New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 Review
By Andrea Myers and Matt Klein
For the introductions of the last several iterations of the New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite, similar statements have been made. This series has been a steadfast, comfortable, friendly super shoe that has been deservedly popular. While not the fastest super shoe and certainly far from it, the SC Elite has repeatedly made up for this by being incredibly comfortable and a great option for newer or recreational runners using it for everything from long runs to ultramarathon races. The higher volume fit, rockered, less stiff and more comfortable cushioning made it drastically different from other companies offerings. For version 5, this introduction takes a different turn. New Balance has come to the table with something new, more aggressive and faster. A slimmer platform, snugger fit, lighter weight, much stiffer and aggressive ride make for a shoe that loses the friendly approach. The question is, how does this new approach compare to other current day super racers?
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5Price: $249.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 7.3 oz, 213g (men's size 9.5), 5.8 oz, 165g (women's size 7)
Stack Height: 40 mm heel / 32 mm forefoot
Drop: 8 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Racing Shoe
Pros: comfortable fit for a super shoe, decently light weight, good traction on wet roads
Cons: ride not as responsive as one would expect from a super shoe, feels more like a training shoe than a top flight racing shoe
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 is a super racing shoe for those who want a lighter and stiff ride for long distance racing. A new, single-layer engineered mesh provides a lower volume fit that locks the foot down well while still allowing for swelling over long distances. A new, stiff plate combined with a higher drop and cushioned PEBA midsole provide a more aggressive ride compared to previous that still works best at half to full marathon paces. A far more narrow platform helps drop the weight, bringing the SC Elite v5 forward as a distance racing and workout shoe.
SIMILAR SHOES: New Balance SC Pacer v2
PAST MODEL: New Balance SC Elite v4
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The New Balance SC Elite v5 fits me true to size in my normal men's US size 10. The single-layer engineered mesh upper is thin and breathable in the midfoot and forefoot with mildly thick padding in the rearfoot. The fit is normal to slightly snug in the heel and midfoot but widens in the forefoot. The volume is low but the mesh does stretch. The toe box does not taper and felt quite comfortable, providing plenty of room without being sloppy. The midfoot is normal-to-slightly snug with a thin but gusseted tongue that holds the foot well. The heel is slightly snug with moderate heel collar padding and a somewhat flexible heel counter in the rear. The counter is rounded and did not bug me, but those with sensitive heel bones may not do well in this shoe due to the lack of padding. The security was fairly good in this shoe and I did not have to lace lock the shoe. I did have to tighten the laces slightly but that was all I needed for security. The inner liner is quite comfortable against bare skin except for the toe guard, so only experienced "sockless" runners should go without socks.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Andrea: The New Balance SC Elite v5 fits true to size in my usual women's 9.5. I had about a half thumb's width from the end of my big toe to the front of the shoe and the toe box has sufficient width and volume that I did not experience any discomfort at my MTPs. The toe box does not taper significantly which contributes to its overall fit and comfort. The midfoot and rearfoot are normal width and I did not have any issues achieving secure lockdown. The rearfoot features a small, semi-rigid heel counter and a small amount of internal padding. I did not experience any heel rubbing with the collar like I did in the New Balance SC Pacer 2. The thin, gusseted tongue is additionally held in place by a lace loop and the flat, mildly stretchy laces stayed securely tied throughout my test runs. This shoe did not require many lace adjustments mid-run, and overall it was an easy shoe to throw on and go.
Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: Brooks Hyperion Max 1 and 2, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, ASICS Novablast 4 and 5, PUMA MagMax Nitro
Shoes that have fit snug: Altra Escalante 4 (toe box width and volume), Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2 and 3 (length), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-4 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Could be Better
Recommended for Haglunds: Maybe
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: Maybe
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The New Balance SC Elite v5 is long distance racing shoe. The midsole is still made up of FuelCell, which New Balance claims is 100% PEBA foam. The foam is vaguely familiar to previous SC Elite foams, but feels slightly firmer and more snappy. This is due to the more narrow platform, lowered stack height in the forefoot and stiffer plate. The heel still has some softness but transitions into a somewhat firmer and stiff forefoot. The weight is lower than previous versions, coming in at 7.3 oz for a men's size 9.5 (typical sample size for New Balance). The lower weight is immediately noticeable, which combined with the stiffer plate make it feel more aggressive than prior versions out of the box. The increased drop to 8mm is noticeable in a positive way although with the midsole compression in the heel, it feels closer to 6mm drop. There is a small heel bevel in the rearfoot that thanks to the amount of midsole compression breaks into a smooth transition for me as a heel striker. This continues into the midfoot, which begins to stiffen before hitting the stiff forefoot. There is a modest forefoot rocker that combined with the stiff plate takes some work to get over. For these reasons, the SC Elite v5 felt best at moderate/uptempo, tempo and marathon to half marathon paced runs.
