New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 vs New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5:
Which to Choose

On paper the two shoes look nearly identical — both max out at 6/6 for pace and responsiveness, both are neutral platforms with low 2/6 stability, and both run a full-length carbon plate through 100% PEBA FuelCell foam aimed squarely at the half and marathon. The differences are in how that platform is tuned. The v5 is meaningfully lighter, at 198g for a men's US 9 versus roughly 230g for the v4 — a real weight saving you feel late in a race. The bigger change is geometry: the v4 sits at a low 4mm drop with a tall, evenly built stack (about 40mm heel / 36mm forefoot), while the v5 keeps a similar heel height (~39mm) but drops the forefoot to around 29mm, pushing the drop up to roughly 8–10mm. That extra heel bias, plus a stiffer forefoot plate and the concave-plate-and-voids Energy Arc setup, gives the v5 a firmer, snappier, more propulsive toe-off — reflected in its slightly lower 5/6 cushioning score against the v4's max 6/6. In practice the v4 leans softer and more cushioned, with a rolling, comfort-tilted ride, while the v5 feels racier and more planted through transitions but less plush underfoot. The v5 also gets a more accommodating upper — a woven nylon/polyester mesh with a semi-gusseted tongue and a roomier toebox — on a slightly narrower, more streamlined race platform. What doesn't change: both are tall, low-stability builds that feel tippy and wobbly at jogging pace and only come alive when you commit to genuine race effort, so neither is the shoe if you want a stable, everyday ride.