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Storm Hy-Road Pearl

9 years ago

Updated review: I plugged and re-drilled my HY-ROAD PEARL with the pin over the bridge and CG kicked right at about a 45- to 60-degree angle with the goal of creating a little stronger motion than my original drilling. And it accomplished that perfectly. I get a lot of use out of the HRP when the lanes are hooking and I need to get inside and get it down the lane with energy retention, and have had some excellent tournaments with it. It is much better for me with the stronger pin position.

Note: Second pictured ball is new one drilled Oct. 17, 2021.

HY-ROAD PEARL review by Storm staffer Jeff Richgels

DRILLED June 27, 2013

When you look at the specs of the HY-ROAD PEARL, you automatically think T-ROAD PEARL: both balls feature the great R2S Pearl coverstock over the Inverted Fe Technology weight block.

But it’s not the same ball, as the R2S Pearl has been tweaked/upgraded some so it’s a little stronger than it was/is in the T-ROAD PEARL (I still have one I use now and then on hooking conditions).

Both balls provide easy skid and a strong back-end motion, but it’s apparent to me that the HY-ROAD PEARL is a bit stronger and not as squirty in oil.

I used my HY-ROAD PEARL a bit on Cheetah at a recent PBA Regional and it got down the lane easy without squirting.

However, the drilling I chose for my HY-ROAD PEARL simply wasn’t strong enough for the boomerang shot I was playing that weekend (using a VIRTUAL ENERGY and REIGN SUPREME mostly).  

Since I wasn’t really looking for another skid/flip motion ball, I decided to try a control drilling that I’ve found success with in other balls. The drilling features the pin above and left of my middle finger with the CG near the grip center and no weight hole. Assuming my PAP still is 5 1/8 x 3/4 up (I need to re-check it!) it worked out to 6 3/8 Pin-PAP, 4 1/4 “Mass Bias” (it’s a symmetrical)-PAP, and 4 5/8 pin buffer.  I left my blue/purple grape fragrance HY-ROAD PEARL at 1,500-grit box shiny. 

The idea is a pearl ball I can play a little straighter with and have more control of on hooking conditions – where I don’t want that skid/flip motion.

So far, that’s exactly what I’m seeing.

If you’re looking for a ball that will go long and make a strong move – with a slightly stronger cover than the T-ROAD PEARL – the HY-ROAD PEARL is for you.

I have not drilled many of the recent Storm weaker/shiny/skid-flip releases like the LIGHTS OUT and FREAKIN FRANTIC so I can’t give a comparison to those.

I will say that the HY-ROAD PEARL definitely is smoother and less "wacky" than the FRANTIC, which remains one of my all-time favorite strong shiny balls.

 


ball layout
ball layout
ball cover
ball core
Coverstock:R2S Pearl
Core:
Box Finish:1,500 polished
LbsRgDiffMb
162.52.058
152.57.046
142.58.037
132.59.045
122.65.035