Which HANS Device Do I Need? Angles, Sizes And Fitting Explained
An FHR is the one piece of safety kit where people arrive knowing they need one and with no idea which one. That is fair enough. The listings throw 20 degree and 30 degree at you, sizes that are not the sizes on anything else you own, and a separate page of tethers and clips that may or may not be in the box.
It comes down to three decisions and they take about five minutes: the angle, the size, and the bits that connect it to your helmet. Get those right and the price question sorts itself, because every device on this page carries the same approval. HANS is a brand name that became the generic term, so you will see both HANS and FHR used below, and they mean the same thing.
One standard, FIA 8858-2010
Every FIA approved device sold today is homologated to FIA 8858-2010, and that includes the £234 entry devices and the £1,600 carbon ones. The approval is a pass or fail, so the money buys you weight, comfort and finish, never a higher grade of approval.
That is a genuinely useful thing to know before you shop. If your class asks for an FIA approved FHR, the cheapest device on this page satisfies it exactly as well as the dearest. What the dearest gives you is half the weight on your shoulders for a three hour stint, which matters to some drivers and not at all to others.
Check your own class regulations for whether a device is required and which approvals they name, and tell us your class if you want us to check it with you before you order.
The angle is the first question
FHR devices are built to a fixed recline angle, and it has to match how upright you sit in the car. Get this wrong and the device sits badly against your back and the tethers pull at the wrong angle. Straight from the Schroth XLT listing, which puts it as plainly as anyone:
| Recline | Built for | Typical car |
|---|---|---|
| 20 degree | Traditional racing and rally cars | Saloons, hot hatches, rally cars, most club racing |
| 30 degree | Single seater racecars | Formula cars, sports prototypes, heavily reclined seating |
So for the overwhelming majority of what we sell into, tin tops and rally cars, the answer is 20 degrees. That is why almost every clubman device on the market is a 20, and why the Stand21 Club Series, the HANS IV and the Schroth Super Sport XLT are all built that way with no choice to make.
Two exceptions worth knowing. The Schroth XLT is offered in both 20 and 30 degree versions, so pick the variant when you order. And the Stilo HANS Zero is a 30 degree device that Stilo state suits both 20 and 30 degree applications, which is unusual and useful if you run two very different cars.
Size is a collar measurement
FHR sizing has nothing to do with your helmet size or your shirt size. It is your collar, measured round the base of the neck, and the makers publish the ranges in inches and centimetres.
Schroth size the XLT as Medium for a 15 to 18.5 inch collar (38 to 47 cm) and Large for 18 inch (46 cm) and above. Stand21 split the Club Series 1 at M/L for 15 to 18 inch (38 to 45.5 cm) and L/XL above 18 inch (45.5 cm). Stilo build the Zero in medium only, covering 38 to 45.5 cm. Read those numbers again and you will see the ranges overlap at the top of Medium, which is deliberate: if you land on the boundary, the smaller size generally sits better against the shoulders.
Simpson are the outlier and the useful one for anybody at the ends of the range, because the Hybrid Sport comes in five sizes from XS to XL. If a standard M or L device has never sat right on you, that is the family to look at.
Where to measure, and where it sits
The bands are the makers’ own published collar ranges from the section above. Where they overlap, take the smaller size: it sits better against the shoulders. Simpson size the Hybrid Sport separately in five sizes from XS to XL, so if none of these bands has ever fitted you well, that is the range to ask about.
Front view with everything connected. The device is clamped by the harness, not worn like a collar: if it can slide sideways out from under the straps, your shoulder straps are too far apart, which is the strap width decision covered above.
Tethers, clips and helmet posts
This is the part that catches people out on the day. The device connects to two anchor points on your helmet, and those are three separate things to get right.
Posts on the helmet. Every current FIA approved helmet we sell has provision for them, but they are not always fitted. Bell, Simpson, Stilo and Schroth all sell post sets to FIA 8858-2010, from about £50 to £118 inc VAT depending on the system, and if you are buying a helmet and a device together we will make sure the pair leave here able to connect to each other.
