Does anyone know if these is a substantial risk to Plastic Bowling Balls left in a car on very hot days?

Have always been careful to try not to leave my reactive equipment in the car when the outside temperature is 90 or better, but am wondering if the risk is greater, less, or about the same for plastic balls.

It's not that I intend to start leaving my plastic ball in the car on the hottest days of the year, just because someone here says it's ok. Only curious if there is any kind of consensus as to Plastic Equipment being more (or less) prone to damage from exposure to extreme temperatures.

My completely uneducated guess is that it would much safer to leave a plastic ball in the car.Your reactive balls have about a 1/2 inch shell wrapped around a filler material, they crack when the shell expands and contracts at different rates. I have a Urethane Groove I cut in half after it cracked during a freeze in the truck.
I believe plastic balls are simply one piece with no outer shell. You would think that would make it less prone to any damage for expansion and contraction.

As far as heat I could see it getting hot enough to do damage unless its in the sun on a 120 day with the windows up.




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"I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather....Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car"

Depends...I''d never recommend leaving balls in a car such as a backseat or hatchback or truck that is exposed to windows and sunlight. However, if you leave them without sunlight such as obviously a trunk they cannot crack or warp. Now some will argue against this and there are certain places and environment such as Phoenix but I live in Fort Worth where humidity can get moderate and temps can get 20 degrees to 100 degrees as it is now () but I leave mine in my trunk for years and never had a problem.

Edited on 6/16/2010 7:58 PM

Well... like I said... I was not looking for (or expecting) someone to give a carte blanch answer and say something like "plastic balls are indestructible, no worries".  Responses so far are kind of what I anticipated, but still appreciate.

Probably depends on just HOW hot the conditions are, how long the ball is sitting in the car, and whether or not it''s in direct sunlight. A part of me was hoping several people might chime in with an "it''s indestructable" type comment, but I guess not.

Seems consensus so far would be to treat a plastic ball similarly to the reactive ones. Might sit in the car in 90+ heat outdoor temp (110-120 in the car) and never have a problem. And then again.... why tempt fate.

Next question would be whether there is a recognized outdoor temp at which the possibility of damage is considerably higher or likely to occur faster.

Generally if it''s in the upper 80''s to low 90''s, I dont worry about the balls sitting in the car for a few hours (unless they''re brand new and I''m more paranoid about them anyway). But once the temps get into the mid 90''s....when they do (Chicago metro area), I bring the bowling bag inside.  ---Same as when the temps get below 20 degrees in the winter.

Edited on 6/16/2010 10:46 PM