Road Trail Run: GOrun Max Road 6 Multi Tester Review: 8 Comparisons

Article by Peter Stuart and Jeff Beck

Skechers GOrun Max Road 6 ($130)

Introduction

The Skechers Max Road 6 is the latest iteration of, you guessed it, a max cushioned daily trainer. With a 41mm heel and a 35 mm forefoot, this is one stacked shoe. The shoe weighs in at about 10.9 oz and features a carbon infused “H plate” to help keep things moving forward. 

Pros:

Not too mushy considering all the foam  Peter / Jeff B

Relatively stable  Peter / Jeff B

Great outsole that will run forever  Peter / Jeff B

More traditional built (not pods/columns) midsole leads to zero collapse Jeff B

Cons:

So high up off the ground that there’s almost no proprioception. Peter

Upper could be more breathable  Peter / Jeff B

Feels a bit heavy.  Peter / Jeff B

Tongue is ridiculously over-padded  Peter/ Jeff B

Stats

Weight: 10.9oz / 309g (Men’s 9)  /  8.5oz/241g (Women’s 7)

  Samples: men’s  12.17 oz  / 345 g US10.5, 11.25oz/319g

Stack Height: men’s 41mm heel / 35mm forefoot ( 6mm drop spec)  US9.5

$130.  Available now at our partners including Running Warehouse HERE

First Impressions, Fit and Upper

Peter: The Skechers Maxroad 6 is a pretty basic looking old school upper on top of a huge whack of foam. The tongue is way too padded adding to the hotboxing that my foot gets from the somewhat dense engineered mesh. Fit is good. The shoes I got were a half size smaller than what I usually wear, but didn’t take any toenails or produce any blood.  Overall the upper feels a bit claustrophobic to me. 

Jeff B: Peter isn’t wrong, there’s an element to this shoe that screams “standard issue dad shoe” outside of the super fluorescent yellow colorway. It’s not terrible looking, just a little blah. I appreciate that Skechers Performance has gotten away from the individual column/pods that they’ve used in the last few models of the Max Road. 

As a heavy weight supinator that spends a lot of time on the lateral edge of every shoe, I could absolutely feel previous iterations’ columns collapse as I landed on them. So while it is a big block of solid foam, the new geometry helps keep the shoe from being overly dynamic in all kinds of ways you don’t want (seriously, I had a 200% blister rate any time I took the MR3 longer than 2 miles).

The fit is true-to-size lengthwise, and overall the width is about average. I wouldn’t mind just a bit more room in the toebox, but it isn’t cramped – I just always appreciate a wide setup in the forefoot. 

The engineered mesh upper has reinforced overlays throughout the shoe, with a fairly beefy heel counter all the way to a slightly reinforced toe bumper. 

They’ve gone fairly standard with the heel collar being decently padded, though I experienced an odd fit a few of the times I ran in them that I had to really get my heel planted before lacing them, otherwise I’d get some slip.

 I couldn’t replicate it on purpose, but it happened a few times. If it was more common I’d just use the extra eyelets for a runner’s loop, which usually kills any heel slip issues, but it wasn’t enough to bother. They did include a heel pull tab – and unlike so many others, this one is very well thought out and very functional. We’ve reviewed more than a few shoes over the last year with really cool looking, and completely impractical pull tabs, so I always appreciate that.

The overlays and extra 3D-printed layers of the upper are no joke. It’s a toasty shoe. The tongue isn’t plush, it’s way beyond what most plush shoes have, which makes for a pretty comfortable upper – though I’d imagine it’ll be more popular in fall and winter.

Midsole

Peter: Perhaps there is too much foam underfoot in the MaxRoad 6. It utilizes the same Hyperburst Ice foam that is featured in the Ride 11, but more of it. Because of this there’s very little feeling of the road. There’s a “carbon infused” H plate under the front of the shoe, but it doesn’t propel you forward the way it does in the Ride 11. 

The foam, while very thick, isn’t particularly mushy. 

Jeff B: This midsole is massive, and despite the large stack, it isn’t remotely mushy. The H-plate may help, though I think the plate played a bigger role when the midsole would inherently collapse, this very stout midsole doesn’t seem to need much reinforcement. I’ve long held Skechers Performance Hyperburst as one of the best midsole materials on the market, and the followup Hyperburst Ice here in a dual density with a firmer outer carrier of what we are used to with Hyperburst  and a softer inner carrier doesn’t change much from the original flavor.

Inside the shoe there’s two things that set it apart from so many of its brethren: it’s the most built up Skechers insole I’ve ever run on, and there’s no partially finished liner underneath the insole inviting you to remove the insole altogether if you’d like a slightly less cushioned/more roomy fit. The insole has pretty substantial cushioning, especially around the arch, and bears the ARCHFIT label. For what it’s worth, I didn’t notice it much while running, either good or bad, but it definitely plays a part in one of the most cushioned shoes out there.

Outsole

Peter: The Goodyear outsole is a durable, grippy and has lots of  rubber. Works well and will last “forever”.