Tethers. Sliding tethers let your head turn further before the tether goes tight, which is the difference between comfortable apex vision and feeling tied down. Most current devices, including the Stand21 Club Series and both Schroth XLTs, ship with sliding tethers as standard. Replacement and upgrade sets are on the site if yours are older.
Clips. The tether ends have to match the post type on your helmet. Schroth Twist anchors, Simpson M61 quick release and standard HANS posts are all different systems, and mixing them does not work. Tell us what is on your helmet, or send a photo, and we will match it.
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The devices we sell most
Four devices covering the ladder, all FIA 8858-2010 and all 20 degree unless noted. Prices include VAT and were correct on 12 August 2026.
| Device | Angle | Weight | Price inc VAT | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stand21 Club Series 1 | 20 | 950 g with padding | £234.60 | The cheapest way into a full FIA device |
| HANS IV | 20 | 10% lighter than HANS III | £324.00 | The name everybody knows, current model |
| Schroth Super Sport XLT | 20 | About 800 g | £354.00 | Best value in the middle, our usual pick |
| Simpson Hybrid Sport | Hybrid | Five sizes XS to XL | £696.00 | The one for awkward fits and easy exits |
| Schroth XLT carbon | 20 or 30 | 464 g bare | £1,585.20 | When every gram counts |
| Stilo HANS Zero | 30, suits both | 420 g | £1,642.80 | The lightest here, medium only |
Starting out, or upgrading sensibly
The Stand21 Club Series and the HANS IV are where most first devices come from, and there is no compromise in the approval. The Schroth Super Sport XLT is the one Garreth points at when somebody asks what he would buy with his own money: about 800 grams, sliding tethers and Nomex covered shoulder pads, for £354.
- All FIA 8858-2010 approved
- 20 degree, so right for saloons and rally cars
- Sliding tethers included
- M and L collar sizes on all three
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From £234.60 Incl. VATPayPal Credit0% pay-in-3Try in-storeSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £354.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadyTry in-storeSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £1,585.20 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadySelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £696.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditKlarna ReadyTry in-storeSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
The lighter and the different
The Simpson Hybrid is a genuinely different design: it rests on your back and shoulders instead of across the collarbones, comes in five sizes, and Simpson build it for a quicker exit without snagging. The Schroth XLT in carbon is the weight answer at 464 grams bare, and the only device here you order by angle as well as size.
- Hybrid Sport carries FIA 8858-2010 and SFI 38.1
- Hybrid sizes XS to XL, three colours
- XLT carbon in 20 or 30 degree
- XLT at 464 g bare, around 25% lighter than the old Carbon Pro
The SFI-only exception
One device on our shelf is not FIA approved and we would rather you heard it here than found out at scrutineering. The Schroth SHR Flex is homologated to SFI 38.1, the American standard, and its listing says non-FIA. Its trick is that the recline is adjustable rather than fixed, which is genuinely handy if you swap between cars with different seating positions.
If your event asks for an FIA approved FHR, that device does not satisfy it, whatever its other merits. Buy it with your eyes open, for the right use, or spend the same money on an FIA approved one. That is exactly the sort of thing worth a phone call before you order.
Common questions
20 or 30 degree, how do I know?
What size do I need?
Will my helmet work with any device?
Does a dearer device protect me better?
Do I need one for a track day?
Can I fit a device with a three point road belt?
The short version
Twenty degrees unless you drive a single seater. Size by your collar measurement and take the smaller one if you are on the boundary. Check the posts on your helmet match the clips on the device before either arrives. Then buy the lightest one your budget likes, because the approval is identical all the way up.
If Garreth is spending his own money it is the Schroth Super Sport XLT at £354, and if the car is a long distance job it is worth looking at what 400 grams less feels like at the end of a stint.
Final thoughts: buy the helmet and the device together if you can
Half the fitting problems we untangle come from a helmet and a device bought months apart from different places. The full range is under HANS and FHR devices, and the helmet and HANS packages pair them ready to connect.
Ring 0115 9893488 with your car, your collar size and what is on your helmet. That is everything we need to spec the pair in one go, and it takes about five minutes. If you still need the helmet itself, start with the helmet sizing guide.
