Is Freezing The Bowling Ball Bad?

QUESTION: I've got a few bowling balls that I was considering leaving in my car for spontaneous bowling trips. I've heard that high teperatures may cause damage to balls so I haven't left it in there before, but now that it's cooler, I was thinking about doing so. So my question is, are low temps (even into the freezing range) bad for the ball and should I not leave it in the trunk if it's going to be cold?

ANSWER: I have found that colder temps are worse than the warmer temps.

The hotter temperatures can cause the ball to "bleed" or sweat all of the oil out of the ball, which generally is a good thing.

The colder temperatures usually have a better chance to crack the ball, which is usually non-repairable.

Extreme temperature variances can cause a ball to crack. This is because the core and cover will expand and contract at different rates. If the core expands quickly and the cover expands slowly, pressure will build up. Eventually the pressure must be released. That's when the ball cracks. The car is definitely one place this can happen. Additionally, a garage or even a floor in the house (because of the cement under the flooring) can have extreme temperature differences.

As for the original question, I'll be honest and say I leave my equipment (all of it) in my car all the time. It isn't necessarily the best practice but I still do it. Where I live, the temperatures don't really go from one extreme to the other. It's pretty much hot here 10 months out of the year. And then we have warm and maybe cool. If it were going to be 80 outside today and 40 outside tonight, I could see where I might have a problem. But since temperatures drop somewhat gradually I think the bowling ball can adjust to that temperature change.

If you need additional info you can check out the Bowling For Dummies, there is a small price for it, but it's well worth it in my opinion. Good luck and keep practicing!

-Tim