The engine's answer
Best running shoe with maximum cushioning for race training on road running, under €170
Nike Vomero 18
85% match
Big soft miles, small price for the stack you get
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Live search for the Nike Vomero 18 at retailers that carry it.
Why it wins here
The Nike Vomero 18 wins this question with a 85% match against all 78 shoes in the catalogue. It costs €160, weighs 305 g and stands on a 46 mm heel stack with a 10 mm drop; its cushioning scores 88/100, its grip 58/100 and its energy return 58/100. The tightest constraint is the €170 ceiling: only 52 of the 78 shoes come in under it, and 38 clear both the price and the terrain filter. Its biggest edge over that field is on cushion — cushioning 88 /100, stack height 46 mm. The nearest runner-up, the New Balance Fresh Foam More v4, finished 1 point behind.
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the field by the most, for this question specifically — with the numbers behind each one.
- Cushioncushioning 88 /100, stack height 46 mm
- Budget€160, €10 under the €170 ceiling — 52 of 78 shoes qualify
- TerrainRoad shoe, grip 58 /100, stability 60 /100; 61 of 78 shoes count as a road-ready shoe
What's good
- Deep, forgiving cushioning for long easy runs
- Strong value per millimetre of foam
What to watch
- Heavy on the scale and in feel
- Not the shoe for fast days
What the runners-up gave up
The next three in the ranking, and the measure each one lost on against the Nike Vomero 18.
- New Balance Fresh Foam More v484%The Bondi rival with the roomier heartNew Balance Fresh Foam More v4 (84%) lost on the goal: energy return 50 /100 against 58 /100 for the Nike Vomero 18. SportsShoes.com ↗ Top4Running ↗ Running Warehouse ↗
- Asics Novablast 583%The fun daily trainer that keeps winning group runsAsics Novablast 5 (83%) lost on cushioning: stack height 41 mm against 46 mm for the Nike Vomero 18. SportsShoes.com ↗ Top4Running ↗ Running Warehouse ↗
- Adidas Adizero Evo SL82%Race-shoe foam, no plate, no apologiesAdidas Adizero Evo SL (82%) lost on cushioning: cushioning 75 /100 against 88 /100 for the Nike Vomero 18. SportsShoes.com ↗ Top4Running ↗ Running Warehouse ↗
Questions this answer raises
- Is the Nike Vomero 18 within a €170 budget?
- Yes. At €160 it sits €10 under the ceiling, and 52 of the 78 shoes in the catalogue come in at €170 or less.
- Does the Nike Vomero 18 suit road running?
- It is a road shoe with grip 58 /100 and stability 60 /100. The question filtered for a road-ready shoe, which 61 of the 78 shoes are; for race training the ranking also weighed energy return 58 /100, cushioning 88 /100, durability 78 /100.
- What does the engine pick with a smaller budget?
- With a €140 ceiling the same question goes to the Puma Velocity Nitro 3 at €130. Best max-cushioned road shoes for race training under €140 →
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This page answers one runner's question. Yours is not that question — adjust the surface, the goal or the budget and watch the whole field re-rank.
Answer for your own running