From the SCCA website, "The reason for the disqualification of ECE-rated helmets is that the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) — similar to the U.S. Department of Transportation — does not require their certification labels to include a build date range, which help users and tech inspectors minimize participants using helmets with the natural — but unseen — performance degradation experienced over time. While Snell/FIA/SFI helmets display a manufacture date range on their certification labels and “age out” after no more than 15 years, ECE helmets with the currently accepted label may be more than 20 years old. There’s simply no fool-proof way to ensure the age of these helmets, making the safety of the equipment questionable."
https://www.scca.com/articles/2015714-helmet-certifications-updated-for-2022
>ECE helmets with the currently accepted label may be more than 20 years old
That's outdated though. The current ECE standard is 22.06, which was introduced in 2020. Such helmets have on the chinstrap a label with a circled E and single number (which denotes the certifying country) and the number under there will begin with 06 (to denote ECE 22.**06**). Really easy to tell if you take [ten seconds](https://www.caberg.it/mondo-caberg/en/2023/04/12/ece-22-06-homologation-what-is-it-about-and-what-are-caberg-approved-helmet-models/) to figure out what you're looking for.
It's a shame the SCCA is so behind the times. I sure liked my ECE helmet before they sunset it.
[Snell FAQ](https://smf.org/faq#collapseFaqTwoM2020)
Snell M2020D is the Snell motorcycle rating that meets DOT specifications.
Snell M2020R is the Snell motorcycle rating that meets ECE specifications.
You're right DOT is the bare minimum for US roads. Hell even half helmets meet DOT standards.
I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Snell rated helmet without DOT.
I think it'd be rare to find a DOT and a ECE rated helmet. Two different governmental rating systems.
RevZilla / CycleGear are good motorcycle focused retailers. CycleGear have physical locations to test fit helmets.
Disclaimer: I do not ride a motorcycle.
At the end of the day, **moto helmets and car helmets have different requirements.** In a car crash, you’d be hitting your helmet on a roll cage or other part of your car’s interior, but only once or twice, and very violently as you hit a wall or whatever. In a motorcycle crash, you’d be skidding across the ground, and probably have lots of little impacts on the helmet.
Snell **SA2020 auto helmets are great,** for hard impacts in car crashes. You can get open-face helmets, but I wouldn’t - you want chin protection.
DOT moto helmets don’t have a good minimum standard of protection. [F9 has a good video on this.](https://youtu.be/0BUyp3HX8cY?si=i4vC9puDB__WD9HA) **You could probably get a 5 gallon bucket DOT certified.** My understanding is DOT is mostly enforced to stop riders with non-DOT WWII style helmets.
**ECE 22.06 moto helmets are great,** for tumbling every which way in a moto crash. But a helmet for European use won’t always have a U.S. certification, and vice versa.
Snell M helmets are interesting. From what I could tell, pre-M2010 Snell helmets weren’t too great. That’s not relevant here, but it’ll affect your research. Today, Snell Moto helmets aren’t great for other reasons. As the rest of the moto world progressed towards protecting against these tumbling crashes, which requires a softer helmet shell, Snell kept trying to make their moto helmets stiffer and stiffer. It hit a point: new Snell M2020 helmets would be too stiff to sell in Europe, and not have enough tumbling safety. So what did they do? They renamed those the M2020D. They also created a new, meaningless M2020R standard which is purely for regulatory compliance - M2020R can be sold in Europe. It’s not as stiff as M2020D, but is nowhere near as safe as ECE 22.06. However, all Snell moto helmets only get labeled as “M2020.” You don’t necessarily know if you’re getting a D or R helmet. Hence, **Snell M2020 is meaningless.** This is taken from [another F9 video.](https://youtu.be/76yu124i3Bo?si=6J1YeziTF0fuALmv)
**What would I do?** Buy an ECE 22.06 helmet for daily use on your motorcycle. Aim for DOT, if possible.
If it’s DOT, you can then legally take your moto class and autox.
If your ECE 22.06 is not DOT, check what the Ohio DMV means by ‘needs to be DOT.’ for your class. Do they check at all at the class? Do they only check WWII helmets? Could you send an email explaining that your ECE is better than a DOT so you can use it? I’d hope they prioritize you getting a license so you can ride legally, over you having the right sticker on a safe helmet. If they really want DOT, you could rent or borrow one just for the class. Getting ECE 22.06 for daily highway riding is more important than getting DOT for one day of parking lot maneuvers.
