ShoeGeometry

Nike Vaporfly 4 vs Nike Vaporfly 3

What changed from the Nike Vaporfly 3: stack lower, drop less, weight lighter. Each cell carries a provenance badge; open a shoe for sources.

Nike Vaporfly 4: heel 36 mm, forefoot 30 mm (drop 6 mm); rocker apex 65 % of length, radius 47 % of length.Nike Vaporfly 4: rocker apex at 65 % of lengthNike Vaporfly 3: heel 40 mm, forefoot 32 mm (drop 8 mm); rocker apex 62 % of length, radius 50 % of length.Nike Vaporfly 3: rocker apex at 62 % of length
  • Nike Vaporfly 436/30 mm · apex 65 %
  • Nike Vaporfly 340/32 mm · apex 62 %
Midsoles drawn from measured values on a common length (290 mm), heels aligned, toe to the left; dots mark the rocker apex. Dotted lines use typical values where a shoe has no measurement. Exact values are in the table below.

What changed

MeasureNike Vaporfly 3Nike Vaporfly 4Change
Heel stack40 mm36 mmlower (−4 mm)
Forefoot stack32 mm30 mmlower (−2 mm)
Drop8 mm6 mmless (−2 mm)
Weight204 g190 glighter (−14 g)
Rocker apex62.3% of length65.5% of lengthstarts later (+3.2 %)
Toe tip over ground40.1 mm38 mmabout the same
Rocker rise angle24.8°26.5°about the same
FoamZoomX (PEBA)ZoomXchanged

Compared with the previous version in this catalogue. Differences within measurement noise are shown as about the same. All version changes

MetricNike Vaporfly 4
Racing · Road
Nike Vaporfly 3
Racing · Road
Heel-to-toe drop6 mmStated8 mmStated
Heel stack36 mmStated40 mmStated
Forefoot stack30 mmStated32 mmStated
Weight190 gStated204 gStated
Rocker apex65.5 %est.62.3 %est.
Rocker radius47 %est.50 %est.
Rocker rise angle26 degest.25 degest.
Toe tip over ground38 mmest.40 mmest.
Rocker angle at toe55 degest.49 degest.
Visible rocker lift onset76.2 %est.74.8 %est.
Toe spring (relative)17.8 %est.16.9 %est.
Midsole width (forefoot)110.6 mmMeasured—
Midsole width (heel)77 mmMeasured—
Interior forefoot width91.7 mmMeasured—
Toebox width73.2 mmMeasured—
Longitudinal stiffness53Derived—
Midsole firmness55Derived—
PlateCarbon plateCarbon plate
Primary foamZoomXZoomX (PEBA)
List price$270$260

Key differences

  • Nike Vaporfly 4's heel-to-toe drop is 6 mm, 2 mm lower than Nike Vaporfly 3's 8 mm.
  • Nike Vaporfly 4's heel stack is 36 mm, 4 mm thinner than Nike Vaporfly 3's 40 mm.
  • Nike Vaporfly 4's forefoot stack is 30 mm, 2 mm thinner than Nike Vaporfly 3's 32 mm.
  • Nike Vaporfly 4's weight is 190 g, 14 g lighter than Nike Vaporfly 3's 204 g.
  • Rocker onset is about the same: 76 % of length for Nike Vaporfly 4, 75 % of length for Nike Vaporfly 3.

Nike Vaporfly 4 details · Nike Vaporfly 3 details · Add more shoes