ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 vs Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24: A Podiatrist Reads Both Spec Sheets
These are the two shoes most often handed to someone told they need “a stability shoe”. On the spec sheets they look far apart — 21 g of weight and 4 mm of drop between them. Measured, the weight gap collapses to 4 g and their toe boxes land within 0.2 mm of each other. What actually separates them is the forefoot: the Kayano carries 5.1 mm more shoe under the ball of the foot.
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On this page
Neither shoe has been under our caliper, so neither is scored. Every figure below is the brand’s or an independent lab’s, labelled. What testing means here.
Where to start
Two places to start, drawn from “Which one is actually for you” further down this page. Neither shoe has been through our bench yet, so neither is scored.
- Forefoot pain, or you want a softer ride: ASICS Gel-Kayano 32More shoe under the ball of the foot, the softer of the two, on the wider base.Women’s — check price Men’s — check price
- A firmer, more controlling platform: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24For a heavier runner or a determined overpronator, heel or insertional Achilles pain, or a Narrow width.Women’s — check price Men’s — check price
Paid links: we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what is listed. Skip both if your flat foot is rigid and painless, or if you want a low-drop shoe: which one is actually for you explains why.
The numbers, side by side
Model versions: the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 and Brooks Ghost 17 named on this page have since been superseded. The current models are the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 and Brooks Ghost 18. Nothing here has been swapped to the newer versions — this page describes the models it was built on, and each newer model has its own review.
| Measurement | Kayano 32 | Adrenaline GTS 24 | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heel stack lab | 39.9 mm | 39.0 mm | Under a millimetre apart |
| Forefoot stack lab | 30.6 mm | 25.5 mm | The real difference: 5.1 mm more under the ball |
| Drop, stated | 8 mm | 12 mm | What each brand publishes |
| Drop, measured lab | 9.3 mm | 13.5 mm | A 4.2 mm gap, created by the forefoot not the heel |
| Weight, stated | 304 g (10.7 oz) | 283 g (10.0 oz) | Looks like a 21 g gap |
| Weight, measured lab | 295 g (10.4 oz) | 291 g (10.3 oz) | Actually 4 g. The spec sheets mislead here |
| Toe-box width at the big toe lab | 73.9 mm | 73.7 mm | Effectively identical — not a reason to pick either |
| Midsole softness lab | 41.3 Asker C | 44.1 Asker C | Higher is firmer: the Adrenaline is the firmer ride |
| Support features | 4D Guidance System, wide base, stiff heel counter | GuideRails, medial post, reinforced heel counter | Two routes to the same goal |
| Widths | Medium, Wide, X-Wide (men) | Narrow, Medium, Wide, X-Wide | Only Brooks offers a narrow |
| Removable insole | Yes | Yes | Both take an orthotic |
| MSRP | $165 | $140 | The Kayano costs $25 more |
What a foot and ankle surgeon takes from this
1. The drop difference comes from the forefoot, not the heel
This is the finding worth the page. Both shoes sit at almost exactly the same height under the heel — 39.9 mm against 39.0. Yet the measured drop differs by 4.2 mm. That gap is created entirely at the front: the Kayano has 30.6 mm under the forefoot against the Adrenaline’s 25.5. So the Adrenaline is not a “higher” shoe with more heel — it is a shoe with less forefoot, which tips you forward. If you have forefoot pain — metatarsalgia, a neuroma, sesamoid trouble — that 5.1 mm of extra foam under the ball is the single most relevant number on this page, and it favours the Kayano.
2. The weight difference on the box is not real
ASICS publishes 304 g and Brooks 283 g, which reads as a meaningful 21 g penalty for the Kayano. Weighed, they came in at 295 and 291 — a 4 g difference, which is roughly a sheet of paper and nothing a runner will feel. ASICS understated its shoe’s lightness and Brooks overstated its own. Anyone choosing between these two on published weight is deciding on a difference that does not exist.
3. Their toe boxes are the same, so fit is decided elsewhere
73.9 mm against 73.7 mm at the big toe. For practical purposes these shoes are equally roomy up front, and forefoot width is not a tiebreaker. What does differ is the width range: Brooks offers a Narrow, ASICS (in men’s) does not, so a slim foot that swims in a medium has one option here and not two. See best shoes for wide feet for how the width letters actually work.
Which one is actually for you
Choose the Kayano 32 if
You have forefoot pain of any kind, or you simply want more shoe between you and the ground at the front. It is also the softer of the two, so it suits a runner who wants control without a firm ride, and it has the wider base. You are paying $25 more for that.
Choose the Adrenaline GTS 24 if
You want the firmer, more controlling platform — useful for a heavier runner or a more determined overpronator; you have insertional Achilles or heel pain that a steeper effective drop offloads; you need a Narrow width; or you want to save $25. See best shoes for overpronation and our Ghost 17 vs Adrenaline GTS 24 comparison if you are also weighing the neutral option.
What we cannot tell you until we test them
Everything above is each brand’s published specification and one independent lab’s measurements of a single retail pair. What that cannot tell you is how either heel counter holds up under load, how much the midsole packs out over a few hundred miles, or how much usable volume is left once an orthotic goes in — which matters more than usual here, because both shoes are commonly bought by people who already wear a device. Those are the figures we measure ourselves, and until a pair of each has been through the protocol, neither carries a score or the seal. Here is what testing means on this site.
Where to buy
Disclosure: the links below are paid links. If you buy through one, Amazon pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never influence a score, a ranking or the seal — and neither shoe here has a score, because neither has been tested. See our independence policy.
ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 — MSRP $165. More forefoot, softer ride, no narrow width.
Women’s Gel-Kayano 32 — check price on Amazon Men’s Gel-Kayano 32 — check price on AmazonBrooks Adrenaline GTS 24 — MSRP $140. Firmer, steeper effective drop, available in Narrow.
Women’s Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 — check price on Amazon Men’s Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 — check price on AmazonRead the full analysis of each
ASICS Gel-Kayano 32
5.1 mm more forefoot than the Adrenaline, softer midsole, wider base.
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24
Firmer and $25 cheaper, with a Narrow width ASICS does not offer.
Ghost 17 vs Adrenaline GTS 24
The neutral-versus-stability question inside the Brooks line.
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Our funding and evidence policy
We earn affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases. Our policy is to assess published evidence and fit needs rather than rank products by commission rate. Current reviews are specification analyses; see our method for their limits.