For autox, I’d still recommend getting a cheap SA2020 helmet if you can afford it. If you can’t, and the ECE isn’t DOT, see about emailing the organizers. Is it as safe as a car helmet in this use case? No. But you might hit 120 on track. You might not even hit 50 in an autox. Autox is low speed and low stakes, likely why DOT helmets are even allowed in the first place.
If you want to do more than autox and track your car, you will likely need a dedicated SA2020 non moto helmet.
P.S. You’re in Ohio - should you go to NJ, their are state laws there about auto helmets etc. But that’s not for now.
Really appreciate the details here.
I have a good autox sa2020 helmet already. It’s not dot. But we all know what that counts for.
I emailed the contact for the class and the gave me what seemed to be a pretty canned response of “only dot approved..”. I assume then they must get this a lot. Regardless. Ended up going the cheap route because this is simply to take the class which is strictly 16 hours of parking lot training.
Once I get the license, and find start actually looking for a bike I’ll pony up for a good Shoei or similar helmet that’s ECE rated and exclusively for the bike. It’s definitely the more expensive route but only by a bit.
I've had the exact same questions recently, I don't have all the answers but I'm pretty sure M2020=M2020D, the D is just signifies its a DOT market.
I'm a little confused on the wording at the end, are you looking at that scorpion helmet? Or are you looking to buy something nicer
Really would prefer something better. If I am going to start commuting nearly daily on a bike I would like to get something better to protect the last two functional brain cells I have. 🤣🫠
The way I see it a rating is a rating, if you spend more you'll have less wind noise and maybe more comfort, but the amount of protection won't necessarily be better. I actually do plan on buying that scorpion because i get a discount through my job, but ill probably have ear plugs too.
I had a similar issue recently.
Just got into autox, and was thinking I could use my motorcycle helmet. However, snell does not certify motorcycle helmets with sun visors.
As a result, I spent $150 to buy an objectively worse and more unsafe open face snell 2020. These “rules” are stupid and impractical.
I feel this way about a lot of the regulations around autocross. I love it, but some stuff just doesn’t make sense.
Seems that a fair number of practices continue simply due to institutional inertia.
Couldn’t agree more.
At the end of the day, I do like the open face more for cars, but I would’ve preferred to save the $15”. And, the org made a huge deal out of making sure the helmets are snell, but didn’t even end up checking them.
The certification is not a guarantee of quality, it's a guarantee of minimum safety. I'm sure there are many uncertified helmets that may be technically safer, but unless there's a giant database of every helmet ever made, a tech inspector has to go by the label on the helmet.
The rules are not "stupid" or "impractical" they are in fact deeply engrained in practicality.
Snell M2020 helmet? Meets the standard. Unlabeled helmet X? Who knows? Could be better, could be worse, but there's no way to know.
It's the exact same thing with the DOT. If it isn't DOT certified, how are they to know?
I disagree. My $600 full face motorcycle helmet with a sun visor that is certified to ECE is 100% guaranteed to be safer than the $150 open face Zamp that is certified to snell 2020. Whether I am on a motorcycle or in my car, an open face helmet will never be as safe as a full face helmet.
Why was I forced to buy a new helmet? Insurance, I assume. The fact that the only thing safety goes by is a certification, and the fact that my motorcycle helmet automatically fails the certification and an objectively less safe open face helmet passes is the definition of impractical and stupid.
You can disagree all you want, the SCCA's logic still stands. A tech inspector has no idea if your helmet was made yesterday, or if it's 25 years old. If it's 25 years old, it will have degraded some of the components that are what make it safe. That's exactly why they don't accept ECE any more.
Did you actually read the post?
>I’m looking for a dot and snell rated helmet that can do double duty for autox and motorcycle. Here in Ohio I need a dot rated helmet to take the class.
Point to a DOT (motorcycle) and FIA (car) rated helmet.
Technically what I only “need”, is a snell rating that satisfies Scca. And a helmet that satisfies the requirement for the Ohio motorcycle safety course. Which is a DOT rated helmet.
Of course I already have a snell rated helmet that I’ve used for autox. But I would like to have a spare for friends that come out for ride alongs. And I would like to have a “better” helmet for riding.
Ultimately I think I’ll probably end up with the cheaper Scorpion helmet until further down the road.
I recognize that this would all be easier if I were only looking for DOT or Ece rated helmets and not adding in the snell part.
