LANE CONDITION

Length: 42ft and 39ft

Volume: medium volume on both patterns

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Likes: The Hy-Road Pearl is a very goom compliment to the original Hy-Road. I went with a 35*5*35 layout with an xhole 4in from my center line on the mid line. This ball is very clean thru the front and mids because of the pearl cover and has great motion at the break point. It still got great length on the shorter pattern with good recovery.
Thrown by Storm Staffer Nick Smith

Dislikes: None


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Right Handed
Ball weight:  14
Rev Rate:  378
Ball Speed:  18.2
Axis Tilt:  6.67
Axis Rotation:  45*
PAP:  3 7/8 horizontal, 1 ¼ up
Layout:  3 7/8 Pin to PAP, 4 1/8 PSA to PAP, 1 5/8 pin buffer

I’ve had two of the original HyRoad and loved both of them.  I was very curious to see what a full pearl version would do.

Before drilling mine, I had talked to another shop operator that had drilled one and he had nothing but great things to say about it.

I decided to drill mine for when sport patterns open up and there is some bump right. 

I’ve used it on a beat up Dick Weber pattern and a fresh house pattern.

On the Dick Weber pattern, I used it from games 3-6 and it was a great option.  I had serious problems trying to keep the ball far enough right.  More operator error than ball issues.   As long as I gave the ball room to the right, it recovered quite well.  There was NO hold in the middle, so if I tugged it (which is my normal M.O.), it was through the nose or even runaway Brooklyn.   It was very clean through the oil, but around game 6, the middles started burning up, so it started checking up early.

On the house pattern, the ball was quite clean through the heads and recovered so well that I was surprised that it made the corner.  It glided to the breakpoint and was sharper than any ball I’ve thrown in a few years. 

Of the few games I’ve put on this ball, I can say it reminds me of the first Thunder Road Pearl more than any ball I’ve rolled since that one was released.  It’s sharper than anything in my bag, but it’s not an uncontrollable flip.  It reads the lane so well, that the movement on the friction is not unpredictable.  Of course, with a ball this sharp, the carry is pretty spectacular. 

I’m looking forward to using this one on a variety of patterns and seeing how it matches up with different volumes, but I can say that as a first ball out of the bag on a THS, it could be a little strong, but the rewards could outweigh the risks.

Storm made a very good decision to put this cover around this core!

Hand: Left
Ball Speed: 16-17mph
Ball Weight: 15lbs
PAP: 5 left 7/16 up
Degrees of Tilt: 17
Layout: 4 ½ x 5 ½ x 4 ¼

The Hyroad Pearl I have drilled pin under the ring finger with the cg in with no hole with the factory finish 1500 grit polish. With (once again) my favorite cover stock the R2S technology and the great Inverted Fe² Technology™ that is from my first pin down ball I have ever drilled the T-Road pearl that this was going to bring back great memories.

Lets see...How do I start this review up and not be so emotional and give you good info about it because I just didn't see this coming and I love that Storm did this and kept the original Hyroad in the line up also.....For people who know me I have always loved the Hyroad and forever will. I keep a Hyroad in my at all times because it gets me out of jams when other balls couldn't. I have gone through many Hyroads and none of them have let me down and could use it for THOUSANDS of games! That is how I feel with the new Hyroad Pearl. The Hyroad Pearl reminds me of the T-Road pearl with the same cover stock and weight block technology with the only difference is the color and the name.

The Hyroad gives me a great mid lane read with a predictable back end that is controllable and when the Hyroad starts to hook too much or not enough with the heads being burnt I go to the Hyroad Pearl that is cleaner through the fronts and gives me a strong BUT controllable back end. It does not have the whipping back end action like a typical pearl for me but that is what I like about it which I believe the change in color pigmentation comes into play unlike with the T-Road Pearl being a blue color it had more of an angular look. I am able to read what the lanes are doing on the back end with the Hyroad Pearl and can stay in the same part of the lane and not give the pocket away. All and all the Hyroad Pearl is going to be another great ball Storm is putting out and hopefully this ball will also stay in the line up for 5 years or more. If you want to replace your T-Road pearl that I know many people still use or a great new/old technology that still works for medium condition or your typical house shot pattern this is the ball for you. For the T-Road Pearl users don't be afraid for replace it with the Hyroad Pearl. You will be very happy with it. 

