New Balance SC Elite v5 vs SC Elite v4: Should you upgrade to New Balance’s latest racer?

The New Balance SC Elite v5 is the new flagship carbon plate racing shoe in the brand’s range, replacing the SC Elite v4, but the two shoes have quite different designs and will suit different runners. Nick runs through the differences in the two shoes in this video, and suggest which runners might prefer.

00:00​​​​ – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
03:11 – How’s The Fit?
04:23 – The Run Test
07:12 – Verdict

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hello welcome to Run Testers my name is Nick and in this video we’re going to be comparing the New Balance Fuel Cell SC Elite V4 versus the SC Elite V5 so the SC Elite line from New Balance is their flagship carbon plate racing shoe the SC Elite V4 came out last year and it’s been replaced by the SC Elite V5 this year i want to do a comparison of the two shoes we talked a lot about the differences between them in our full review but I want to do a specific video for people who might be looking at buying the new shoe or comparing it to the old shoe or who love the old shoe and are wondering about upgrading to the new shoe now it’s come out because it is quite a big difference and often when brands update their top carbon plate racing shoe there’s not actually a huge amount difference between the latest version and the previous model but there certainly is with these two shoes there’s no difference in the price though which is £260 in the UK and £250 in the US for both models although the SE Elite V4 might well be going in sales now because it is the older shoe you have got a big difference in weight though with the SE Elite V5 being a much lighter shoe than the SE Elite V4 it’s 210 g or 7.4 oz in a UK 9 it’s a US 9.5 whereas the SC Elite V4 is 243 g or 8.6 o in the same size got a lower drop on the SC Elite V4 it has a 4mm drop whereas the new SC Elite V5 has an 8 millimeter drop both have a stack height of 40 millimeters at the heel so that drops to 32 on the V5 and 36 on the V4 so lots of similar elements between the two shoes on paper but it adds up to a very different shoe overall so you’ve got lightweight breathable uppers on both shoes with minimal padding these are racing shoes so you don’t expect to have too much padding or anything on here to keep the weight down but there’s a redesigned heel collar on the SC Elite V5 which addresses an issue with the Slite V4 where it rubbed the heel or the Achilles on runners and broke the skin quite often like I had that problem with the SE Elite V4 before but the SE Elite V5 has this slightly different heel cone design with a little bit of padding there to make sure it holds the heel a bit more securely now the midsole on both shoes is made from New Balance’s Fuel Cell foam this is the 100% pea version of Fuel Cell new Balance uses different versions of Fuel Cell in its range but this is the best version the full PE lightweight springy version of Fuel Cell the best version as you’d expect in their flagship racing shoe there’s an Energy Arc carbon plate running through both of these shoes but the midsoles are quite different not only is there a difference in drop in terms of the higher fore foot on the SE Elite V4 but the older shoe is also a lot wider than the new one and that really is what counts for the massive difference in weight and the much narrower nimler design of the SC Elite V5 is something that you really notice on the run makes it less stable than the SC Elite V4 but gives it a slightly more aggressive and fast feel that’s added to by the fact that the carbon plate in the SC Elite V5 has a stiffer foreoot than the one on the SC8 V4 again with the idea of creating a more propulsive feel off the toes when you’re running then it comes to the outside of the shoe you’ve got the same configuration on both with the fore foot covered with rubber and two strips at the back but you’ve got a new tackier rubber on the SL85 to try and improve grip with small triangular lugs on there as well very shallow triangular not really lugs in the sense of like a trail shoe but they have these little triangle shapes on the bottom again to try and improve grip compared to the SC84 so when it comes to the fit of the two shoes I’ve got the same size in both which is a UK 9 US 9.5 and I found that the fit in both of them has been good on length sometimes in New Balance the sizing can be a bit tricky especially if they’re racing shoes they can come up very short but that’s not the case with either of these two shoes i’ve had enough room around the toes with both of them but the SC Elite V4 definitely has a wider toe box it’s one of the widest uh carbon plate shoes I’ve come across I’d say in general when it comes to fit and the SE Elite V5 comes in a bit more narrower in a more traditional design which suits me as I have a narrow foot but the SC Elite V4 is a bit more accommodating has a more volume in the toe box of the shoe new Balance tends to be one of the few brands that offers wide versions of their carbon plate racing shoes that was the case with the SC Elite V4 expect it will be true of the SC Elite V5 when it fully launches as well the fit around the heel has definitely been improved on the SC Elite V5 like I didn’t have major problems with the SE Elite V4 myself once I heel locked it I was able to avoid anything too bad in terms of heel rub with the V4 but definitely was something I noticed a bit on longer runs with the S Elite V5 i’ve had no concerns at all with heel rub on it uh even just leaving it in its normal lacing configuration so yeah that has been improved and addressed in the latest version of the shoe so I’ve run around 60 km in both of these shoes obviously mostly testing the SC Elite V4 last year when it came out and testing the SC Elite V5 recently done a mix of hard training sessions and long runs in both of these shoes you working at a range of paces from marathon pace efforts right down to you know short sharp intervals in them they’re both far shoes with a good foam in the midsole for sure but it is a very different experience when you’re running in them the SC Elite V4 wasn’t my favorite carbon shoe it wasn’t run that real was my cup of tea basically I don’t think it’s a bad shoe but it didn’t really suit my taste i’m a high cadence runner i’ve got quite a shuffly style and I prefer the narrower nimler more aggressive carbon plate