That depends on the boot size the manufacturer or distributor chooses to use at their reference standard when quoting width. Some quote widths based on the 27.5 (which is what you are using), but more typically (at least here in North America -- maybe you Europeans have bigger feet! ) the 26.5 is used as the standard. According to the 16-17 Head Technical Manual (https://issuu.com/levnelyze/docs/tech_m ... r_16-17_v4), the numbers are:

26.5:
Raptor RS-series: 96 mm (when I wrote "95" that was a typo)
B-series: 93 mm

27.5:
RS: 98 mm
B: 95 mm

More broadly, these specific numbers don't mean much, since there is no established standard for determining boot width. Thus my Dalbello Scorpion SR130's, which were listed by Dabello as "98 mm", are actually narrower than the "96 mm" Head Raptor RS. Here in the US, here's the way we look at it:
There are two categories of race boots available for purchase by consumers (there's also a third category, the custom shells sometimes fabricated for skiers on the WC, but that doesn't concern us here):
1) The RD (race dept.) boots, also knowns as "plug" boots or "race stock" boots.
2) The recreational racing boots, also known as "production race" boots.
The RD boots include the Head B, Lange Z, Dalbello DRS WC, etc.
The recreational race boots include the Head Raptor RS, Lange RS, Dalbello DRS (non-WC), etc.
Further, generally speaking, manufacturers specify the RD boots as having a width of 92-93 mm, while they usually specify the recreational racing boots as having a width of 98 mm (the Head RS, at 96 mm, is one exception).

Given the lack of a standard, the only distinction that's truly meaningful here is that of RD boots vs. recreational race boots. Simply put, I'm interested in an RD boot; none of the recreational race boots (except for my current Scorpions, which are sort of half-way between an RD boot and a rec race boot in fit) give me the close fit I want.

Hi Mark, yes I received your email. I wrote a reply, but never sent it (my apologies for not replying), because some of the things you said were not consistent with my own experience, and I thought if I tried to explain this it would result in confusion, because of the language barrier. But perhaps I can reply here on the forums, and Tomasso can assist with the communication.

Here are the three things I thought you said (sorry if I am misunderstanding you) that did not make sense to me. I know you are an expert, and it is not my intention to be argumentative. I'm simply communicating with you the same way I would with a scientific colleague who said something that did not make sense to me (I'm a scientist).

I. You seemed to be saying it made no sense to consider a Lange Z or DRS WC as replacement for a Scorpion SR 130, because the Z and DRS WC are in the 93 mm category, while the SR 130 is labeled as 98 mm. I.e., you said the SR 130 has "nothing to do with" the Z and DRS WC, because the SR 130 is a 98 mm, while the Z and DRS WC are 93 mm. [You didn't say this explicitly, but I gather your implication was that, if the SR 130 fits me well, and I like its general performance, the more logical replacements to consider would be a Head 140RS, Lange RS140, Dalbello DRS (non-WC), etc.] Under normal circumstances I would agree with you. However, the SR 130 is unusual: with respect to both fit and performance, it's actually closer to some of the 93 mm boots than to a typical 98 mm. For instance, the SR 130 fits me well, and the boot I've found that fits me second-best (among those I've tried) is a Lange Z. In particular, here is how I would rank them for fit (again, just considering the boots I've tried), from best to worst:
Dalbello SR 130
Lange Z (slightly tight)
Head 140 RS (somewhat loose)
Lange RS 140 (too loose)
Head B (much too tight)

In addition:
1) My bootfitter in the US has skied both the SR 130 and the 2017 98 mm DRS, and he told me that the latter wouldn't work for me, because its volume is too large and it lacks the precision of the SR 130. He suggested the best options would probably be the Lange Z and possibly the DRS WC (with a thicker liner, like the Intuition, we might also be able to get the Head 140 RS to work, but that would not be my first choice); but he has not been in the DRS WC (it's rare in the US), so he cannot give me direct guidance, which is why I'm trying to find information here. I.e., he knows my foot, and sees the "93 mm" Lange Z as a much better candidate to replace my "98 mm" SR 130 than the "98 mm" DRS.
2) I know of one good skier who also needed to replace his SR 130 (which fit him well but had too much forward lean), and he found the Lange Z was the closest replacement; he's skiing the Lange Z now (he did not have a chance to try the DRS WC).
3) From what I've been told, the DRS WC is "similar" in instep height to the SR 130, so it's definitely worth considering. [But I was hoping to get more precise information on its instep height.]

So if the SR 130 and the Lange Z have "nothing to do" with each other, why have others found the Lange Z such a good replacement for the SR 130, and why have I found the Lange Z to give me the best fit of all the options I've thus far tried to replace the SR 130?

II. You seemed to be saying that, because you don't know my foot, you cannot answer my question about how the instep height on the DRS WC compares to that on the SR130. That makes no sense to me. I understand that, since you don't know my foot, you can't say which will fit better. But I don't see why you need to know my foot to say which has the higher instep (or if you'd like to be more precise, the higher instep just below the buckle). For instance, if you ask me if a Lange Z or Head B will fit you better, I can't say, because I don't know your foot. But if you ask me which has a higher instep, I don't need to know your foot to tell you the Lange Z has a higher instep than the Head B.

III. You seemed to be saying I don't need to concern myself with instep height, because the instep can be modified. I find that one is more likely to get a good fit if one starts with a boot that needs as little modification as possible.

I've tried on the B-series, and the instep on the B-series is much too low for me. The plastic overlap over the instep can't even lie flat (it bulges up) when my foot is in the boot!

Dal Bello DRS 110, pianta larga e collo alto. Lo consigliate ? In caso negativo quale modello race consigliate ?
Scio da da oltre 10 anni con il Salomon Course il quale sono riuscito ad adattarlo al mio piede dopo una infinità di tentativi usando solette più basse, fresandolo, riscaldandolo. Ora penso sia giunto al capolinea anche perchè penso possa lasciarmi " scalzo " da un momento all'altro.
Grazie.

When you say the Head B has a larger instep than the Lange Z, I suspect you are referring to the width, not the height. Is that correct? Please note that the issue for me is the height.

I can't personally comment on the Atomic because, as I mention above, I have never tried it on. If I recall correctly, my bootfitter said the instep on the Atomic would be too low (but that was a couple of years ago, and we only discussed it briefly, so I might be mistaken in my recollection).



I do believe my bootfitter but, as I've said above, he can't tell me about the instep height of the DRS World Cup because he has never tried it on (he doesn't have that boot in his store; he only has the 98 mm DRS).