I received these 517V2 today and immediately noticed that they are narrower. I've worn a New Balance 11 1/2 4E for as long as I can remember. I took them out of the box and found that they were too tight. I tried them and they were. I measured the sole across the balls of my feet and they were 5 1/2 inches. I took out my old 1517 and measured it. They were 5 7/8 inches. They either have poor quality control or they are doing what I have long suspected by rejuvenating their shoes and toe box to appeal to the masses rather than the folks who have maintained their wide/wide toed shoes for years.