Which Is Right For You? OMP WRC-R vs WRC-R XL
Sizing guide, OMP WRC-R and WRC-R XL
This one comes up on the phone most weeks, and it is almost never the question people think they are asking. They ring up wanting to know which of the two OMP WRC-R shells is the better seat. Neither is. They are the same seat in two sizes, and the only thing being decided is which one fits you.
We have had both on the showroom floor since 2022, which meant we could stop guessing and do something useful with them. We sat a driver in both, took the photographs, and they are further down this page. He is 5ft 10in with a 32in waist, and the difference is obvious once you see it on a person instead of on a spec sheet.
The XL is 50mm taller and wider. That is the whole difference. Everything else about the two, the homologation, the shell, the trim, the way it mounts, is identical.
- Same seat, two sizes: the XL is 50mm taller and wider, nothing else changes
- Standard covers a 32in to 36in waist and drivers under 6ft
- XL covers a 36in to 42in waist and is listed for over 6ft as well
- Both are FIA 8855-1999, side mount, fibreglass, HANS friendly, no head support
- The XL carries 2.3kg more shell, which is worth knowing if you are counting weight
- Both are supplied as the seat only, so side mounts go on the order separately
- Both take a 5th point, and the cushions come out for cleaning or a trim change
The 50mm, and what it actually changes
OMP quote the XL as 50mm taller and wider than the standard shell. On paper that reads like a footnote. Sat in, it is the difference between a seat that grips you across the ribs and one you can shift about inside on the second half of a session.
The important part is that it works in both directions. An XL is not a better seat for a big driver to be generous with, and the standard is not a lesser seat for a smaller one. A shell that is too big does not hold you, and a shell that is too small stops being tolerable somewhere around lap fifteen.
GBP 525.60, 8.8kg.
GBP 618.00, 11.1kg.
| WRC-R | WRC-R XL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | GBP 525.60 | GBP 618.00 |
| Waist | 32in to 36in | 36in to 42in |
| Driver height | Under 6ft | Under and over 6ft |
| Weight | 8.8kg | 11.1kg |
| Shell size | Standard | 50mm taller and wider |
| Part number | OMPHA0-0773-B01-071 | OMPHA0-0778-B01-071 |
| Homologation | FIA 8855-1999 | FIA 8855-1999 |
| Mounting | Side mount, 290mm spacing | Side mount, 290mm spacing |
| Head support | None | None |
| HANS | Friendly | Friendly |
| Harness | 4 and 6 point | 4 and 6 point |
| 5th point slot | Yes, in the base | Yes, in the base |
| Cushions | Removable | Removable |
| Supplied as | Seat only | Seat only |
The overlap at 36 inches is realA 36in waist is the top of the standard and the bottom of the XL, so both listings will tell you they fit. That is the one measurement where the number on its own will not settle it, and it is worth a phone call instead of a coin toss. Cameron will ask your height and your shoulder width as well, because at 36in those are what decide it.
We sat a driver in both
This is the part of the page worth your time, because it is ours and not OMP’s. Both shells have been on our showroom floor since 2022. We put the same driver in each of them, in a suit and helmet, and photographed him from the same spot.
He is 5ft 10in with a 32in waist, so on paper he is squarely a standard WRC-R. The photographs show what that looks like against the XL, and they make the case better than any measurement we could print.
Same driver, same afternoon. His shoulders sit inside the bolsters and the shell is holding him across the chest, which is what a competition seat is supposed to do.
The same driver in the XL. There is daylight where the bolsters should be touching him, and the shoulder openings sit above where his shoulders actually are.
Photographed on our showroom floor with a driver of 5ft 10in and a 32in waist.
Look at where the shoulder openings sit. In the standard shell his shoulders are inside the bolsters and the seat is in contact with him. In the XL the openings are above his shoulders and there is space either side, so under load he would move before the seat did.
That gap is the whole argument. A competition shell only works when it is touching you, and the moment there is room in it you are back to holding on through the wheel. Which is exactly what you bought the seat to stop doing.
Bigger is not safer or more comfortablePeople buy up a size expecting more room to be more comfortable on a long stint. On a fixed back competition shell it does the opposite: your weight ends up on the edges of the bolsters instead of spread across them, and that is what starts aching. Buy the size that fits and the padding does its job.
Which one is you
Measure your waist over the clothing you actually drive in, so over a suit if you race in one. A 32in road waist and a 34in suited waist are the same person, and the seat only knows about the second number.
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Standard WRC-R
32in to 36in waist and under 6ft. GBP 525.60, 8.8kg. The one most drivers want, and the lighter of the two by 2.3kg.
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WRC-R XL
36in to 42in waist, and the only one of the pair listed for drivers over 6ft. GBP 618.00, 11.1kg. Also the answer if your shoulders are wide even when your waist is not.
Height matters as much as waist here and it is the bit people skip. The standard is listed for drivers under 6ft only. The XL is listed for both, because the extra 50mm goes up as well as out and puts the shoulder openings where a taller driver’s shoulders actually are. If you are over 6ft with a 34in waist, the honest answer is that neither is a clean fit and we should talk about the ARS-R instead.
Everything the two share
Beyond the 50mm the two seats are the same product, which is worth saying plainly because it stops the sizing decision turning into a specification decision.