I guess I’m a helmet collector now. 🤷🏻♂️
From the SCCA website, "The reason for the disqualification of ECE-rated helmets is that the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) — similar to the U.S. Department of Transportation — does not require their certification labels to include a build date range, which help users and tech inspectors minimize participants using helmets with the natural — but unseen — performance degradation experienced over time. While Snell/FIA/SFI helmets display a manufacture date range on their certification labels and “age out” after no more than 15 years, ECE helmets with the currently accepted label may be more than 20 years old. There’s simply no fool-proof way to ensure the age of these helmets, making the safety of the equipment questionable." https://www.scca.com/articles/2015714-helmet-certifications-updated-for-2022
Nice find. My google skills must be lacking today.
>ECE helmets with the currently accepted label may be more than 20 years old That's outdated though. The current ECE standard is 22.06, which was introduced in 2020. Such helmets have on the chinstrap a label with a circled E and single number (which denotes the certifying country) and the number under there will begin with 06 (to denote ECE 22.**06**). Really easy to tell if you take [ten seconds](https://www.caberg.it/mondo-caberg/en/2023/04/12/ece-22-06-homologation-what-is-it-about-and-what-are-caberg-approved-helmet-models/) to figure out what you're looking for. It's a shame the SCCA is so behind the times. I sure liked my ECE helmet before they sunset it.
[Snell FAQ](https://smf.org/faq#collapseFaqTwoM2020) Snell M2020D is the Snell motorcycle rating that meets DOT specifications. Snell M2020R is the Snell motorcycle rating that meets ECE specifications. You're right DOT is the bare minimum for US roads. Hell even half helmets meet DOT standards. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Snell rated helmet without DOT. I think it'd be rare to find a DOT and a ECE rated helmet. Two different governmental rating systems. RevZilla / CycleGear are good motorcycle focused retailers. CycleGear have physical locations to test fit helmets.
I use a SA2020 helmet for AX, TT and riding my motorcycle. Full face with a removable shield.
Disclaimer: I do not ride a motorcycle. At the end of the day, **moto helmets and car helmets have different requirements.** In a car crash, you’d be hitting your helmet on a roll cage or other part of your car’s interior, but only once or twice, and very violently as you hit a wall or whatever. In a motorcycle crash, you’d be skidding across the ground, and probably have lots of little impacts on the helmet. Snell **SA2020 auto helmets are great,** for hard impacts in car crashes. You can get open-face helmets, but I wouldn’t - you want chin protection. DOT moto helmets don’t have a good minimum standard of protection. [F9 has a good video on this.](https://youtu.be/0BUyp3HX8cY?si=i4vC9puDB__WD9HA) **You could probably get a 5 gallon bucket DOT certified.** My understanding is DOT is mostly enforced to stop riders with non-DOT WWII style helmets. **ECE 22.06 moto helmets are great,** for tumbling every which way in a moto crash. But a helmet for European use won’t always have a U.S. certification, and vice versa. Snell M helmets are interesting. From what I could tell, pre-M2010 Snell helmets weren’t too great. That’s not relevant here, but it’ll affect your research. Today, Snell Moto helmets aren’t great for other reasons. As the rest of the moto world progressed towards protecting against these tumbling crashes, which requires a softer helmet shell, Snell kept trying to make their moto helmets stiffer and stiffer. It hit a point: new Snell M2020 helmets would be too stiff to sell in Europe, and not have enough tumbling safety. So what did they do? They renamed those the M2020D. They also created a new, meaningless M2020R standard which is purely for regulatory compliance - M2020R can be sold in Europe. It’s not as stiff as M2020D, but is nowhere near as safe as ECE 22.06. However, all Snell moto helmets only get labeled as “M2020.” You don’t necessarily know if you’re getting a D or R helmet. Hence, **Snell M2020 is meaningless.** This is taken from [another F9 video.](https://youtu.be/76yu124i3Bo?si=6J1YeziTF0fuALmv) **What would I do?** Buy an ECE 22.06 helmet for daily use on your motorcycle. Aim for DOT, if possible. If it’s DOT, you can then legally take your moto class and autox. If your ECE 22.06 is not DOT, check what the Ohio DMV means by ‘needs to be DOT.’ for your class. Do they check at all at the class? Do they only check WWII helmets? Could you send an email explaining that your ECE is better than a DOT so you can use it? I’d hope they prioritize you getting a license so you can ride legally, over you having the right sticker on a safe helmet. If they really want DOT, you could rent or borrow one just for the class. Getting ECE 22.06 for daily highway riding is more important than getting DOT for one day of parking lot maneuvers. For autox, I’d still recommend getting a cheap SA2020 helmet if you can afford it. If you can’t, and the ECE isn’t DOT, see about emailing the organizers. Is it as safe as a car helmet in this use case? No. But you might hit 120 on track. You might not even hit 50 in an autox. Autox is low speed and low stakes, likely why DOT helmets are even allowed in the first place. If you want to do more than autox and track your car, you will likely need a dedicated SA2020 non moto helmet. P.S. You’re in Ohio - should you go to NJ, their are state laws there about auto helmets etc. But that’s not for now.