racing shoes in general so although I thought I could run in fast in the SE V4 the kind of wider springier more stable design just didn’t really suit me that well compared to a shoe like the SLE V5 which does have that faster turnover so while it felt good cruising along at kind of marathon pace that kind of thing I did notice the weight in a negative way when pushing to faster paces and in general didn’t really feel like I was benefiting that much from its very cruisy design and comfortable design like I prefer a more direct and fast feel from a carbon racer and that is definitely the feel you get from the SC Elite B5 which is more in tune with lots of other shoes on the market it’s got that more aggressive toe off a more noticeable foroot rocker interestingly you kind of get tipped forward more something that’s aided by the high drop I’m sure as well really throwing me forward from my heel as a heel striker onto the forefoot it does feel like you get a more poppy punchy propulsive feel off that carbon plate when you’re when you’re running fast that’s definitely noticeable when you’re looking at shorter reps and shorter races i think it’s a much better like 5k racing shoe or a track shoe the See V5 and that feeling is what I prefer as well in long-distance racing shoes because you have still got a lot of comfort under fit from the foam the pea foam in the midsole there so it’s going to be comfortable enough for things like marathons and you have that faster more flowing transition onto the forefoot which does give you a bit more punch I’d say the downsides of this new design though are that it is less stable than the SC Elite V4 and it’s probably going to be less comfortable and accommodating for those who really loved the wider more stable base of the LS Elite V4 so it makes it probably a less accessible shoe it’s one that I prefer but I would say if you love the SC Elite V4 I wouldn’t go and buy the SE V5 necessarily because I do think it’s quite a different experience and that is a bit of a negative for New Balance as a lineup you know to have a line of shoes that changes so much each time does mean it’s hard for runners to really engage with and love that line I think but it does mean that runners like myself who didn’t love the SE Elite before now have a shoe they prefer within the range but yeah like I say they don’t really have that continuity of a racing shoe did do a short run wearing both shoes at the same time it is very noticeable the extra width you have on the SLE V4 in particular you really feel it supporting the sides of each foot as you’re running it’s got that cruisier feel but it does feel heavier less nimble on the foot than the SLE V5 which has a lot more drive i think really pushes you onto your toes you get more pop off the carbon plate and foam combination in the shoe as well you know it feels more aggressive and fast basically so on to the verdict and as I said in the run test these two shoes will suit different people and the SC Elite V5 is much more suited to my taste i think it’s a faster shoe all round racing shoe i think that goes for any runner i think it is the faster shoe cuz it’s lighter it’s got a more aggressive design and it just produces better especially at short distances over the course of a marathon the extra comfort you get from the SC Elite V4 might come into play though and it certainly has a lot of appealing features on it that might make it the better choice for lots of runners than the SL8 V5 it’s one of the more stable and accommodating racing shoes on the market it’s very comfortable it does have that width it’s got a comfortable fit and it’s really good for cruising through longer events especially if you’re someone who hasn’t used a lot of carbon plate racing shoes and general hasn’t really tapped into that area of the market before i think it is one of the more approachable ones a really good option for a first carbon plate racing shoe and one that’s going to be more supportive if you’re maybe a heavier runner and really just looking for a more bouncy cushy ride from a carbon plate shoe that is still very fast but maybe doesn’t feel as direct and aggressive as something like the SC Elite V5 which is also less stable and if you love the SC Elite V4 I wouldn’t necessarily go and buy the SC V5 cuz I think it is quite a different experience and I’d look for the SC V4 on a sale if you can if you did find the SC Elite V4 was just a bit too big and heavy and cushy for you for a racing shoe then I think you’re going to much prefer the SC Elite V5 like I do which has that more purposeful ride to it however I think looking at the market at large I think the SC Elite V4 might have a bit of advantage because if you’re looking for a sleek lightweight propulsive aggressive racer the SC Elite V5 wouldn’t be my pick i’d go and look at Puma or Adidas or Asex and those brands I think have slightly superior races to the SC Elite V5 whereas if you’re looking for a stable wide more accommodating and cushy carbon plate racing shoe I think the SC Elite V4 is one of the better options on the market like not too many brands are making carbon plate shoes like that there was a bit of a trend towards that with a few previous generations but now we’re very much into the streamlined lightweight narrow you know generation of carbon plate racing shoes i mean the Alpha Fly 3 is a very comfortable shoe but it’s not as wide and stable I think as the SC4 actually the Diodora Gara Carbon 2 is a very good carbon plate shoe with those characteristics but it’s very expensive and the SC4 like I say will probably be in sales so I do think it has a bit more of a almost standout quality on the market for its type of carbon shoe which isn’t to my taste but might suit lots of runners very well sc V5 is more to my taste but I do think there are carbon shoes of that type that I do prefer to it so yeah all around it’s quite an interesting change that New Balance has made I think which is why I want to do this video they’re quite different carb racing shoes they’ll suit different types of runners i think probably the main takeaway would be if you love the Seite V4 I wouldn’t just naturally upgrade to the SE Elite V5 cuz I think it’s got quite a different feel on the run that’s our comparison of New Balance SC Elite V4 and the SC Elite V5 let us know what you think in the comments below please like and subscribe ring the little bell and we’ll see you next time