If you have any questions about the Hyroad Pearl email me at garrett.richardson@pinolebowlerssupply.com

Garrett Richardson
Storm/Roto Grip Amateur Staff
Vise Inserts Amateur Staff
Pinole Bowler’s Supply
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www.stormbowling.com
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LANE CONDITION

Length:Various

Volume:Various

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):Sport to house


The HyRoad Pearl is a very versatile bowling ball. I was not a big fan of the original HyRoad but the HyRoad Pearl will always be in my bag! The HyRoad Pearl gives me enough length and is strong enough on the backend to get through the carry down. The Layout that I used was 70 X 5 ½ X 70 or pin under the bridge with a weight hole 3 3/8 down from my axis point. My PAP is 5 5/8 over and ¾ up. I am right-handed and a low rev player (rev rate around 300). My ball speed is around 15mph to 16mph depending on the calculations.

I have used the HyRoad Pearl on numerous conditions and realized that the HyRoad Pearl is pretty good on most of them. Versatile is the word I use with this ball. The pearl cover allows you get through the heads and retain energy and core has enough strength to make the turn. The heavier the oil concentration or longer patterns do give the HyRoad Pearl some issues because of how clean the HyRoad Pearl gets through the heads. Surface changes do help with getting the ball to start to hook sooner but in reality. It is still a pearl. The short to medium patterns with medium concentration of oil will suit the HyRoad Pearl fine!

I used the HyRoad Pearl on Viper and also Athens and on both patterns gave me decent length with a strong but readable backend motion. The moves were simple and was able to just move left and chase the pattern as it broke down. I compared the HyRoad Pearl to the Lights Out and there was no comparison. The HyRoad Pearl was stronger than the lights Out with about the same length. What I noticed was that the HyRoad Pearl was just more readable than the Lights Out. Both balls have a place and the Lights Out needs more dry while the HyRoad Pearl just needs to be thrown and go from there!

The HyRoad Pearl will always be in my bag!


Likes:readable

Dislikes:length


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

The Hyroad pearl is the latest addition to the Thunder line of bowling balls in the Storm catalog. The Hyroad has been a mainstay of the Storm line for about five years so it doesn’t come as a surprise (albeit how long it took) for another version of this ball to come down the pike. The core is the same as the T-Road series, as well as the Hyroad, Fe2. The cover is R2S pearl, which is much stronger than the R2S pearl that was on the T-Road pearl. Materials are much improved upon compared to the original release on the R2S pearl cover, allowing the current version to read oil better, while still having a strong change of direction. The Hyroad pearl replaces the Victory Road in the current line-up.
I drilled the Hyroad pearl with pin over ring finger and CG on the grip line. It is the same layout I use on almost all pearl balls, when drilling a new one to be able to give accurate feed back with my reviews. The comp balls will be a Victory Road, and a Freak’n Frantic.
One thing I would like to mention before going further with my review has to do with how core RG relates to different styles of players. It is important to keep in mind that how higher RG cores may react for my style can be different for how they react for another player.  For example, for me, a low to medium rev player with a higher ball track (lower tilt) and softer speed, I really see the difference in high RG to low RG balls. Bowling balls like the Hyroad pearl with a higher RG and medium diff, actually goes down the lane longer and has less board coverage than what the lower RG, lower diff Freak’n Frantic does for me. So for my unique roll, the Hyroad pearl is actually a ball down from the Freak’n Frantic. Now a player that has more revs, and can apply more torque to the ball than what I do, will find that this increased torque actually makes the Hyroad pearl a stronger piece than the Freak’n Frantic, because of how the core reads the lane based on applied rotation. They can get the ball to cover more boards because the ball hasn’t “spun up” as quick as what the Freak’n Frantic would. Plus, the added speed would not allow the Freak’n Frantic’s lower RG to “read” the front of the lane the way I can get it to. So with all of that said, I have the Hyroad pearl as about a three with my feet and two with my mark, left move compared to my Freak’n Frantic. It gets to the spot much cleaner, and has less over all motion. The shape is a skid snap for me. The Hyroad pearl gets down the lane a touch longer than an identically drilled Victory Road, and “flips” off the spot a touch more than the Victory Road. I have the Hyroad as a one and one left move from the Victory Road. The Hyroad has a hook-set shape closer resembling the original Reign. The Victory is more rounded and continuous.
This ball seems to like the new Kegel Fire oil, as it doesn’t slow down too early, and doesn’t over hook. At 38 feet, and 18ml’s of oil on our house shot, It glides easily to the spot with very little effort and has a great change of direction for good entry angle and pin carry, especially as the shot dries up and I have to move in. The Hyroad pearl will see a lot of use from me when the fronts start to go away, and I need push to the spot. This ball will allow me to keep my angles in front of me on lower ratio side to side patterns, that don’t have much built in hold.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the Hyroad Pearl. And always remember to bowl up a Storm.