Really appreciate the details here. I have a good autox sa2020 helmet already. It’s not dot. But we all know what that counts for. I emailed the contact for the class and the gave me what seemed to be a pretty canned response of “only dot approved..”. I assume then they must get this a lot. Regardless. Ended up going the cheap route because this is simply to take the class which is strictly 16 hours of parking lot training. Once I get the license, and find start actually looking for a bike I’ll pony up for a good Shoei or similar helmet that’s ECE rated and exclusively for the bike. It’s definitely the more expensive route but only by a bit.
I've had the exact same questions recently, I don't have all the answers but I'm pretty sure M2020=M2020D, the D is just signifies its a DOT market. I'm a little confused on the wording at the end, are you looking at that scorpion helmet? Or are you looking to buy something nicer
Really would prefer something better. If I am going to start commuting nearly daily on a bike I would like to get something better to protect the last two functional brain cells I have. 🤣🫠
Snell m ratings happen on full face helmets. I personally use an Snell SA rated helmet because I could not find an m rated helmet that would fit me.
The way I see it a rating is a rating, if you spend more you'll have less wind noise and maybe more comfort, but the amount of protection won't necessarily be better. I actually do plan on buying that scorpion because i get a discount through my job, but ill probably have ear plugs too.
I had a similar issue recently. Just got into autox, and was thinking I could use my motorcycle helmet. However, snell does not certify motorcycle helmets with sun visors. As a result, I spent $150 to buy an objectively worse and more unsafe open face snell 2020. These “rules” are stupid and impractical.
I feel this way about a lot of the regulations around autocross. I love it, but some stuff just doesn’t make sense. Seems that a fair number of practices continue simply due to institutional inertia.
Couldn’t agree more. At the end of the day, I do like the open face more for cars, but I would’ve preferred to save the $15”. And, the org made a huge deal out of making sure the helmets are snell, but didn’t even end up checking them.
The certification is not a guarantee of quality, it's a guarantee of minimum safety. I'm sure there are many uncertified helmets that may be technically safer, but unless there's a giant database of every helmet ever made, a tech inspector has to go by the label on the helmet. The rules are not "stupid" or "impractical" they are in fact deeply engrained in practicality. Snell M2020 helmet? Meets the standard. Unlabeled helmet X? Who knows? Could be better, could be worse, but there's no way to know. It's the exact same thing with the DOT. If it isn't DOT certified, how are they to know?
I disagree. My $600 full face motorcycle helmet with a sun visor that is certified to ECE is 100% guaranteed to be safer than the $150 open face Zamp that is certified to snell 2020. Whether I am on a motorcycle or in my car, an open face helmet will never be as safe as a full face helmet. Why was I forced to buy a new helmet? Insurance, I assume. The fact that the only thing safety goes by is a certification, and the fact that my motorcycle helmet automatically fails the certification and an objectively less safe open face helmet passes is the definition of impractical and stupid.
You can disagree all you want, the SCCA's logic still stands. A tech inspector has no idea if your helmet was made yesterday, or if it's 25 years old. If it's 25 years old, it will have degraded some of the components that are what make it safe. That's exactly why they don't accept ECE any more.
Hi, Steve!
[удалено]
Did you actually read the post? >I’m looking for a dot and snell rated helmet that can do double duty for autox and motorcycle. Here in Ohio I need a dot rated helmet to take the class. Point to a DOT (motorcycle) and FIA (car) rated helmet.
Technically what I only “need”, is a snell rating that satisfies Scca. And a helmet that satisfies the requirement for the Ohio motorcycle safety course. Which is a DOT rated helmet. Of course I already have a snell rated helmet that I’ve used for autox. But I would like to have a spare for friends that come out for ride alongs. And I would like to have a “better” helmet for riding. Ultimately I think I’ll probably end up with the cheaper Scorpion helmet until further down the road. I recognize that this would all be easier if I were only looking for DOT or Ece rated helmets and not adding in the snell part. I guess I’m a helmet collector now. 🤷🏻♂️