Hy-Road X
The 10 Year Anniversary of the Original Hy-Road!   The Hy-Road name will sell itself and will be in the Storm line for many years to come.
An Inverted Fe2 Core to go along with the 1500 Grit Polished R2X Solid Reactive Cover.  To me it’s the perfect ball for Light to Medium Oil patterns.  I think the Hy-Road X fits perfect between an IQ Tour and the Hustle ink (a modern day Hy-Road).  This will be a must have ball for anyone’s arsenal (tournaments and or leagues).
Another Great Scent-Blackberry!
Bowler Info: PAP 4 9/16 x 1 3/16 up; Ball Speed 18mph; Rev Rate 620 RPM
#rotogrip
#squadrg
Keith DeMaine
Storm/Roto Grip Amateur Staff
Connecticut State & County HOF
www.stormbowling.com
www.rotogrip.com
Storm Hy-Road X Ball Review by Keith DeMaine

With the 10th anniversary of the orginal Hy-Road, Storm announced another addition to the legendary Hy-Road line with the Hy-Road X. I drilled mine 5 x 6 x 2 and left it with the out of the box finish. My first impression when throwing this ball was that Storm has done it again, they made the Hy-Road line even better. Compared to the Hy-Road Nano the X is a little cleaner and harder off the spot. This is going to be the ball I can see myself using after the first couple of games because it will be clean enough throughout the front part of the lane and with the solid cover it will not go completely sideways off the end of the pattern.

LANE CONDITION

Length:40

Volume:Med-High

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Cover: R2X Solid
Weightblock: Inverted Fe2
Finish: 1500 Polished
RG: 2.57
Differential: 0.046

Me:
Right-Handed Tweener
Speed: 12-13 mph
Rev Rate: 315
PAP: 4 7/8 Right 3/8 Up

Ball Layout: Pin In Ring 65 X 4 1/2 X 55


To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Storm Hy-Road, Storm decided to release a juiced up version called the Hy-Road X. The X features the legendary Inverted Fe2 Core that has been the base for the successful Thunder Line. Per the website "A higher energy transfer to the pins with less deflection upon impact is what can be expected with this design."

The Hy-Road X features a solid version of the R2X coverstock. This is a more aggressive formulation. The factory finish of 1500 polish takes that aggression and unleashes it in the back-end. This version couldn't be more dissimilar to the motion of the Hy-Road Solid. I chose a pretty aggressive, smoother layout for this ball. I was pretty blown away when I threw it the first time, saw it sail through the front of the lane and hockey-stick off the back of the pattern.

The ball really shined on the very tight house-shot that I bowl league on every week. I normally have to throw the most aggressive equipment because the ball labors so badly down-lane that medium or light oil balls are simply not in play. The Hy-road X gives you so much back-end that not only would it recover but it gave me better angle into the pins than many of the High Performance pieces that I normally favor in that house. For me the Hy-Road X is even more angular and continuous than the Hy-Road Pearl. It's also definitely a step up in over-all strength from the other Hy-Road releases.

I had the opportunity to throw the ball in a scratch tournament on a much higher friction surface and I have to say that my favorite look with the Hy-Road X is when your angles need to be steep. The condition was very cliffed and with the lower volume the only way to create hold was to really open up your angles. I started with a ball that was more aggressive in the front end hoping to control the back-end. This worked well until the front went away. I felt trapped because I couldn't get the aggressive equipment through the heads but when I balled down the weaker equipment couldn't turn the corner hard enough go through the pins. Fortunately I had packed the freshly drilled Hy-Road X with me on a whim, not really planning to throw a ball I hadn't practiced with yet. Since I couldn't find a look with anything else I gave it a try. The first shot cleared the front of the lane so quickly I gave up on it recovering when all of a sudden it went sideways and smashed ten off the deck.

The Hy-Road X will be your new favorite ball when you are looking for a strong move down-lane. The cover upgrade makes it useful on a wider range of conditions compared to the original Hy-Road.
PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

I have had the chance to throw this ball on a couple different surfaces and conditions now and I am thrilled with how this ball handles the different factors. On a THS on old wood lanes, this ball still manages to get through the middle of the lane and makes a strong motion downlane. Because of the surface, it hooks in the oil and still makes the corner with ease. It can be a little fierce off the drier boards, but that means just getting to move left further!

At a recent tournament on Pro Anvil with 40’ and a pretty flat pattern, this Hyroad X was able to let me move left and get the ball to the end of the pattern and still have enough energy to cover the boards to get back to the pocket and carry more so than not.

To me the Hyroad X is a Hyroad built for 2018 and beyond. If you like the original Hyroad, this ball will not disappoint you.

