Customer Reviews Altra Superior 4

I would recommend these to a friend, however, I would advise being cautious on any potentially slippery surface. Here are two surfaces I've almost slipped on while wearing these shoes: wet asphalt, painted cement. When worn for their intended purpose, i.e., trail running, the shoes are great.

The Superior is my chosen shoe for long distance backpacking. I like zero-drop, the roomy toebox and great forefoot flexibility. The tread pattern is adequate, but for loose dirt or mud a more aggressive pattern would be nice. When my pack weight exceeds 20 lbs, the rock plates are helpful. I have extensively used the 2015, '16, '17, '18 and '19 models of the Superior. The uppers of the 2015's developed huge holes in the uppers after only 150 miles and became unusable. Durability has improved steadily. I have about 600 miles on my 2018's and the uppers are still in good shape. Way to go, Altra! However, the fabric used in the upper was changed for 2019, which I have two issues with: It is slightly less durable than the previous fabric. After 500 miles, my shoes are fraying where the upper meets the rubber reinforcing of the lower shoe. Since I consider 500 miles pretty much the useful life of a shoe, it's not a huge deal. Also, the new fabric dries more slowly, which is a disadvantage when I'm fording creeks on a daily basis. I own 10 different pairs of Altras and there are some things they all share. Altra is exceedingly generous in the length of laces provided with the shoes. I usually cut them shorter. Also, the midsole feels springy when the shoes are new, but by the time you've gone 75 - 100 miles, the springiness is gone. It's not a big deal for me, since I don't mind the firm ride, but for some people it's a big consideration. Over the years, the sizing at the upper end of the scale has been a moving target. I suggest trying the size you usually take, then 1/2 and a full size up to be sure you get the right fit. The Superior has been a great shoe for me!

This is my first pair of trail shoes and so far I am impressed. The one thing I am a bit skeptical of is is the midsole foam. It feels like it's already getting compressed after 1 week.

I love my Superior 4s -- upper is great, fit is perfect and they feel quite light on your feet. My only concern is the Quantic midsole already feels compressed after less than 100 miles. The cushion is negligible. I wish Altra would use the EGO midsole on more shoes. Or any of the many springy, resilient compounds available. Also, as many others have pointed out, the length of the laces is ridiculous. Other than that, great shoe.

I ran a couple 10K's and a half marathon in these and each time I had an issue with the rubber toe cap. The location where the top fabric meets the firmer rubber toe cap seemed to catch my toenails on the downhill (even when cut short), which left me with a few purple nails. I'm going to try the Superior 3.5's since they have a softer transition in the toe cap. This is my first pair of Altras and aside from the toe cap, I am very impressed with the stability, zero drop feel, and overall performance of the shoe.

I use this product in an urban environment. I have used the shoe for over a month and the shoe is very comfortable and proves to be a great shoe for walking on sidewalks.

3 stars for the upper, fit and overall feel. Minus 1 star for the foam breaking down in 80 miles. I feel noticeable depression from my foot's high pressure spots especially the ball of my foot. Minus half star for the lacing. Just seems over engineered and I always have to adjust. Lastly, I did go down 1/2 size compared to my Escalante. Bottom line, I do really enjoy the miles in these shoes and will reluctantly but again once the cushion is completely gone.

Not enough miles on these to comment on durability just yet, but the upper is fantastic. Light and flexible with no pressure points and great lockdown - thanks to the unique lacing and mid foot wrap-around design. The most comfortable upper I've worn on an Altra (I've run in Escalante 1s, Paradigm 4s, Olympus 3.5s, Timp 1s) and perhaps any running shoe I've worn (including lots of Hoka & Saucony). So comfortable I wish Altra would put it on every shoe they make. The Quantic midsole is lighter than the Ego foam found on the Escalante and Paradigm 4s, but doesn't seem quite as soft. The removable StoneGuard is helpful for a bit of added protection, but given the short stack height of 21mm I still feel the rocks underneath and bruised my heel on a steep down hill at the end of my last run. So gotta be careful on the rock-filled trails around Denver. The outsole seems typical of most of the Altra trail shoes and has adequate grip. My only recommendation for the outsole would be to completely cover the heel rather than leaving the foam exposed. It would add a tad bit of weight but the extra protection from rocks would be helpful, especially on downhill heel strikes.

There is much about this shoe to love. Just the right amount of midsole, amazing drainage, reliable grip on a variety of surfaces. However, my big toe gets caught on the toe cap while running no matter how short I cut my toenails. I've even filed them down to the skin to no avail. In addition, my big toe has worn a whole through the upper right before the toe cap. I'm sure it will soon poke through. Why would Altra make a toe cap that has a ridge capable of catching a toe? Serious design flaw in my view. I'll have to find another pair.

I had great hopes when I tried on and bought this shoe. After about 400 miles of trail running, the upper is separating from the midsole around the big toe. This was preceded by an annoying squeeking during flexion of midsole on each step. Especially when broken in, the midsole hinges loosely at this point fatiguing both fabric and foot. I suspect both squeeking and durability issues could be resolved by uniting the reinforcement material around the front of toebox to the side panel. Unfortunately it looks as though the superior 4.5 uppers don't have this modification.

First B/P trip in these shoes.This shoe is dangerously slippery on wet rocks. Went on a 33 miler in the GSMNP. I love this shoe, so light, great foot feel when crossing creeks. Dries out quickly. Don't know if I'll continue using.