Hyroad Pearl
PAP - 4 3/16 over 1/4 up
Ball Speed 17-18 mph
Rev Rate 300-350
Right Handed
Layout 37 x 4.25 x 37
Surface Preparation: OOB

What I was looking for: I wanted a great benchmark ball that gets down the lane and has a sharp breakpoint for typical house shots.

What I got:  This ball rolls much more predictable and smoother than I imagined. I expected it to go sideways. Very Clean through the heads. It has a very nice smooth transition and it just seems extremely effective.

These are selling so fast it is incredible. This ball has some big shoes to fill and does it very well.

This is THE benchmark ball this season. You will see a lot of this ball everywhere you go. It is very versatile and just all around great. If you are getting over/under reactions then this ball is definitely something you want to check out.

This ball pairs very well with my IQ Tour solid. Once the heads are blown up and I need something reliable to get down the lane, this is the ball.

All my layouts are created using the Storm VLS. It has done a great job getting balls to react exactly how I imagine them in my head.

Steven Fagan
Storm Pro Shop Staff
Lexington, KY

Storm Hyroad Pearl
PAP – 5 over and ½ up
Ball Speed:  15-17 mph
Rev Rate 300-350
Right Handed
Layout: 4x4x2
Surface Preparation:  OTB

What I wanted from this Ball:  A compliment to my Hyroad with the same overall reaction but more length.

Result:  Exactly what I expected.  A really clean roll throughout the front portion of the lanes with a strong finish on the backend..

I tested this ball on our typical house shot which is a non forgiving pattern.  18ft of gutter to gutter oil and buffed another 12ft.  Keep in mind, we also have wood lanes.  Our typical house shot is pretty tough and over a period of 6 games, an out of bounds forms on the lanes and a dry middle creating over under effect.  The first 3 games on a fresh oil pattern, I found this ball to work well playing our dryer mid section of the lanes and not getting it out past 10.  I was impressed by the hitting power and I was able to actually read the transaction from the heads of the lane to the middle lane portion.  This ball kept its strength and actually seemed to pick up pace and become really strong on its way back to the pocket.  .  The next set of games, I moved out with the ball and played more of an up 5 board shot.  I did like how the I could utilize the front end oil and still get this ball back to the pocket with force with a great clean front end motion.  I did have to stay up the back of the ball more than usual for me to play this angle however due to how strong of a backend reaction I had, but this was to be expected.  Over another 5-10 game spread, I moved deep inside and started to swing the ball out as much as our house shot would allow.  Keep in mind that we do have a 5 board out of bounds normally starting at the first arrow.  I was able to rev the ball up more and get hard hitting reaction I wanted playing the fourth arrow out to about 8.   

I have the Hyroad and can definitely say that this ball is an absolute fantastic compliment..   

Overall opinion:  An awesome pearl ball.  I highly recommend this ball to anyone for a dryer lane condition.  This ball is a big seller in my Pro Shop with no complaints.
 
Sean Baker
Roto Grip/Storm Pro Shop Staff