#stormnation

Jason Hollingsworth
Storm Amateur Staff

LANE CONDITION

Length:

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):


COMMENTS

Likes:

Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

LANE CONDITION

Length:39ft-42ft

Volume: Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Likes:
This ball is the first ball out of my bag everywhere I go, especially if I don't know what I'm bowling on. The Hyroad line has been a hit or miss for me. I didn't like the original, the pearl was too skid flippy for me, I liked the solid,  and the Nano was ok just very conditional. This one intrigued me with the stronger cover than the original Hyroad Solid and coming polished. I went with a 80*5.5*75 layout and am a huge fan of this ball. It is much stronger than I anticipated. I really like the factory shine it comes with, gives me a different look in that middle of the road ball range. I can attack the lanes from multiple angles with this ball. It doesnt matter if the lanes are hooking and I have to move in or if they are alittle tighter and I can start it alittle straighter, the shape and motion of this ball is the same. It goes through the pins great. This ball is a homerun for Storm in my opinion. All styles of bowlers can benefit from this ball on multiple lane conditions.


Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

The HyroadX is a celebration of the OG Hyroad and In the current, “drop a ball every month” type market, it’s amazing that the hyroad has hung in for this long. It says a lot about how good people think this ball is…The X uses the Inverted FE2 block with no outer core material, this increases the restitution which makes the ball deflect less when it hits the pocket. Storm wrapped it up with the R2X solid cover finished with 1500 grit and some polish.

The shelf appeal is great…a solid color and some gold in the logo keep the look clean, simple and classic.

After having this ball for two months and having used it during league and the filming of my video review. I can say that the X, for me at least, does not like oil…at all. I understand that price point and design intent will govern the final ball reaction. So, for my less rev and tilt style, I had to get it right, sometimes uncomfortably right…it was a leap of faith sending the X to the five board but, I was rewarded for my risks. The X is a boomerang coming off the pattern. I drilled a bunch of HyroadX’s for other customers and had the same conversation with them all….you need to get it right…once they listened, they saw what this ball is capable of. So, I suppose that is the upside and now for the downside. It was near impossible for me to use the X right out of the gate during my weekly league. This ball was a better late option for me, rather than a first choice. With that in mind, I’ve seen a bunch of stronger players successfully use it during the first game and on more volume. I don’t bowl on sport conditions often, especially during the winter, but I can see the HyroadX working pretty well on moderate length sport patterns.

Overall the HyroadX is near the MatchUp Hybrid for me as far as strength is concerned. Which makes sense due to the closeness of the cost, about 25 dollars different between the two depending where look. I think it would have been fun to see the original hybrid cover on the X, kind of a relaunch or reboot of the classic but, since the classic Hyroad is still being made, I suppose that would’ve been a waste. I see where it fits in with the other Hyroad releases and it’s reasonable to think you could have a spot for each in your bag.

In closing…The HyroadX is a slick looking release, it loves to bounce off the dry boards and if you get on it pretty good or you’re a bit slower with your speed you will put a lot of X’s on the monitor.

Thank you again for your time. I am Fred Callahan of Callahan’s Performance Bowling and Bowl-O-Rama in Connecticut
Go to your local Storm VIP ProShop and grab an X!!!
I’ll see you all soon….bowl up a storm.

The Hyroad X is the latest edition of bowling balls in the Thunder line of balls from Storm. Hyroad X uses the R2X solid cover, which is the first time we have seen this cover/core combination in the US. The Hyroad X is solid black with gold labels, and celebrates the 10th consecutive year that there has been a Hyroad in the Storm catalog, an unparalleled feat in today’s bowling industry. The 15lb Hyroad X has an Rg of 2.57 and diff. of 0.046.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I haven’t had the great success with the Hyroad or Hyroad solid, compared to the rest of bowling mankind. The original Hyroad was very condition specific for me. I do like the Hyroad pearl, however. With all that said, I REALLY like the Hyroad X! It doesn’t bog down as fast as the Hyroad Nano or Hyroad solid, and I don’t see the drastic over/under like I had with the original  Hyroad. I drilled the Hyroad X with a 4 x 2 (pin/buffer). Utilizing the availability of the new no balance hole rule, the virtual MB number is now rendered unnecessary when laying out the ball (extreme amounts of top weight or extreme cg placement do need to be weighed to stay under 3oz., though). The X reads the backend of the pattern very well with continuation through the pocket and off the pin deck, with virtually no early hook.The 2” pin buffer seems to be the ticket for me, when dealing with this weight block shape. I like using the Hyroad X when I want to open up a pattern and wheel on it, especially on medium volume house patterns, and USBC white pattern #1 and #3.

I usually change surfaces around for testing, but I have decided to not adjust the surface on the Hyroad X, as I really like the way this ball shapes. I’m very pleased with the fact that I finally have a “Hyroad look” on the lanes, and am able to use this core shape for more than just burn, which is when I use the Pearl Hyroad. Thank you for taking the time to read my review of the Hyroad X. Bowl up a Storm!