This shoe has a ton of room in the fore foot, and I can see how other reviewers would find it to be too much and have their foot slipping inside. I enjoy the extra room and slight "slop" in the toe box as I have very wide feet, and these fit wider than all other altras I have tried on. However the major downfall is they are SO SO slippery when wet. Living in the pacific northwest, I cannot recommend this shoe for winter running. It is seriously dangerous on wet rocks and concrete. I have never had a shoe this slippery. I will continue to wear mine on dirt and in the dry. How was this missed in testing? It is so slick I would almost expect Altra to recall the shoe....

Negligibly poor grip on anything wet or steep. Amazingly shoe and ground feel. Speed is constantly held back by poor grip and slippery rubber material by on cleet. Probably easily solved by throwing an actual quality Vibram sole like the one now appearing on the King MT 2. Let's go and solve this serious flaw for a show that's nearly perfect with the exception of where the rubber meets the road. Never once slipped on steep trails till I got this shoe. Almost daily now.

I had the S2, they gave more lateral support for trails. I've had them for years and I'm keeping them. The S4 are sloppy feeling and lateral movement is not well supported. If you're straight line running they're ok, rock hopping, not so much. I did a mountain run in them and felt the stones. I put in the "rock plate" but that just made them heavier and sluggish. Disappointed. Size is good and it's comfortable.

At first I loved these shoes. I used them this summer for various hiking trips in Yosemite, Southern Utah, and the Smokey Mountains with no problems. I loved the shoes so much I decided to use them for Cross Country. I started running with a forefoot landing stride to accommodate the zero drop and at first they were great. I probably have at least 250 miles on my superiors and recently they have left me with huge, painful blisters on the bottom of both my feet. The blisters almost kept me from racing in a state meet this past weekend. There doesn't appear to be any unusual wear and tear on the shoes, so I can't attribute the blisters to the shoes being worn down. Overall happy with the shoes, just disappointed they are letting me down after this long.

I own 7 pairs of Altras. The Superior 3.5 was my favorite shoe. I decided to buy the Superior 4 - I am bummed about the 4. The toe box is sloppy and the material has alot of give, very little control in the shoe. The heel pinches and felt tighter than the 3.5. The laces are very very long and the entire upper has changed including the tongue. I returned them after a fair try and purchased the Timp 1.5, which I absolutely love. If you loved the Superior 3.5, the 4 is a different shoe.

They go and mess things up with the Superior 4, its lite but a sloppy fit and slippery. Foot is NOT locked in, there's too much play. Superior has been my go to since 1.5 and it was gradually getting better, I thought the 3.5 was a solid shoe sure it was heavier but a good mountain shoe, they reinforced the outer side wall, all previous models would wear on the outer front side until there was a hole and the 3.5 fixed that, then that's all replaced with a stretchy upper with no reinforcement or protection. Traction was way better on the 3.5 and tread lasted longer, I could easily get 400+ miles and 4's are wearing prematurely. I hope the next version builds off the 3.5, just my take.

I love that there is toe room, but I do see that previous models had more toe room. I wish there was as much toe room as previous models. Major no buy for me....the seam on the side of the shoe near the toe box does not have enough padding. I can feel it digging into the side of my foot. Not wearable for me long-term. Also I ordered the shoes directly from Altra online and there was NO Stone guard inserts in either of the shoes. I was very disappointed.

I am a huge fan of the previous version of these. I did about 1000km in them in mostly mountainous terrain before the stitching came apart on the toe box. I came from a pair of Inov8 trail roc 150's which I loved but the Superior 3.5s made me forget all about them! The fit was perfect, the sensitivity was great and the traction, (despite me expecting little in comparison to the Inov8's) was faultless, even in pretty extreme weather conditions. The 4.0 on the other hand has fallen short. The fit feels sloppy. I have already lost two toenails as a result and I'm only about 100km in. I constantly feel as though my foot is slipping inside the shoe. The toe box feels totally different to the and grip is just dangerous. I have really become cautious while running in anything but perfectly dry conditions. I will always opt for a zero drop, minimal shoe, but unless this issue is resolved I won't be purchasing Altra again. I live and run in the mountains, I need a shoe I can trust! Sorry Altra team.

I have an Altra Escalate which is not slippery on wet floors, but I tore my hip flexor muscle when I went into my kitchen with the floor still a little wet 3 weeks ago and I have to use crutches and try to rest. And it may take 6 weeks or more to heal, possibly need surgery. This model and the Lone Peak mid 3.0 are both VERY slippery in stores too, when wet.

This shoe feels amazing on your foot, like wearing slippers while running. The issue I've had with them is that after less than 150 miles on them, the treads on the outside of the mid-sole are completely gone. The tread material in the center of the sole seems to be a more durable material, but the material on the edges breaks down extremely quickly.

Ran one 50 miler in this shoe. Is light, responsive and comfortable. Disappointing that the foam completely broke down on the inside part of the shoe and now completely forces overpronation. You really have to see it to believe it. Better yet, save your money and just believe it.

I've tried dozens of different trail shoe brands, and this model a extremely slippery shoe on wet rock. I found it very dangerous losing traction assending and descending on 10mile mountain scramble. This best description Is as if the out soles were covered in grease. I also found the forefoot sloppy, even with my wide feet.