Both are FIA 8855-1999 homologated, so both are accepted anywhere that standard is accepted. Both are fibreglass with a gel coated shell and OMP’s Airtex trim. Both side mount at the standard 290mm competition spacing, both take 4 and 6 point harnesses, and both are HANS friendly.
Both have the 5th point harness slot, which sits between your legs in the base of the seat, under the cushion. Every FIA approved seat has it, so a 5 or 6 point harness has somewhere to go on either of these without you having to check. And being fibreglass fixed backs, the cushions in both come out, which matters more than it sounds when the car has been out in the wet or you want them retrimmed.
Neither has a built in head restraint. That keeps the top of the shell lower than OMP’s HTE-R, which suits a car short on head room, and it is the thing to check first if your class asks for an integrated head restraint. If it does, the HTE-R is the seat and it is further down the page.
Check the homologation date against your classFIA 8855-1999 seats carry a date on the label and most championships put a limit on how old that date can be. It is the rule book that decides, not us, so send us the class you are entering and we will tell you what is on the label of the one we would ship you before you order.
The 2.3kg nobody mentions
The standard shell is 8.8kg and the XL is 11.1kg. That is 2.3kg, or about a quarter more seat, and it is the one part of this comparison that does not appear in OMP’s own sizing advice.
On most cars it changes nothing worth worrying about. On a stripped car where somebody has already spent real money getting weight out, buying an XL you do not need puts a chunk of it straight back in, and it puts it high up and behind the centre of the car. Garreth’s view is that if you are between the two sizes and the car is a proper build, that is a reason to try the standard first.
If you genuinely need the XL, fit the XL. Two kilos is not worth a seat that does not hold you.
What else goes on the order
Both seats are supplied as the seat on its own. There are no brackets in the box, and this is the single most common thing we have to add to an order after the customer has placed it.
A side mount shell needs a pair of side mount brackets between the seat and whatever is bolted to your floor. OMP’s own low profile mounts are the ones we fit most, and the high profile pair go on when you need to bring the seat up instead of down. Which one you want depends on your car and your height, so tell us both when you order and Cameron will put the right pair with it.
One seat, a pair, or a seat and harness together
Both sizes are listed singly, as a matched pair for anyone doing both sides, and as a package with an OMP harness. The pairs work out cheaper than two singles, so if the passenger side is going in at the same time it is worth taking the pair listing. Garreth checks that on every two seat order, because it is free money and people miss it.
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Our picksBuy for your measurements, then let us do the mounts
On a 32in to 36in waist under 6ft, the standard WRC-R at GBP 525.60 is the seat, and the 2.3kg you save is a bonus. From 36in up, or over 6ft, take the XL. If you are sitting exactly on 36in, ring us before you order: that is the one overlap where the number will not decide it and Cameron would rather measure than guess. He will want your height, waist over what you drive in, and the car.
If neither of them is quite right
The WRC-R is one shell in a range, and two or three times a year somebody is better served by a different one. We would sooner say so than sell the wrong seat twice.
The HTE-R is the one to look at if your class requires an integrated head restraint, because that is exactly what the WRC-R does not have. The ARS-R covers a 36in to 38in waist and is listed for all driver heights, which makes it the seat for a tall driver who is not wide enough to want the XL. The RS-PT 2 is the value FIA shell in the range if the budget is the constraint.
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Questions we get about these two
Is the XL a better seat than the standard?
No, and that is the useful answer. They are the same seat in two sizes, with the same homologation, the same shell, the same trim and the same mounting. The XL is 50mm taller and wider and 2.3kg heavier. Buy the one that fits you and neither is a compromise.
I am a 36 inch waist. Which one?
That is the overlap, so both listings will say yes and neither is definitive. Height and shoulder width decide it at that measurement. Ring us on 0115 9893488 and we will work it out with you, or come to the showroom and sit in both, because they are still here.
I am over 6ft. Do I have to take the XL?
The XL is the only one of the pair listed for drivers over 6ft, so if it is between these two then yes. If you are tall without being broad, the OMP ARS-R is listed for all heights on a 36in to 38in waist and is often the better answer. Tell us your measurements and we will say which.
Do either of them come with brackets?
No. Both are supplied as the seat only. A side mount shell needs a pair of side mount brackets, and what goes underneath those depends on your car. Send us the car when you order and we will make sure the whole stack is on the order rather than half of it.
Can I run a HANS device with them?
Yes, both are listed as HANS friendly and both take a 4 or 6 point harness. Both also have the 5th point slot in the base, between your legs under the cushion, as every FIA approved seat does. Neither has a built in head restraint, which is a separate thing from HANS compatibility and matters only if your class specifically asks for an integrated one. If it does, look at the HTE-R.
Do the cushions come out?
Yes, on both. Every fibreglass, Kevlar and carbon fixed back bucket we sell has removable cushions, so they come out for cleaning, for drying after a wet weekend, or if you want them retrimmed. Steel framed reclining seats are a different construction and do not work that way.
Can I come and sit in them?
Yes, and it is the reason this page exists. Both shells are on the showroom floor and have been since 2022. Sitting in a seat for two minutes settles this question better than any amount of reading, and it costs you nothing.
Still not sure
If you are between the two sizes, come and sit in them. Both are on our floor and that is a two minute job that saves a return. If you cannot get to us, ring 0115 9893488 with your height, your waist measured over what you drive in, and what the car is. Cameron will tell you which one he would put you in, and he will say so if the honest answer is neither.
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