Jeff B: I appreciate all the branded rubbers we’re seeing, and Goodyear outsoles have always been impressive. This is no different, with great performance in both traction and durability. Between the overbuilt upper, midsole, and insole, this shoe truly might never wear out. They designed the outsole with some gaps in the rubber, but the shoe doesn’t have much flexibility – though the exposed midsole isn’t a concern, and anything they can do to help keep the weight down is appreciated.

Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations

Peter: The ride is a bit detached from the road. The MaxRoad is well cushioned without being mushy, but lacks some of the fun factor that I get from the Skechers Ride 11 which while also massively cushioned doesn’t get to the heights of the Max having  7mm less stack front and back.. The upper is a bit dated and the tongue is way too thick. Overall a decent recovery day shoe/daily trainer for some but, for me, is likely to stay at home while I go frolic around in the Ride 11 (RTR Review). If you want a ton of protection and don’t mind hot feet, the MaxRoad is a good choice. 

Peter: 7.5/10

I wanted to like the Max Road 6 more than I did. It pales next to its stable partner the Ride 11 . Overall not a lot of fun to run in, though very protective. I think the Ride 11 is pretty much as Max as I can take. 

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Jeff B: Peter nailed it. It doesn’t have the same super bouncy (and kind of out of control nature) the Max Road 3/4/5 flirted with, though I don’t think that’s completely a bad thing. It’s not the most fun shoe, but it does make for a great easy day or recovery shoe, especially for bigger runners. The upper and heat retention can be an issue, but if you are getting out first thing in the morning, it’s not a deal breaker for a supremely cushioned shoe. It might be the best value in a running shoe at $130, I could see this thing lasting almost until the heat death of the universe with that thick of a midsole, that overbuilt of an upper, that robust of a midsole, and rhwn paired with Goodyear rubber. While it isn’t nearly as exciting as other versions, it’s much easier to live with.

Jeff B: 8.55/10

Ride (50%): 8 Fit (30%): 9 Value (15%): 10 Style (5%): 7  

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Comparisons

Index to all RTR reviews: HERE

Skechers Max Road 6 vs. Max Road 5 (RTR Review)

Peter: The 5 felt a bit mushier and, for me, a bit easier to run in. The 5 is about half an ounce lighter than the 6. 

Jeff B: The 5’s plate was necessary for me to stay upright so I didn’t collapse the outer pods with my front supinating landing, and it ran much lighter and bouncier. The 6 cleanly slots in as a well-cushioned daily trainer/recovery shoe, while I never quite figured out where the 5 fit into my rotation.

Skechers Max Road 6 vs.GO Run Ride 11 (RTR Review)

Peter: the Ride 11 is the hands down winner here. Plenty cushioned while still being fun and fast.

Jeff B: As a parent you look for teachable moments of “too much of a good thing”, which is why I’m going to make my 9-year-old read this review. The GRR11 shares more DNA with the Max Road 6 than it does with previous GRRs, but the 11’s restraint works better, and makes it a much easier shoe to recommend for daily use. And for the slow/easy/recovery stuff, it still has plenty of cushioning for that.

Skechers Max Road 6 vs. Hoka Bondi 8 (RTR Review)

Jeff B: The Bondi has been the max king of the road for years, but I think it may have been dethroned. In head-to-head, the Bondi platform is wider, with  the interior space is much tighter, especially in the arch and toebox. The MR6 midsole is miles better, feeling both more dynamic and overall much more cushioned. The Bondi upper is more breathable, even though it’s a heavier shoe.

Skechers Max Road 6 vs. NB Fresh Foam More (RTR Review)

Jeff B: I missed out on the FFMv4, but I did review the 3. Very similar to the Bondi, the FFMv3 has tons of cushioning, but it doesn’t feel nearly as good as the Hyperburst Ice in the MR6. Its upper is a step up from the MR6, but otherwise the Skechers Performance is the better shoe.

Skechers Max Road 6 vs.ASICS Nimbus 25  (RTR Review)

Peter: The Nimbus and the Max Road both just feel a bit slow to me. A little ponderous on the ground and not the snappiest of shoes. Pretty similar.

Jeff B: Nimbus 25 was a massive step forward for the Nimbus line, and it felt truly max cushion – but against the Max Road 6 it feels …just well cushioned. The N25 has a much softer landing, and actually has a “sinking in” feeling compared to the MR6. The N25 upper is also a big step up and even though it’s still uber plush, it’s much more breathable and comfortable. 

Skechers Max Road 6 vs.ASICS Superblast  (RTR Review)

Far lighter, far more expensive.

Skechers Max Road 6 vs.Saucony Endorphin Shift 3  (RTR Review)

Jeff B: The Endorphin Shift is much firmer, though both have similar stacks, and has a pronounced rocker. The bounce of the Max Road 6 is muted compared to early Max Road models, but is a world away from the borderline dull ride of the Saucony PWRRUN midsole.

Skechers Max Road 6 vs. Hoka Clifton 9  (RTR Review)

Peter: The  Clifton feels softer but somehow more responsive and easier to push through miles. For sheer cushion I’d consider Clifton, for a bit more of a standard trainer on Max volume perhaps the Max Road. The Clifton has a better upper for sure. 

GOrun Max Road 6 is available now at our partner