Storm IQ Tour 78/U Bowling Ball

I am a higher speed, rev challenged 220-250ish, high tilt, high rotation, and super low track player. I drilled my Storm !Q Tour 78 U 4 x 4 x 2 using Storm VLS and my axis point is 3 ¼ right and 7/8 up. The Storm !Q Tour 78 U is a symmetric solid urethane piece that I really like medium volume and short patterns. The low RG, small diff, and medium flare potential is ideal when I need a smooth and predictable shape downlane.

Or in this case, 'innovation'! Storm's IQ Tour 78/U redefines what you expect from a Urethane ball, offering unparalleled control and versatility. With its low RG C3 Core, it offers control in the friction, like traditional urethane, while maintaining down-lane shape for consistent striking power as the heads break down. Thanks to input from Storm's Technical Experts, I opted for a 4 ¾ x 4 x 1 ½ pin-up layout, leading to impressive scores even on challenging patterns. Transitioning from urethane to reactive has never been more intuitive. This ball is sure to allow your game to excel in this new chapter for urethane in our sport.

This 78 hardness introduced by storm is a great addition to the line. The ball does EXACTLY what you need it to do when bowling on short patterns. Hook a lot and Roll out WITHOUT losing pin carry. A urethane to compete with the others on the market!

Urethane for EVERYONE! Storm IQ Tour 78/U. The color and roll of this ball will keep you intrigued. Patterns used for review: Pattern A: 35Ft, 28Mls, 3:1 ratio Pattern B: 41Ft, 25Mls, 3:1 ratio Pattern C: 45 Ft 29Mls 2.5:1 COMMENTS LAYOUT: 4X4X2 , I use multiple hand positions and speed changes which changes rev rate, read and speed of ball. PLAY The Storm IQ Tour 78/U is all that, a Urethane Ball you need for any moment. Don’t think this is a ball you won’t use very often. It is a ball you can use whenever you need to. Controllable, big hitting power, mid and down lane read/hook and easy to move around on different patterns and lines of play. The best part? IT’S URETHANE and you NEED ONE! Pattern A: Ball 1. Out of box the Storm IQ Tour 78/U played as expected closer to the gutter. The hardness allowed for an easier twig line style of play. The short sport pattern kept play right and straight, slowly opened up after 2 games and played moved to a 10 -2 line of play through 6 games. Out of box surface held the roll, hitting power and lane play as oil worked into the surface. Pattern B: Ball 2: Out of box cover was restored for the Storm IQ Tour 78/U. This pattern was a little trickly initially the Storm IQ Tour 78/U had a little too quick read in the front part of lane to stay right. The move was bugger to the left. The best place to score consistently was 22-15 down lane. Lane play was trickly as bowlers were playing multiple areas of the lane. Storm IQ Tour 78/U could hold the line but carry was a problem. Surface, in my thoughts, need to be a little smoother (1000/3000 grit) for the scorability factor. Another layout would have been ideal for this one. Pattern C: Ball 3: Out of box cover was taken down to 500. This pattern being a longer pattern/with volume was most ideal from the right to create the hold down lane for the moves left. The other bowlers also used urethane at 500 Grit. The Storm IQ Tour 78/U shined on this pattern and really worked the front to back of the pattern. Bowled 4 games with great success from this angle. Decided to 500 Grit again to simulate a second Storm IQ Tour 78/U. Let me tell you it just gave more room and more power without big moves. Last 3 games and still most move was 5 boards left of original. Real keys here are how it read and controlled the pattern and as the pattern developed for ball changes and moves left, it allowed for me to stay right longer against the other bowlers while still scoring. LOW DOWN: The Storm IQ Tour 78/U needs to be in your BAG. PERIOD! Urethane that works for all styles. Next us league night!

2 hander, 450 rpm, 15-16mph, bowling on THS and PBA regionals, 225 average, 40x4x40 layout This feels like a more 'traditional' urethane that was used a few decades ago as compared to the revered Pitch Black and Purple Hammer. However, this is part of the reason I actually liked it a lot more because it allowed me to keep it in front of me and I cant create a ton of miss room left or right. This is also not a ball that will shape a ton like the PB or Purple. It is easily 3-5 boards less than either one, and it hooks earlier and is way smoother. There is very little backend so I can see the ball hook in the midlane and just walk into the pocket. because of this, it is incredibly smooth and controllable and if I split or leave a washout, its because I missed the friction spot or its the wrong ball to be throwing. With the PB or purple, you could keep moving in and continue shaping the ball, but the IQ 78 tells you when its great and it'll tell you when you should probably switch to reactive. This makes the bowlers better instead of relying on a specific ball to bail them out in a sense. It just goes so forward and you need to keep it in front of you. However, if you don't plan on bowling PBA tournaments, you probably don't really have a reason to buy this ball. I don't think urethane works very well for majority of people on typical house shots, so unless you're one of those special cases, you wont really need this ball. This ball will be absolutely amazing for anyone throwing on sport shots though, it'll keep you out of trouble and make you a better bowler because of its early and rolly nature. Feel free to follow me on tiktok and Instagram @john_quack

