So what do "diff" and "rg" numbers actually MEAN in terms of ball reaction?

[splendorlex]

I've recently purchased a V2 Power, and I love the ball right away.  I know it is a low RG ball, but I don't really understand what that means.  Can anyone describe the effects of RG and differential in layman's terms, or direct me to where I can find my own answers?

[clintdaley]

RG=radius of gyration. The lower the RG, the sooner the ball wants to roll.

Diff=differential....is actually the difference between the low RG and high RG value a ball has. Subtract the low from the high and you have the differential. USBC put a cap on these at .060 for all new releases after a certain date, all balls before are grandfathered in. The diff is an indication of how much the ball flares. The higher the diff, the more the ball flares and the more the ball wants to turn over on the backend. The opposite is true as well.

Clint
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Clint Daley-Owner
Lets Go Bowling Daley
Inside Hunt Club Lanes
Salem, Ohio 44460
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http://www.trackbowling.com/

[Traumatize]

RG determines how early or late the ball will start to "rev" down the lane.  Lower the RG, quicker it revs, and higher the RG, later it revs.  Diff. is the value used to show how much the ball will flare.  Again, lower the diff., the less it will flare, and higher the diff., the more it will flare.
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[shelley]

Lower RG balls tend to read the lane sooner, rev up faster, and have a more arcing reaction.  Higher RG balls tend to do the opposite.

The RG is hardly the greatest determining factor.  The core itself, the coverstock, the surface preparation all have just as much, if not more influence.

Differential describes, in a sense, how much taller the core is than wide.  In terms of ball reaction, differential affects how much the ball flares (how far apart the oil rings are).  With flare, new surface is exposed to the oil with each rotation of the ball down the lane (instead of rolling over the same spot on the ball every time).  With new surface, there's more opportunity to grip the lane.  There tends to be more hook with higher differential balls.

But as usual, that's not the whole story.  As long as the ball flares enough to expose new surface, it doesn't really matter much if the new surface is 1/4" (lower flare) away from the old surface or 5/8" away (higher flare).  There are some lower-diff balls that work very well on heavy oil (Big Blue comes to mind) and higher-diff balls that work fine on lighter oil (Havoc, Cruch Time).

SH