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New helmet questions

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GreyGhost said:
Some Arai helmets have failed DOT performance testing before (on actual performance, not just labelling).
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This surprises me. I've never been an Arai guy (partly because of fit, partly because the side pods annoy me) but I've always been under the impression that they take the safety side as seriously as any brand. They're the first to come out with an ECE 22.06 helmet, for example.

I know both they and Shoei got stuck with the Snell stiffness penalty, leading to some pretty significant differences between their Euro and NA models, but I didn't know they failed something as basic as a DOT test...
 
Priller said:
This surprises me. I've never been an Arai guy (partly because of fit, partly because the side pods annoy me) but I've always been under the impression that they take the safety side as seriously as any brand. They're the first to come out with an ECE 22.06 helmet, for example.

I know both they and Shoei got stuck with the Snell stiffness penalty, leading to some pretty significant differences between their Euro and NA models, but I didn't know they failed something as basic as a DOT test...
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2006 Arai profile failed impact at low temperature. 2009 Corsair-V failed the same test. Another helmet failed on labelling but that doesn't bother me.



Use link below, click equipment, fmvss, submit search, 218 and whatever brand you are interested in to see other results.

Compliance Test Report Search | Vehicles & Equipment

Search NHTSA’s compliance test report database specific to vehicles, car seats, tires, motorcycle helmets and more.
icsw.nhtsa.gov icsw.nhtsa.gov
 
GreyGhost said:
2006 Arai profile failed impact at low temperature. 2009 Corsair-V failed the same test. Another helmet failed on labelling but that doesn't bother me.



Use link below, click equipment, fmvss, submit search, 218 and whatever brand you are interested in to see other results.

Compliance Test Report Search | Vehicles & Equipment

Search NHTSA’s compliance test report database specific to vehicles, car seats, tires, motorcycle helmets and more.
icsw.nhtsa.gov icsw.nhtsa.gov
Click to expand...
Interesting stuff, though a complicated issue. Having a quick look through other brands, only Shoei hasn't had a performance fail among major North American sellers, with AGV, Bell, HJC and Shark all having one or more performace failures.

Considering one of the failed Arai helmets, a Corsair V, is one of the most crashed models on the planet (at least at race tracks), I'm not sure I'd be too concerned about wearing an Arai. Unless it's below freezing after getting it wet, I suppose...
 
Priller said:
Interesting stuff, though a complicated issue. Having a quick look through other brands, only Shoei hasn't had a performance fail among major North American sellers, with AGV, Bell, HJC and Shark all having one or more performace failures.

Considering one of the failed Arai helmets, a Corsair V, is one of the most crashed models on the planet (at least at race tracks), I'm not sure I'd be too concerned about wearing an Arai. Unless it's below freezing after getting it wet, I suppose...
Click to expand...
Yeah, the details matter too. The 2006 had a dwell time of 2.02, what is a pass, what are other helmets getting? I didn't bother investigating too much further. If the rest are at 1.9 and a pass is 2, I am not too concerned. If the rest are at 0.9 and a pass is 1, wtf Arai?

I am just surprised and disappointed that a well-respected company that brands themselves as one of the best and premium didn't even manage to pass all the DOT tests. That's pretty crap and a solid indictment of the failure of DOT as a regulatory measure where manufacturers self certify and rarely conduct testing.

There is another GTAM thread on the DOT failure rate and it is huge (40% in a recent year). DOT should have the ability to restrict self-certification from a manufacturer if they are found not to be in compliance (maybe not after the first fail, but just allowing continued fails with no repercussions means you aren't a certification agency, you're a rubber stamp).
 
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