re into sports cars and motorsport, you’re probably familiar with the term ‘carbon fiber’. However, for those who aren’t, it’s a composite material typically made up of weaved carbon fibers set in a resin—generally plastic.

As far as most motorsport aficionados are concerned, carbon fiber racing helmets are just look the coolest. However, the benefits of carbon fiber racing helmets extend way beyond just aesthetics. They’re incredibly strong for their lightweight.

However, since carbon fiber is an incredibly complex material to work with, motorsport helmet manufacturers generally use to it only in their top-of-the-range products. Yes, that means carbon fiber helmets tend to be significantly more expensive than their regular composite counterparts.

So, if you’re in the market for a quality racing helmet are wondering if it’s worth investing the extra amount in a carbon fiber helmet, you’ve come to the right place.

Carbon Fiber Helmets: How They’re Made, The Advantages, & The Disadvantages

Now, the way carbon fiber is fabricated is weaving a carbon thread into a resin. This gives it strength in multiple planes and all three dimensions. You don’t get this in regular fiberglass racing helmets.

However, carbon fiber helmets do have a downside. The thing is that racing helmets need to be flexible to a certain degree so they can absorb energy from impacts. Carbon fiber, however, is a naturally stiff material, which makes it resistant to flexing.

But having said that, most manufacturers have overcome this problem.

In most carbon fiber racing helmets available on the market, carbon fiber is only included as a part of the composite, which often includes layers of other materials, such as plastic, kevlar, and fiberglass. This allows manufacturers to tune the shell’s performance so it has the set of characteristics they desire. This, of course, includes ensuring the helmet has the right amount of flexibility. Even many of the ‘pure carbon’ helmets advertised today are composites, actually.

Carbon fiber racing helmets are significantly lighter than their composite or fiberglass counterparts. A lightweight helmet improves driver safety and offers the driver more comfort and helps him/her save energy and reduce fatigue, allowing to be faster and consistent through the race.

The Bottom Line

So, if you want the very best performing racing helmet, money no object, carbon fiber is definitely the way to go. A number of top manufacturers, such as Bell Racing Helmets, Arai Helmets and Stilo Helmets offer a diverse range of premium-quality carbon fiber helmets.

However, if you’re on a budget, there’s a great variety of supremely durable and strong composite racing helmets, such as the Bell GTX.3 Pro SA2020 Helmet, available on the market as well.

Here at Fast Racer, we offer premium-quality carbon fiber helmet from leading motorsport safety manufacturers such as Stilo and Bell. Browse through our collection of high-quality carbon fiber helmets to find one that suits you best.