Bowler Stats: Speed: 15.5 MPH Rev Rate: 275 RPM Tilt: 3-5 degrees Axis Rotation: 60 degrees PAP: 5 ⅜ over 1 ¼ up Layout: 4 X 4 X 1 ½ VLS View Ball Review: https://youtu.be/doIrHNr6Pb0 I bowl the PBA 50 Tour and with the new PBA urethane rule I wanted to try the !Q Tour 78/U to have a urethane option in my bag. The Pitch Black was not a good choice for me because of how slow it is for my rev rate. The Pitch Black looks good early but when the lanes transition I leave a lot of flat tens. I was not sure how to drill these two urethane pieces until I watched Darren Tang’s review of the 78/U and he suggested a higher pin buffer for my rev rate category. When comparing the !Q Tour to the Pitch Black I drilled them almost the same with the Pitch Black having a layout of 4 x 4 x 1 VLS. The Pitch Black is still earlier and slower down lane compared to the 78/U but I was excited to see the 78/U has more continuation down lane than the Pitch Black. This allows me to trust that the ball will react to the friction and have a continuous motion at the end of the pattern to the pocket rather than rolling out and leaving flat tens. My video ball review is on the house shot but with PBA 50 events starting up for the 2024 season the 78/U will be in the arsenal to have as an option on the shorter patterns. Pete Dohan Storm Bowling Amateur Staff #StormNation

As most competitive bowlers know, the Urethane rule has changed for PBA events. Urethane has become a huge part of the game and continues to be used by all types of players and styles. Storm has had a lot of success with Urethane equipment, primarily the Pitch Black. The team of genius’ in Utah continue to evolve and their newest addition to the Urethane game is the IQ Tour 78U. I’ve drilled one so far and really like it. The biggest difference I’ve noticed is the 78U is very low RG (2.49). Compared to the Pitch Black (2.57), the numbers tell us the 78U should read the lane much, much sooner than the Pitch Black. After throwing the 78U on several patterns and surfaces, I can attest that it’s true. I drilled the 78U weaker than my favorite Pitch Black with a layout of 5 x 3.5 x 1. I’ve had the most success on shorter and flatter patterns. If the scoring pace is low and you need a ball to help control the pocket, or if a majority of the field is throwing urethane and it looks good, I’d recocmmend drilling a 78U. Just remember, you may want to drill it more like a traditional “reactive” layout because the RG is so low that the ball wants to read the lane earlier than previous Urethane releases. Bowl up a Storm!

Buddies has great people that operate the pro shop. They drilled this piece perfectly. As far as the ball itself, it would be similar to the reaction of a pitch black, just slightly weaker, which can really give you an advantage on short patterns with optimal control.

The new IQ Tour 78/U is the newest Urethane option that abides by the new PBA rules. It uses the C3 Core which has been made famous with the IQ series wrapped with the new 78 control urethane cover. This ball has already been proven it’s a force to be reckoned with out on tour. I was very impressed when I threw the 78/U. Even with the harder cover it digs earlier than the pitch black which gives it just slightly more overall hook. I’ve gotten very comfortable with the Pitch Black and one issue I’ve always dealt with is it can be too long which is corner pin central. The new 78/U gives me a harder read in the mids which actually kicks the corners out much better. One issue I’ve seen though is it doesn’t like steep angles. Playing straighter is where this ball shines. If you’re a competitive bowler you have to get one of these in your bag! Storm staff LH Rev rate 420+ Speed 16.5

This Urethane is Built Different! Obviously PBA rules have changed a bit with having a new Hardness Minimum. The 78U is the new answer for those guys. Obviously when you make a urethane cover harder, it’s going to be a bit cleaner through the fronts. When compared to the Pitch Black, the 78U is much cleaner. This can be a good thing, This allows you to slow it down and stay closer to the friction longer. Typically when Urethane gets bad is when you have to start migrating in. The Pitch Black is much earlier, forcing you in quicker…. If you have seen any of our pro’s on tour you may have seen them using more surface than normal. I have even seen guys using 180 grit. The volumes used on tour keep increasing, demanding more surface. This isn’t necessarily the same for house or even modified patterns at your local center. 500 grit may be enough. But as always, adjust the surface to suit your needs! My layout for the 78U: 4x4x1 Balls Currently getting play: Absolute Power: 5x4x2 Attention Star: 5x4x2 Zen Gold Label- 5x5x2 (pin up) box surface Zen Gold Label- 4.5x4.5x3.75 (pin down) 3k surface