Skechers Forza 4 - WOW!

I liked the Forza 3 as a recovery shoe. I have heard the 4s take time to break in. A bit clunky and slappy at first. But it seems you haven't had that experience? I might have to purchase a pair of the Forza 4s when they drop in price.

No slappiness at all (and I do slap in other shoes such as the Vongo). The forza 3 was firm. I went through 5 pairs or so and all of them never loosened up. I wouldn't take them past 7-8 miles. The 4s I would take 20+.

Thanks for the review, I've been looking at the Forza 4 reviews now that they are available. I currently use the Vongo 3 and Arahi 4 for my easy/long miles rotation, curious how you would describe the Forza 4s in comparison? Just lighter and softer?

Also do you think they are suitable for some amount of speedwork (eg MP, slowerish tempos) as well?

Flatfooted wrote:

Thanks for the review, I've been looking at the Forza 4 reviews now that they are available. I currently use the Vongo 3 and Arahi 4 for my easy/long miles rotation, curious how you would describe the Forza 4s in comparison? Just lighter and softer?

Also do you think they are suitable for some amount of speedwork (eg MP, slowerish tempos) as well?

Forza is lighter than both and a little more flexible. I feel it does a better job at correcting overpronation WITHOUT feeling like a bit of overkill. Occasionally with the Arahi and Vongo and feels like I am running side-side with how far it pushes you to the outside to control overpronation.

Another big difference is ground contact feel. The Forza is wicked smooth from foot strike to toe off. You really notice the rocker and there is no slappiness or dead leg feeling when striking the ground. I did 3 miles at tempo with them today (5:30ish pace) and they held up just fine. I through in a sub 5 mile earlier in the run and they held up fine for that as well. While I personally prefer the Razor 3 (+orthotics) for speedwork, you could use the Forza for tempos, mile repeats, MP long runs, etc. and be very happy with them.

I like the Vongo and the Arahi, but it is just a different feel. Being able to have hyperburst in the midsole but still have that denser foam to control ankle movement is key. The Vongo strikes the ground very hard and the Arahi doesn't have the amount of rocker in the sole that I'm looking for. Try it out, you won't be disappointed. Worst case scenario it is another shoe for your low-drop, stability rotation. The pickings are slim in that category, but the Forza takes the cake.

How durable do you think they are? How breathable are they? Does it benefit mid foot strikers? How long does hyper burst last?

Also how wide is the forefoot and heel? I want to compare them to my trainers that I am using. If you are a 9-10 US size that would be perfect. If not don’t worry about it.

RobA - Glad you liked it so much. I found it to be a fun, though imperfect, trainer. The Hyperburst is what makes it. I inadvertently ran 1:14:xx half as part of a run in them and truly forgot what shoe was on my feet. I thought I was wearing the GoRun 7+ or Speed Elite. Did a double-take!

But - the Forza 4 has its drawbacks. There's a break in period. Fine, that goes away. More importantly, I did find it clunkier at slower paces. It truly feels like two halves of a shoe glued together - you sort of forget about this when you're turning over, but at a slower pace, it's noticeable. Annoying, even. Also - the tongue of the shoe stained my white socks permanently. So there's that.

In sum, I was a big fan. Passed them along to a friend, but genuinely miss them.

Here's our obligatory review (though I said it much more succinctly here!):

https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2020/04/skechers-performance-go-run-forza-4.html

ELong1229) wrote:

How durable do you think they are? How breathable are they? Does it benefit mid foot strikers? How long does hyper burst last?

I only have about 60 miles on them so far, but no signs of wear. I would guess 400-500 miles. The good year rubber is on my GRR8's go about that far.

It should benefit midfoot strikers as it has the 'm-strike' zone on the outsole as well. I find them smooth whether I strike heel, mid, or forefoot.

No break in period at all for me, they still feel the same as they did out of the box after 60ish miles on them. The 'two shoes glued together' feeling is actually what I like about it so much. I usually land more on the lateral side, getting a soft landing, then push off on the medial side, creating a really responsive ride. I have spent soooo long trying to find the perfect shoe that has stability elements without feeling like a brick from weight or super stiff from posts, wedges, etc. and this shoe is it for me.

I got the same feeling you described on a 10 miler last weekend. I started clipping off a few tempo miles and it felt like I have the Razor 3s or Speed Elite on my feet. Crazy!

With a 4mm drop I am hesitant to try these. On the other hand they might be great. What exactly does the ride feel like?

xdrytsaer wrote:

With a 4mm drop I am hesitant to try these. On the other hand they might be great. What exactly does the ride feel like?

6mm drop

Ride is soft on landing, propulsive on toeoff. Very smooth.

Yes, my mistake. Still 6 mm is a little low for my tastes. Is the Forza fun to run in?

xdrytsaer wrote:

Yes, my mistake. Still 6 mm is a little low for my tastes. Is the Forza fun to run in?

Very fun to run in. Lots of pop in the stride. 6mm is low to you? What do you typically train in? I don't see many shoes greater than 8mm on the market anymore outside of Brooks and Nike (and the older Asics models).

There’s a lot of 8 plus out there. Adidas, Brooks, Nike, Mizuno, ASICS, Reebok.

I am currently running in the Mizuno Wave Horizon 4. It has a 10 mm drop. It feels light (10.7 oz), is stable has a bit of a bounce but not that fun to run in. Just a really comfortable shoe to run an hour in. I want a shoe that I look forward to running in.

The ride sounds a lot like the Clifton I (I still have a very ragged pair...still so sweet!)

Back when the Forza 3 came out I felt like I stumbled upon a diamond in the rough. It was a fantastic shoe, I just ordered the last pair in my size that I could find anywhere on the internet. Smooth, protective, durable, comfortable, and lightweight. Literally my perfect shoe. The only thing I had a problem with was sometimes I felt like the upper was a bit too loosey-goosey but it looks like they fixed that in version 4.

When this new pair wears out and the 4's come down in price I'll definitely be checking them out... I plead, Skechers, don't EFF this shoe up in future iterations!!

Must be issues with production. Not available on Skechers.com.