ccrider, you've obviously misunderstood my answer.
I didn't imply in anyway shape or form that one is better than the other.
What I said is the IQ Tour is more controllable while the Victory Road moves harder off the spot. I don't see how that is biased in anyway, but let me explain more then.
You are absolutely correct that they have the same R2S pearl coverstock. I think one misconception is that people assume that all are created equal. Manufacturers never speak to how much pearl content is in a given formulation and they don't seem required to speak about it so we will never really know for sure. I am not saying they are different since I have no idea, but just trying to say it's always a possibility.
Now let's assume there is absolutely no difference in coverstock or final finishing, then yes, the core can make that much of a difference. Balls can react very differently with different cores. Have you seen the Tropical Breeze videos???
In this case, the IQ Tour core has an RG of 2.49 and diff of .029. The Victory Road is 2.56 and .052, both with 15 pound balls. These are 2 very different engines and as I always mention in my reviews, the overall shape of the ball reaction is derived from the core characteristics. The lower rg in the IQ Tour creates an earlier rolling ball. The lower diff will have smaller flare potential. This ball was designed as a control ball from the start. The Victory Road was clearly designed to be way more punchy on the backends and it does just that. Higher diff allows it to store more energy downlane and so that with the higher diff and relatively quick responding cover gives it a very strong punch on the backend.
I can't specifically speak to how many boards difference since we haven't compared these 2 directly on the same pattern. I'm giving you feedback from having seen them thrown various times, various testers, at various venues.
Now with that being said, you can be the judge of what you are looking for. I never said one is better than the other. They are 2 different beasts. If you need a strong punch on the backends, the VR is your ticket. I love the heavy move it makes on the backend. I call it heavy because I don't see it as skid/flip. It's just strong and continuous which makes it look to roll very heavy. If you need to control a more difficult pattern, you may prefer the tamer reaction of the IQ Tour Pearl. On the same tougher fresh shot, the solid may be a better option.'
One note is that I find benchmark-type balls are ones that can tell you what you should be throwing, but may not necessarily be the one to use at that moment.
On a side note, my all time "personal" favorite balls are the Ebonite V2 and Storm Hy-Road. I have no particular bias to any ball or manufacturer with my reviews and I sincerely believe that you will be hard-pressed to find such bias. I don't sell any equipment and don't get paid to sell any equipment.
I hope that helps. If you have any further questions, please let me know.