New Balance SC Elite v4 Preview: Release Date, Specs, Midsole

Update 8/21/2023: A source passed on to us that a New Balance rep confirmed a March 2024 release date and that the FuelCell midsole is now a PEBA compound.

The New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4, also known as the SC Elite, is an upcoming max-stacked marathon racing super shoe. It plays in a competitive market, going head-to-head with the legendary OG in the space, the Nike Vaporfly Next% 3, and the new fan-favorite, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3. Here are all the changes coming for the v4.

Overview of the New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4

The New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 is the latest iteration of New Balance's marathon racing super shoe. It will have a max stack of New Balance's FuelCell foam and a carbon-fiber plate. It's a full redesign of the shoe, from the upper to the sculpting of the midsole foam to the lacing system and heel counter. Sources say that release date for the New Balance SC Elite v4 will be early 2024, though we will likely see a version of this on the feet of New Balance athletes at the NYC Marathon. In general, brands are moving to Starting to see an 18 month to 2 year release cycle for a lot of racing shoes.

The current gen SC Elite v3 is known for its soft and squishy feel, comfortable for everyone from the first-time marathon to sub-3 runners. It's also known for a wider, more accommodating fit than other marathon racing shoes. From the pictures we have, the v4 looks to build on the success of the v3 while introducing some new elements like raised sidewalls, a revised design system and a more aggressive rocker. The New Balance SC Elite v3 is priced at $230, with deals on the shoe available currently for $140 (white colorway at Running Warehouse) and $180 (teal colorway at Zappos). We anticipate the SC Elite v4 will remain priced in the $225 to $250 range.

Design: New Visual Language from New Balance

The next-generation New Balance performance running shoes are all going through a remodel. The SuperComp Elite v4 is displaying that new visual language loud and proud, with geometric sidewalls and a more angular, aggressive vibe. The Rebel v4, which we also previewed, also shares this design language, which is seen most vividly in the new 'N' logo—replacing the streaked NB—and the sculpted 3D-inspired pattern on the midsole.

The outgoing model SC Elite v3 has a more curved, friendly vibe to it. The revised v4 replaced the flowing lines with sharp angles and bold cutouts. The v4 also minimizes the prominence of the FuelCell branding on the midsoel sidewall, moving it up toward the midsole of the shoe and making it about five times smaller.

A few shrewd running analysts have pointed out the similarities between the refreshed New Balance design language the Adizero lineup from Adidas. Both have sharply sculpted midsoles, gradient-accented midsole flairs and a similar menacing undercurrent. The New slanted 'N' from New Balance is also extremely similar to the three stripes logo from Adidas. As they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Midsole: FuelCell, Carbon Plate, EnergyArc

The SC Elite v4 is still using FuelCell, as indicated by the branding on the midsole sidewall in the leaked picture. Some runners on our YouTube channel speculated that New Balance is switching to a PEBA-based formulation of FuelCell, which is possible but unlikely due to the years of development that have gone into their current supercritical TPU and EVA blend. What is likely is that the foam in the SC Elite v4 is a reworked version of FuelCell.

The heel stack looks to be at the legal limit of 40mm with raised sidewalls around the heel to increase stability. There's still a carbon-fiber plate in the SC Elite v4, as shown from the bottom view. And New Balance is keeping the EnergyArc feature on the rear of the shoe, which helps with weight savings, stability and energy return. There are also two clearly demarcated layers of foam, which suggests the possibility of a dual-density midsole as seen in training shoes like the Adidas Boston 12 and Puma Deviate Nitro 2 and racing shoes like the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro. It's also possible that the two layer look is just a design flair (after all, Adidas has this design flair on the Adizero Adios Pro 3).

One big change from v3 is a more aggressive rocker geometry upfront. This follows the trend set by Asics' Metaspeed and Saucony's Endorphin series, which continued in new racing models launched this year from various brands, including the Hoka Rocket X 2 and Saucony's own new Endorphin Elite.

Upper & Fit: Two-Piece Construction

The upper on the SC Elite v3 almost looks like a training upper. It's more padded than most uppers from competitors, namely the Nike Vaporfly Next% 2 and 3, which have sparsely padded and unstructured uppers. The v4 has a moderately padded upper as well as a heel counter which can be seen from the structured back-end of the shoe in the leaked picture.

One main difference between the SC Elite v3 and v4 is that the upcoming v4 moves away from the sock-like booty constructuon we've seen in the past. The SC Elite v4 now has a two-piece upper with a distinct tongue, likely gusseted as is common with most raceday shoes. The v4 also ditches the "elf ear" style heel counter in favor of a cleaner construction that's flush to the achilles.

Outsole & Durability

The SC Elite v4 has a generous covering of outsole rubber on both the forefoot and heel of the shoe. The forefoot has a three-piece rubber application which offers nearly full-coverage while saving weight and giving some flexibility. The back has individual pieces of rubber covering the sides of the EnergyArc platform, while the midfoot has an inch or so of exposed rubber in the low-wear zone.

A major benefit of the SC Elite v4's rubber application is that the rear rubber extends up over the flared foam in the back. This will prevent erosion of the foam for heel strikers, as exposed racing foam is extremely fragile. For comparison, the Nike Vaporfly has a large chunk of exposed foam in the back, which frays and degrades with any serious racing use. Below is a picture of a Nike Vaporfly Next% 2 after being used in a race with downhill sections that forced heel-striking—the shoe has less than 100 miles on it with significant visual wear and foam degradation that make it borderline unusable for racing (especially for a runner with other options available in the rotation). The New Balance's generous rubber coverage should help extend the usable life of the shoe to 300+ miles.

Final Thoughts

The New Balance SC Elite v4 looks to be a competitive option that builds on the v3's reputation for comfort by adding new elements to the mix. It introduces a more aggressive rocker, a new design language and a potential update to the foam formulation. To get updated with the v4 releases, sign up below and we'll give you all of the details as soon as we get them, plus weekly shoe previews and deals.