New Balance SC Trainer V3 vs Saucony Endorphin Speed 4: Which One Do you Need for Speed?

Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price

The fundamentals first then, starting with stack height. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 packs 36mm in the heel and 28mm in the forefoot for an 8mm drop. The New Balance SC Trainer V3 has a bigger wedge underfoot with 40mm in the forefoot and 34mm in the heel, but comes a lower 6mm drop.

On weight, in a US Men’s 9, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 tips the scales at 255g or 9oz. The New Balance SC Trainer V3 comes in at 9.9oz or 282g in a US 9.5.

On price, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 is $170. The SC Trainer V3 is just 10 bucks more expensive in the US at $180.

Design

For two shoes designed for daily miles but with a faster edge, these two shoes take quite different approaches.

The Saucony Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 midsole features what now looks like a medium stack when you look at shoes that have come along since it launched. It uses PWRRUN PB Pebax foam in tandem with a winged nylon plate and Saucony’s trademark Speedroll rockered shaping.

The nylon plate is there to add stability, rigidity and forefoot flexibility. It also sits slightly lower in the midsole so there’s more foam directly under foot.

The New Balance SC Trainer V3 has a larger stacked FuelCell midsole. A reformulated EVA-Peba blend foam that now carries 20% Peba. It’s the same foam you’ll find in the New Balance Rebel V4.

The SC Trainer V3 has a carbon plate that’s now 'forked' to reduce weight and increase the flexibility for a more natural feel underfoot. There’s also the New Balance Energy Arc – a trench down the middle of the midsole which allows the carbon plate to flatten on landings and give more spring back on toe off.

Another difference in geometry, the New Balance SC Trainer V3 has a wider forefoot platform but a narrower heel than the Saucony Saucony Endorphin Speed 4

Up top, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 has a zonal mesh upper with a light, airy perforated design and plenty of flex into the toe box. The NB SC Trainer V3 has an engineered mesh upper with New Balance’s Fantomfit technology – the same upper fit technology you get on the New Balance SC Elite V4.

Check Out My 5 Best New Balance Shoes Here

The New Balance SC Trainer V3 uppers are marginally thicker and more structured than the Speed 4. The heel collars on both shoes are medium padded. There’s more padding at the top of the back of the heel in the SC Trainer V3 and the internal heel counters rise higher than in the Endorphin Speed 4.

Both shoes have gusseted medium padded tongues. The Endorphin Speed 4’s is a bit flimsy and doesn’t wrap the top of the foot quite as well.

Flip them over, and they both have generous coverings of outsole rubber with large sections covering the whole forefoot and the troublesome heel areas. The New Balance SC Trainer V3 definitely has a thicker protective layer. But the grip on both is good for the needs of a faster daily shoe.

Fit

On fit, I ran in my regular US 9.5 running shoe size in the Saucony and a US 9.5 in the New Balance. I’d usually run in a US 9 in New Balance running shoes but New Balance advised me to go half a size up.

As a result, I found the fit very roomy with ample wiggle room in the tox box, the kind of space that caters well for the longer runs. However, going that half size up makes for a baggier fit and I had to pay particular attention to I laced the shoes to get a more dialed-in fit.

The Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 is excellent true to size. It holds where it needs to but is plenty roomy in the toe box. This shoe has one of the best disappearing fits of any shoe I’ve tested.

Performance

In testing, I’ve run many, many miles in the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4. It’s one of my all-time favorite shoes. I’ve run 100s of miles in it including marathons and longer. I’ve run considerably less miles overall in the New Balance SC Trainer V3 and the longest I’ve run is 10 miles. But I’ve used both across a range of paces from easy to all out, mostly on road.

Now if I’m summarizing each shoe quickly, for me the Endorphin Speed 4 is one of the best do-it-all all-rounders going. It offers a lively cushioned ride that feels light and full of energy without any harshness or fussy business. ⁣It’s a shoe that feels immediately natural on the foot. With all the reliable comfort of a Saucony Ride 17 but a propulsive ride that’s more like an Saucony Endorphin Pro.

This is a shoe you can rock back and cruise in, but it’s also built to perform when you kick up through the gears. ⁣That’s where the midsole, rocker and that nylon plate kick in for an energetic and fun ride.

If someone told me I was only allowed to buy one shoe, to do all of my training and racing for a marathon, this would be high on the shortlist. 

The New Balance SC Trainer V3 is a new one for me and I think it’s a very accomplished daily trainer with a decent level of cushioning that’s soft but not too soft. There’s plenty of controlled energy for eating up miles on longer runs. There’s lots of versatility here, too and it’d be a good weapon in anyone’s marathon training line-up

My Verdict

These are both excellent tempo shoes. Good cruisers for longer, faster efforts. The choice comes down to whether you want a more compact, lower stack, precise shoe that feels more nimble. Or you prefer a bigger cushioned feel with a wider platform that’s probably a bit more protective when you’re moving slower.

For me I still choose the former. I like the ground feel you get with the Endorphin Speed 4. I think it’s better suited to the top-end paces, too. But I don’t mind a more direct shoe even for slower efforts. The only other case where I think I’d choose the New Balance SC Trainer V3 first would be tackling a big road ultra where you want more protection.