The midsole is not the bounciest thing on the market but is comfortable. The lack of a major rocker made the shoe feel better when pushing the pace a little but the lack of a majorly propulsive midsole may it struggle for me at paces below half marathon pace. It did feel great as a cruising shoe and was easy to lock into a pace for a long time. This has been one of the few super shoes I have been able to do long runs and have done several uptempo long runs pushing a stroller while my wife kept pushing me to go faster. I have also done several fartleks, a tempo run and attempted a track workout in this shoe. I did not feel it turned over fast enough for the track (400m repeats), did fine on the fartlek and shined most on the tempo and long runs. Despite the ease of getting into a rhythm, I found the forefoot really stiff. I noticed that landing at the rearfoot and transitioning through the shoe was more comfortable than getting up on my toes. Forefoot striking felt too stiff but rolling through from the heel was better. There is absolutely no flexibility in this shoe and minor toe spring, so those with toe mobility may do well here if the forefoot rocker lines up with them. This further suggests to me that this shoe is better for distance racing, but those who really pushing through their ankles and forefoot will do better than those who are expecting the shoe to bounce them along.
The traction is quite good on road and wet pavement thanks to the nubs on the bottom. I would not take this shoe on trail due to the midfoot gap and the exposed midsole. Despite over 40 miles of use, There is no major wear on the outsole. I was completely expecting to tear of one of the posterolateral heel pieces, but so far they have held on. I therefore, cautiously expect to get a decent amount of miles out of these, but the design makes me thing I will eventually tear on of the outsole pieces off.
Andrea: I was looking forward to testing the New Balance SC Elite v5 because I did not get the opportunity to test v4 and I enjoyed the SC Elite v3 so much I put 250 miles on the shoe before the midsole lost its resilience. Of course, New Balance completely changed the shoe from version 3 to version 4, and version 5 is another significant update, losing over an ounce of weight and going from a 4mm drop to 8mm drop by shaving 4mm of stack off the forefoot. The first thing I noticed about v5 was how light it felt, both taking it out of the box and on foot. The second thing I noticed was how dense the midsole felt, which was the most prominent feature on all of my runs in the shoe. By dense I mean the high stack is noticeable, with very little ground feel, but also that the midsole did not feel particularly responsive or propulsive at any pace. I tested the shoe on a 10 mile run at around 20"/mile slower than marathon pace, a few tempo runs that started at half marathon pace and worked down to 10k pace, and some shorter 10k and 5k pace reps.
While I appreciated the light feel of the shoe, I didn't have the feeling I get in other super shoes where it feels like the shoe is propelling me forward or making me run faster than I would in lightweight trainers. I happened to be testing the SC Elite v5 at the same time I was testing the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite v3, and the difference in my paces at a given effort level were striking, with the Fast-R consistently improving my pace by 10"/mile. The forefoot rocker in the SC Elite v5 feels much less aggressive than many other super shoes, and the smaller heel bevel and 8mm drop make this shoe feel better designed for heel strikers than midfoot strikers like myself. The forefoot also features fairly prominent sole flaring that is wider medially than laterally, which tends to not work well for me since I land pretty far laterally.
Additionally, the platform is very stiff longitudinally and I found myself wishing the shoe would give somewhere to make push off feel a little smoother. I think I would have gotten along better with the shoe if it had a more aggressive rocker profile and less prominent medial forefoot sole flaring. Unfortunately, I felt like I was fighting the shoe instead of the shoe helping me run faster. There was no particularly pace that it felt better or worse at, but I was definitely more aware of the things I didn't like about the shoe while doing 20-30 min tempos, where I had to lock into a rhythm as opposed to during shorter reps. The shoe was perfectly comfortable at easy paces and I could see it being a great long run and/or marathon shoe for the right person.
