I might be getting a new ball in March for my birthday and I'm contemplating one of the 4 Hy-Road options. The last month, my Vintage Danger Zone has been starting out great on the fresh and in the early stages of the lanes breaking down. However, when I try to make a second move left to get me inside of 3rd arrow to avoid the breakdown in the front, it is having trouble making it back to carry and the reaction is sketchy. I've had no problem balling down to my Critical Mass and moving back right to find a line in the 3rd game, however I feel like I would like to have an option other than just going weaker. I also don't want to get a ball that could be too similar to the VDZ.

I'm likely to discount the Hy-Road and the Hy-Road Pearl for either being too similar to the VDZ or not being strong enough for what I would like the ball to do. That basically leaves me between the Hy-Road X and the Hy-Road Nano. I'm inclined to lean towards the Nano as I still feel that the X could end up being too similar to the VDZ and it would give me a tool I don't currently have in my bag. I was curious what others think of this ball.

Mark

Have all four Hy-Roads. The pearl seems to make a stronger move on the backend than the OG. The Nano is best to handle over, under conditions and covers a lot of boards. The X gets into a set, roll mode.
If you think you'd like to get something that makes it around the corner very well when even moving farther left, take a look at the Code X.

Hy-Road X - Maybe better said, hook, set and roll.

I'll have to definitely put some thought into it. Where I bowl is a high friction center and with being on the rev-dominant side, I'd be worried about going too strong (my big concern with a ball with a strong cover and asymmetric core) and ending up with something I can't use. I can say I'd like the smoothing out of the over-under that the Nano would provide, that's essentially what is happening when I make that inside move as of late. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have also read that the Nano is pretty versatile.

Mark

Not sure about versatility of the Nano. I've stayed with the OB finish. My problem with the one I have is it's 16 lbs. and I had some fit issues. I think I may have adjusted with tape, but I haven't used this ball as much as I would have liked so far.
Personally I would think the Hy-Road X would be more versatile as it's a polished solid cover to start with. It would probably do well to take it down to 4K grit or lower to suit your needs.
The Nano finishes quite nicely on the backend with the finish it came with out of box.
I kind of wish I got the 15 lb. Nano.
I've stayed with the polished finish on the OG and the Pearl.

From looking at comparison of ratings, I know that I will get less length out of either the X or the Nano compared to the Vintage Danger Zone. The NRG cover on the Nano will be very different from the PK 2016 that Brunswick put on the VDZ. I'm not sure how different the R2X cover on the X will be though.

One ball I loved that I never got to replace was the ball I got from the Pro-Am for the Johnny Petraglia Pro-Am back in 2003. It was a high RG high differential ball (the core was from the old Red Alert Zone) with a particle cover. I could play on almost any condition I wanted to with that ball. I haven't had a ball with what could be considered a strong cover since.

Mark

How about this Mark?
Compared the VDZ to Storm's IQ Tour solid. Both are solid covers, with about the same RG, but the IQ has a lower differential and a 4000 grit finish. What I have found is that I have to line up practically the same with the IQ Tour as with the Code X despite the differential differences. Also, on THS I didn't make any moves during a set.
Perhaps you could get a similar result with your VDZ by taking the cover to 3000 or 4000 grit matte finish. I'm quite pleased with what I saw with the IQ Tour. It won't work very well on the dry without going to polish or something. Nice to have a IQ Tour 30 polished pearl ball handy...

Thanks for that information. As a side note, one of the main reasons I'm thinking about any Hy-Road in general is the thicker cover. In theory, whatever I get could also become a replacement if my VDZ has any major cracking issues. I can't say I'm very happy with the current thickness of the covers on most newer balls and to get a thicker cover at the price of the Hy-Roads is a great benefit. I believe I would end up with a ball that I can use for a very long time, much like my Critical Mass.

Mark

Mark, Your reasoning is sound I hope and think. That's why I have a few Hy-Roads as they tend to hold up very well even when filled up with quite a bit of oil.
What I've learned is that these shammy pads do wonders and cleaning of your equipment before and after use pays big dividends, too.
I've gone to a food dehydrator to bake my bowling balls and had good results; however, by cleaning the ball and wiping it while in use has resulted in practically no need for the heating up of the gear I use most.
I expect to use many of the balls I have for many years to come. I do get excited about new balls that have just come out though. For example the Storm Crux Prime with it's cover that doesn't absorb nearly as quickly as other gear available other than urethane or plastic.
That's my take. I like what I'm seeing with the IQ Tour solid ball. It's low differential and big hook. Perhaps my speed is too low. I've tried slow down for years as I used to throw it at 19 to 20 mph just a few years ago. I'm pleased my speed is right around 15.5 to 16 mph.
Good luck!!!

Yeah, cleaning helps a lot. I always use a pad during bowling and clean with cleaner when I'm not at the lanes. Last summer for a few days, I put each ball in an empty 5 gallon bucket and took advantage of whatever direct sunlight I get in the early afternoon before the sun passes in front of trees (or when it wasn't raining in the Northeast last summer). Oil poured out of the VDZ but barely came out of the Critical Mass. I plan on getting some dark colored tape to wrap the bucket since most of the heat in the bucket was caused by the lid and not the sides.

Mark