Fox V3 RS Mips Helmet

Ever wonder what the little yellow “Mips” sticker you see on helmets means? It stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System, and it’s a key safety technology in many modern motorcycle, bicycle, and other recreational helmets. I’ve recently been wearing a $649.95 V3 RS 50th Limited Edition motocross helmet, which features the latest Mips technology, called Mips Integra Split. Here’s what it is and how it works—but first, a little history and science.

Swedish Safety

Mips (formerly MIPS) is both an acronym for the technology and the name of the company that produces it. Founded in 1996 by Hans von Holst, a Swedish neurosurgeon who partnered with fellow Swedish researcher Peter Halldin, the first Mips-equipped helmet from 2007 was for equestrian riders. Today, more than 100 helmet manufacturers use Mips technology across numerous recreational sports.

In their research, Hans von Holst and Halldin discovered that in a crash, a helmet does a good job of protecting the wearer’s head from blunt (direct) impacts. However, the users’ head and neck twist violently in most crashes due to off-angle, or obtuse, impact forces. The sudden rotational movement can cause neck injuries, along with subjecting the wearer’s brain to violent movement inside their skull, sometimes causing even fatal brain injuries.

Halldin designed a thin, low-friction “slip layer” that fits between the helmet’s hard outer layer and the impact-absorbing interior material, usually polystyrene. When the helmet is impacted at an angle—for example, when a rider crashes at speed and hits the pavement—the Mips slip layer allows the exterior of the helmet to rotate around the wearer’s head by several millimeters for a few milliseconds. This reduces the rotational force of the crash and lessens the brain movement inside the skull. Mips has even tested the technology on cadavers to measure internal brain movement.

To be effective, the Mips technology does not require a lot of movement, so a Mips-equipped helmet looks and feels like a “normal” helmet. Mips does not make whole helmets, choosing instead to partner with helmet makers to integrate the slip layer into helmet designs.

There are several Mips system types that have evolved since the original equestrian helmet. Although Mips does not eliminate the injury-causing rotational forces, it does lessen them, which reduces the likelihood of brain and neck injuries. The research that resulted in Mips won a prestigious science award in Sweden.

Fox V3 RS Helmet

Fox Racing recently introduced the $649.95 V3 RS 50th Limited Edition Helmet, a pro-level motocross helmet featuring the new Mips Integra Split system. The helmet celebrates Fox’s 50th year in operation (founded in 1974).

The Mips Integra Split system allows for more sophisticated movement and better obtuse force absorption. Three separate but linked slip layers sit within the interior absorption layers, rather than between the helmet shell and polystyrene, resulting in more minute motions.

The Fox V3 RS looks and feels like a normal helmet, and I used it on two different rides with a pair of Fox motocross goggles that fit over my eyeglasses. While the V3 RS is a dedicated motocross helmet, I used it like many off-road and adventure bike riders do. The helmet is rated for street use in the U.S. and EU, but does not include a typical drop-down face shield.

It features an MX-style angular design with a gray and black carbon fiber shell and a green chin screen that can be subbed out for an included black screen. A larger motocross peak/visor is mounted as stock, with swappable tinted and shorter options included. The interior Ionic Plus padding includes hydration hose routing loops and the quick-release cheek pads have red pull loops to allow EMTs to carefully remove the helmet in an emergency.

On the head, the V3 RS is very light, thanks to the carbon fiber construction. It fit my somewhat oval head very well, with just the right amount of firmness. I did not need to modify the cheek padding with the included optional pads. The sweat-absorbing interior padding snaps in and out for washing.

Practical Experience

I first wore the V3 RS on a day-long street ride through the Ortega Highway in Southern California aboard a 2024 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE. I also installed a Cardo Packtalk Edge into the helmet. The V3 RS is comfortable, but with no face shield, it is also noisy at highway speeds. Insects can sneak past the goggle/chin section gap, but it is only an occasional annoyance. I left the larger peak attached for better sun shading, since I wasn’t going to be doing much high-speed riding. I alternated between wearing earplugs on the highway and drowning out city noises with music from the Cardo’s JBL speakers, mounted in cutouts that are integrated into the helmet’s interior design.

Days later, I wore the V3 RS during two days of riding my Suzuki DR650SE dual sport in southeast Oregon’s high desert. The ride featured wide temperature swings, long hours in the saddle, and a lot of dust. The V3 RS was comfortable and light enough to wear all day. I never developed any soreness or hot spots. Thankfully, I did not test the Mips system’s impact absorption capabilities.

Conclusions

Perhaps the best thing I can say about any helmet is that it is comfortable to wear on long rides while also providing top-notch protection. The Fox V3 RS 50th Limited Edition scores high on both counts. I never had hot spots on my noggin after riding for hours, and the included peak options make it a great choice for riders who intend to spend time both on and off the pavement. It is also designed for easy installation of comm systems.

The design doesn’t stray far from traditional MX helmets, but the carbon shell is both lightweight and good-looking in the “naked” unpainted 50th anniversary livery. Numerous paint and color options are available. Yet, this is a motocross helmet and requires goggles for safe riding. If your current helmet’s face shield is often an insect mass grave after a ride, you might want to consider your options.

As for the Mips system, it’s much like airbags in your car, ABS brakes on your bike, or the oxygen masks on airplanes. It’s nice to know they are there, waiting for the worst to happen, but you hope you never have to use them.