A couple of my runs in the shoe were on wet roads and traction was excellent, thanks to the redesigned outsole, which features many small rubber lugs in the midfoot and forefoot. I have 35 miles on my pair and there is minimal visible wear on the exposed midsole in the midfoot, and no wear on the rubber sections. I would expect higher than average outsole durability from the shoe and that the limiting durability factor will be the midsole.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The New Balance FuelCell Elite v5 is a neutral racing shoe with guidance features in the forefoot. The midfoot is especially narrow, although this is slightly offset by a medial sidewall and a central midfoot cut out. The heel is also narrow but the heel bevel is angled slightly lateral which creates a mildly lateral bias. The forefoot is the most stable part of the shoe thanks to a wider shape, the stiffness from the pate, additional medial flare and a small medial sidewall. There is less lateral flare, providing a slight lateral bias for those with mild medial forefoot stability needs. This is the factor that has helped me get through long runs in this shoe, as I can get away with many shoes if there is medial forefoot guidance. However, for those who need significant guidance in the heel and midfoot, this shoe will not work given the narrow platform. It fortunately does not feel unstable, but outside of the forefoot is not overly stable either.
Andrea: The New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 is a neutral racing shoe without significant guidance features. The rearfoot and midfoot platform is very narrow, thankfully opening up to a wider midfoot. The smaller heel bevel and later forefoot rocker also provide less guidance of forward motion as compared to most other super shoes, which are more aggressively rockered in the rearfoot and forefoot. The forefoot does feature a moderate amount of sole flaring which is wider on the medial side, which may provide some resistance to medial forefoot motion for those who need that type of guidance. The SC Elite v5 will be best for those without significant guidance needs.
Thoughts as a DPT: What Makes a Good Racing Shoe? It Depends...
By Andrea Myers
We are lucky here at Doctors of Running to have the opportunity to test so many different shoes, including super shoes. This has allowed me to discover shoes that I love that I would have never tried on my own and discover that shoes that I thought I would like do not work for me. The New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 is a shoe I thought I would love based on how much I enjoyed the SC Pacer v2 (except for the heel blisters it caused) and the Rebel v5.
To my disappointment, the SC Elite v5 does not have the propulsive, energetic ride of the Pacer v2 and as a result, really doesn't feel any better than a lightweight trainer to me. Does this mean that the SC Elite v5 is a bad super shoe? Absolutely not - it just means it doesn't work for my mechanics and racing goals. However, there are many factors runners should consider when choosing a racing shoe, and a propulsive ride is not always a primary goal. Some runners do not get along well with shoes with aggressive rocker profiles, often due to a history of high hamstring, hip flexor, or foot issues in heavily rockered shoes. For these runners, a shoe with a much less aggressive rocker profile like the SC Elite v5 might be a great racing option.
Another major factor for runners to consider when choosing a racing shoe, particularly one for longer distances (half marathon and up) is comfort. It doesn't matter if a shoe improves your running economy by 4% if it is so uncomfortable it gives you blisters, black toenails, or doesn't fit your foot properly. There are many runners whose primary racing goal is to complete the distance as opposed to a speed goal. For these runners, shoe fit and comfort will be the number one priority. This concept also applies to triathletes competing in a half or full Ironman distance event, in which getting through the run and finishing without being limited by shoe-related discomfort is a top priority. For these athletes, a super shoe that is too rockered or bouncy might be too much for tired legs after getting off the bike.
With this in mind, the comfortable fit of the SC Elite v5 and less aggressive ride may make it a great choice for recreational runners who are less concerned about maximizing pace and more concerned about being able to complete the distance.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: The SC Elite v5 has worked better for me than prior versions. The medial forefoot stability has been one of the few versions I personally can use for longer harder efforts comfortably. It has been a go to longer workout shoe and I have enjoyed it. However, due to the narrow heel/midfoot, it is not something I would take for a marathon and it still lacks the midsole pop I would associated with today's super racing shoes. The reduced rocker profile does feel great as a training option, so my major suggestions are to take the lessons from this shoe and put them into the SC Trainer series. I would rocker the profile a bit more and do whatever is needed to update the foam.
