Possible Layout help

[Little Jimmy]

Ive got a Fire Road and a Victory Road solid to drill up before the IAB clinic and nationals and im wanting some advice on how to potentially drill them up so they can compliment each other.

I currently have a frantic that is very flippy and hits like a tank.
Also have a critical theory, Hy-Road (similar layouts) and Prodigy.

I was kinda wanting the reaction to be long and flippy arc kinda if that makes sense?

Im gonna get them drilled hopefully on the weekend.

 

[rychenroller]

Information that could help would include PAP, RPM and speed (so we know if you are speed or rev dominant). Most people in Australia dont know their axis tilt and axis of rotation though these things help as well. Also what conditions do you want to bowl on...lots of difference between THS and most tournaments. All this info can help you dial in your drilling.

 

[Toon]

It would also help if we knew the layout and purpose of the Hy-Road, Prodigy and Critical Theory.

To me, having a Fire Road, Victory Road Solid, Hy-Road, Prodigy and Critical Theory in your bag is a complete waste on resources. It is almost impossible to drill all those and not have at least 2-3 balls doing the exact same thing.

Be purposeful when picking layouts and balls. The more balls you have to choose from, the more error there is choosing the right ball for the right condition. You don't want to be stuck 1/2 or 3/4 through your first block by the time you pick the right ball.

Also, Skid-Flip is a fine choice if it fits your game, but if that's what all your balls do you can run into some serious issues. You need at least one ball in your bag that is drilled for control.

When I was younger I wanted everything to skid flip. This is fine on a ditch or an easier pattern but when I stepped onto a sports pattern in the US, it was welcome to Splitsville.

Long story short, make sure you have a ball for completely different conditions and not all your balls drilled for slighlty different conditions.

My 2c.

 

[CT]

You should be doing this with your regular ball driller and working towards building an arsenal that can cover a lot of conditions. All the balls you have listed are what i think would be considered at the aggresive end of the scale. If you are planning on bowling the Nationals and have a half decent rev rate you may want to consider drilling some gear that isn't as aggresive off the break point.

As Toon has mentioned, having too many balls doing similar things is a waste of your time and money. Paying more money for a ball doesn't mean it is better or going to be more useful than lets say a mid-range or entry level ball.

 

[Toon]

In all honesty, I think the whole Entry Level, Mid Range and Pro Level labels is just a marketing ploy.

Back a few years, the labels were a general indication of hook rating . Entry level balls were for light/short oil and decent for spares, mid range were your benchmark balls and pro were your heavy oil balls.

These days, some of the mid range gear have way more traction than some of the pro level stuff. You can easily build an arsenal on entry/mid range gear..

All my favorite current gear are "mid range" and some of Roto Grip's entry level and mid range are so ridiculously aggressive and are so underrated.

Bit off topic, sorry.

 

[John_Velo]

I like the way AMF do it. Their range gets an F rating out 100. Regardless of the ball the cover is F rated.

F60 is dry lane, F90 is oily.

Takes the guess work out of the covestock.

 

[rychenroller]

The fire road and victory road are virtually the same ball, same core/rg/diff values, different cover stock. The victory road should handle more oil, make it 50 x 4" x 30 or something for good midlane and a strong reaction off the spot. Axis hole on the VAL below the PAP and midline. The fire road should project a bit more, drill it for the break down or drier conditions...say 70 x 5" x 80, no hole or one on the axis point. Note though, its all a rough guide without your specs and as Chris said, your ball driller should have your gear doing different things and for use on different patterns.

 

[Little Jimmy]

Cool Thanks for your advice guys.

My CT is drilled for control on long patterns.
My Hy-Road is drilled to arc on Medium patterns when it starts to carry down a bit
My prodigy is drilled to arc on the fresh of medium patterns
My frantic is drilled to flip on fresh medium patterns.

My speed is approx 22km i would say and my revs about 350-400???
unsure of my pap tbh

Would it be an option to drill the VRS to be a ball for the long to compliment the CT as its a solid and the CT is pearl?
The FR im wanting to flip when the carry down happens on a med or on the longer patterns.

 

[jason_doust]

I don't know about a Fire Road on carry down. Almost unbeatable when the fronts go and you need to get left though, as it covers some serious ground at the back - fast.

To answer Toon, mid range gear generally doesn't flare as much (medium diff cores). The narrower flares conserve core torque and often creates a stronger backend motion on lots of friction where the higher end ball burns up in the midlane and just wallows on the backend, especially with higher rev rates.

As for layouts, it's all about pin to PAP and MB to PAP. Balance holes to tweak, and don't forget the big one, having the right surface. And don't get stuck on one factory unless they're throwing enough money at you for your loyalty! So many good balls out there!

 

[Little Jimmy]

Ive just always used Storm/Rotogrip since i moved up to 15lb soley because i like how all the gear rolls and my ball driller recommended sticking to 1 brand.

There is always the option of me leaving the drilling of both FR and VRS until i arrive in Sydney and get some advice from Diandra and Jason