someone call the myth busters. buster gets a full face helmet and an airbag to the face

 

for real i want to sell mine now..

 

SCCA requires you to disconnect the airbag if you use a full face helmet. The reason is due to the airbag pushing up on the bottom of the helment pushing it upwards where the chin strap can dislocate your jaw. The airbag is very easy to disconnect in an evo, when Im back on the street I just plug it back in. With an open face helmet you do not need to disconnect. Ive never heard of the broken neck theory. If you have a choice get the SA helment for the impact difference, the fire retardant material and the longer chin strap is easier to use.

Marty

 

i dont know how the airbag can broke your neck if you have a helmet on....
I mean really???? That school is teaching something strange there.

If you have a helmet that means more protection on your head, so airbag will hit you helmet instead to your face. Only difference i can see is you dont get a blue eye after, since the helmet is designed to safe your head.

For me is sounds a big BS.

Just like a if you have a roll cage on the street is unsafe...

 

Its not BS, Airbag in some cases grabs under the chin of the helmet and forces it up and back causing injury to the jaw etc. with the chin strap. Open face helmets don't have this issue, but have many others. As linked to earlier:

"DATE: November 16, 2004
FROM: National Staff
TO: All Participants
SUBJECT: Airbag Advisory

It has been brought to the attention of SCCA Technical Services that the use
of full-face or closed-face helmets while driving vehicles with active airbag
restraint systems may result in injuries in the event of a crash that deploys
the airbag. Because of the location of the steering wheel relative to a
driver’s position, the airbag axis is on a level with the driver’s chin. In a
crash with airbag deployment, contact with the chin area of a full-face
helmet can be so powerful “that the risk of fractures to the jaw cannot be
ruled out“ (Hubert Gramling, FIA Institute, FT3/AF, 18.5.1999). This applies
to vehicle that may be used in Solo, RallyCross, High Performance Car
Control Clinics, etc.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that full-face helmets not be used in
vehicles with functional airbag systems. Potentially more restrictive language
is currently being considered for 2005, which could appear in an early 2005
issue of FasTrack. If you have any questions, please contact the SCCA at
(800) 770-2055."

This resulted in the rule change to require rather than recommend that passive restraints are disabled in many forms of SCCA racing etc.

 

Really if you choose to leave the airbag on and use a full face helmet the choice is yours UNLESS you race it in scca and Im sure nasa has the same rule as the scca which is below, You cannot race with the airbag on (yes the inspectors do check).

from the scca GCR:

d. Passive Restraint Systems
Passive restraint systems shall be deactivated.
Air bag systems
shall be deactivated and may be removed. If the car is to be used
on public roads, we recommend that these items be reactivated/
rearmed/replaced when not in competition.

also the post where it references FIA testing is pretty much the last word on safety

 

Is there a picture for how you disconnect the airbag?

 

bump for how to disconnect the airbag

 

On my evo 9 it is on the bottom side of the steering wheel, open the cover and disconnect the yellow plug...pic below.


http://www.socalevo.net/gallery/albu...1/DSC00600.jpg

 

For the FIA safety reason is completally different cause. The reason they requier to disconnect the airbags , if they fail and they will open up in racing conditions then you can loose control and crash . Besides "minor" bumper bumping can also cause airbag to deploy and causing scene that way.. You can cause multiple crashes on road racing with opening airbag. That is nothing to do with dislocated jaw or broken neck . This is my first time to hear that. But hey it is Amerika so i accept it.
Maybe it is a different translation of the FIA rule book...
I never heard or saw dislocated jaw or broken neck. Fact i dont even know anyone who know someone who had it

But i heard accidently opening airbags in racing back then. Since they cant take a racing G forces and stress. They did not designed for that enviroment. That is why they required to disconnected or uninstalled , just like the ABS. TO prevent crashes.

Rob

 

I can imagine getting tagged in the rear entering a turn where the hit is recoverable and then all of a sudden your car turns into a cannoli with airbags deploying completely preventing you from controlling the car.

 

also can be cases when the G sensor trigerred by the forces in racing. Or in rally after high jumps , or cutting corners and scraping the objects, etc
There is many many possibilities for the SRS pulling the trigger on the airbags.

 

I use a Arai and a Suomy bike helmet when i go to the tracks in the Evo. That's only because i ride a bike as well though. Good luck.

Aaron

 

Interesting theory... I could see it under some conditions, but the seat height varies, the distance from the steering wheel varies, the height of the people varies and belts and their tension vary (how far forward you go). So, I guess their tests found a case where everything matched up perfectly to be able to shoot the bottom of the helmet up... Would be great to see this test repeated in different seating arrangements to see what happens.

Anyway, good point about the accidental deployment of an air bag - that makes more sense to me.
I read somewhere that most air bags are set to deploy at around 7-8G impact.

Is there not an easier way to disconnect all the air bags. What about the passenger side? Is there not an airbag fuse or relay that can be taken out shutting off all of the airbag sensors and all the airbags?

 

lol did you not just read the bulletin pasted above? it does not mention accidental deployment (which I suppose could happen) as the reason, it talks only of the possible injury to the jaw-and as you can see it does not mention broken necks. FIA approves my seat and harnesses but I dont really see a need to question them on those items so why question them when the recommend disconnecting the air bag?

Oh well, I tried, Marty