Although the FuelCell used in this version is full PEBA, it does not have quite the midsole resilience I would expect from shoes in today's era. It still feels great underfoot, but compared to others on the current market, a few steps forward are needed. I also think the midfoot could be wider by increasing the midfoot gap to keep weight low and improving stability (the SC Trainer does this well). Some new PEBA blends may be required to bring this shoe forward but it is still a massive improvement from the prior versions. The only challenge with this design is that it may lose some of the prior customers who liked the friendly approach of v4, but it is now far more competitive.
Andrea: While I enjoyed the fit and light weight of the New Balance SC Elite v5, I did not particularly enjoy the ride and found it to be underwhelming. The shoe feels like it should be the training companion to a different super racing shoe, but this shoe is New Balance's super racing shoe. I think the reduced rocker profile is a major contributor to the performance issues I had in the shoe, and I hope that future versions will feature a larger heel bevel and an earlier forefoot rocker to give the shoe a more lively, rolling ride. I also think the ride could be improved by balancing the forefoot sole flaring instead of having it medially biased as it currently is.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The New Balance SC Elite v5 is a stiffer, less aggressive super racer for those who do not want a rockered profile, enjoy a wider forefoot but a secure fit and a solid option for longer races. The FuelCell midsole and plate combination will work best for rearfoot strikers who can roll through the shoe and push off strongly from the forefoot. The geometry will work best for those who need medial forefoot stability but have neutral mechanics in the rearfoot/midfoot. The fit will work best for those with normal width feet who want a little wiggle room in the forefoot and a comfortable upper. The durability has been good so far, but time will tell as I continue to test this. Those who do not want an overly bouncy ride that is common in most other super shoes will do best in this shoe. The SC Elite v5 certainly sets itself apart from other super shoes and I struggled to think of similar shoes. It does have many similarities now to the SC Pacer v2, with the main advantage being that it has a slightly higher stack height and a much better upper. The SC Elite v5 is still a great option for recreational runners or those who push off strongly through the forefoot to go fast. It is more aggressive than prior versions, so may alienate those who have higher volume feet or want a more friendly ride. While this shoe isn't quite as fast as I was hoping, it makes me excited to see what New Balance has in store especially for the SC Trainer v4 and the SC Pacer v3.
Andrea: The New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 is a super racing shoe with a very stiff platform, muted rocker profile, and less aggressive ride than many super shoes. I think this shoe will be best for those who do not do well in racing shoes with aggressive rocker profiles and bouncy midsoles and just need a lightweight racing shoe with sufficient underfoot protection and reduced ground feel. The narrow rearfoot and midfoot platform will work best for those with neutral mechanics. At $250, it is now on the lower end of the super shoe price range, which also contributes to it being a good option for recreational runners or as a starter option for those looking to try super shoes without shelling out $300+.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: A (Comfortable, well fitting, secure upper. A little extra forefoot room with a secure midfoot and heel)
Performance: B+ (Stiffer and more aggressive ride than previous. Works best over long distance efforts, particularly half marathon to marathon paces. Lacks versatility into faster efforts)
Stability: B [Medial Forefoot Stability/Guidance] (Narrow midfoot/heel are offset by medial forefoot sole flare and a stiff plate that makes it a great option for those that need mild lateral forefoot bias)
Value: B (The shoe is holding up well but runs more like an aggressive super trainer. $250 is not as expensive as others but I would personally price this closer to $230.)
Personal: B+ (While not the fastest shoe, this has been a favorite for longer workouts. One of the few super racing shoes I can take for faster long runs, likely because of the forefoot design)
Overall Design: B+
Andrea
Fit: A (very comfortable fit for a racing shoe, sufficient toe box width and volume, comfortable and easy lockdown)
Performance: B- (A very underwhelming ride due to muted rocker profile, stiff platform, and 8mm drop. I did not feel any faster in this shoe than I do in my lightweight trainers.)
Stability: [neutral] B- (narrow rearfoot and midfoot, less forward guidance due to less aggressive rockers)
Value: B+ (At $250 it is a less expensive super shoe option, but it does not perform like a more expensive super shoe. For the right person it will be a good value.)
Personal: B- (Not the performance I would expect from New Balance's top super shoe in 2025. I do like the fit of the shoe and think New Balance did well there.)
Overall Design: B-
SHOP | SUPPORT DORNew Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5Price: $249.95 at Running Warehouse
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