LANE CONDITION

Length:  39 ft AMF HPL

Volume:  Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):  Modified THS


COMMENTS

Likes:  Clean up front, predictable midlane, strong carry power

Dislikes:  Can be a little speed sensitive

I ended up picking up a used Hy-Road recently from one of our forum members as I was looking for an option to go between my 919C and Vital Energy.  Since a 4x4x2 layout usually works great for what I like, I decided to go with that and just modified it slightly to work with the symmetrical core.   
 
The first place I threw this was at my usual house where I have all of my stuff drilled.  On this day, there was a lighter house shot than normal due to a kids tournament that was coming in later during the day.  It was a 39 ft modified THS compared to the usual 43 ft that I'm used to.  The Hy-Road on this condition proved to be very clean through the front, and gave me a predictable midlane which is always good.  It's strength is on the backend where I got the predictable angular motion that I wanted with very little deflection.  I wasn't missing the pocket- lowest game of the day was a 170 and that's because of botching a few spares in that game.  But then, I went back-to-back 214 games and then in my last game, went open/spare/spare 9 in a row to finish with a 269.

The modified THS had a good amount of dry area to work with.  Because of this, I started throwing from 14 to 4 and the Hy-Road had no problems on that line.  As the day went on, I just made a simple 2 and 1 move inside two more times to where I ended up at 18 to 6.  That move let me shoot for the 269 in the last game.

Now, I did want to mention that I found the Hy-Road to be a little speed sensitive.  In my game, if I were to get a little too quick with it (throwing around 21-22mph instead of 19-20mph), the ball will tend to miss the breakpoint and skid too long.  If I let up on the speed (throwing around 18mph instead of 19-20mph), the ball will bite the mids a little early.  However, when I kept my speed where I needed it to be, there were absolutely no problems whatsoever.

The Hy-Road is definitely a great option that has withstood the test of time since its release in 2008.  For me, it works best on medium or medium-heavy conditions where you need a little more length but still have a controlled backend.  It's not as sharp of a backend compared to my Vital Energy (drilled skid/snap), but it is a great step down from my Track 919C which reads the mids earlier.

Overall, it's a very good ball from Storm.  If you need something a little cleaner on medium-heavy conditions while still getting a slightly earlier midlane read than a pearl reactive, then definitely keep this ball in consideration.

LANE CONDITION

Length:  35

Volume: med

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Likes: Wow. Where to begin.  I play up the 10 board with low revs.  My Hy-road is too strong for that so I had it resurfaced to 4000 and polished with storms polish.  I can play the same line with this surface. 

This ball is a winner!  It stays on the oil and make a nice turn to the left.  If I hit my mark the pins are destroyed.  If I miss a little right, the Hy-road comes roaring back.
Beautiful color and the arc is nice.  Powerful, forgiving ball that will be with me for a long time.  Its early, but I'm averaging about 10 pins higher with this ball over my last ball. Got my first 300 with this ball.....its very consistent.  Most nights I am not moving more than 2-3 boards.  I give this ball a 10.   Lastly, many bowlers still use this ball despite being 5 years old.......that says something.  Of all the bowling balls I'v thrown, this is the best...

Dislikes:  If the lane are dry, I will prolly have to put this thing away.

Cav


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Type of bowler: Tweener
Avg Speed: 17.5
Rev Rate: 375-400
PAP: 5 x ¾ up
Layout: 44 x 4 5/8 x 67 – X-hole 5 in over and 2 in down

This is my third Hy-Road but my first of the new batch. Drilled to be a bridge between my surface and polished equipment. Got a very good surprise. Ball still clears the fronts so well to be an option on the lesser volume stuff but the move off the pattern is still controlled and powerful.

1. Mexico City (45 ft) – Head oil was a bit much here but once the spot formed down the lane it was a very good option. Handled the light volume very well and was aggressive off the point.

2. USBC Open (43 and 40 ft) – Ball was an interesting choice at nationals. Once we broke the 43 ft team pattern down this ball was a must. The length and angle were just what I needed. Again, throwing it on the fresh was a little too much over/under. On the doubles pattern the ball was entirely too aggressive off the pattern. The change of direction even with the layout was too much.

3. Typical House Shot (40 ft) – This ball is a beast on these patterns. The pickup and drive in the back is excellent. Can be a bit much once the volume starts to break down considering the layout. However, the ability to move in and still get the same carry and hit is a very useful tool.

Overall, the ball’s a must as it’s always been and maybe the most versatile ball I’ve ever thrown. With this drill too much or too little oil could hurt it but those are the extremes. Any kind of blend and it’s a go-to ball.

Darrell Lovell
www.bowlerx.com staffer

BALL SPECS
Pin Length: 3 - 4 
Starting Top Weight: 2.8 oz
Ball Weight: 15
 
DRILL PATTERN
Pin buffer 4 inches

4 x 5 x 4
 
BOWLER STYLE:  RH - Stroker
Rev Rate:  380-420
Ball Speed: 15-16
PAP/Track:  PAP:  5 13/16” and 1/2" up
 
SURFACE PREP
Box Finish: 1500-grit Polished
BALL MOTION
The Hyroad X features the R2X Solid cover, wrapped around the proven inverted FE2 core found on all of its predecessors. Hy-Road X gets down the lane with ease. This ball has a very predictable motion and goes through the pins amazing.
 COMMENTS
I drilled this ball up with my favorite lay out.  I can square my angles up and play rather straight with it or I can also move left and hook it. This ball is very versatile and has become the first ball out of my bag.

 
Mike Sipple
Storm/Roto Grip/Amateur Staff
www.stormbowling.com
www.rotogrip.com


Likes:

Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS