Do the colors Make a Difference?

Playing a round the other day, I was having a discussion with a guy that I met on the course and he noticed all my discs were blue.
He asked about it, and I told him that blue just seemed to be the best all around color for every season, in my opinion. Not to bad in the summer, spring and winter, and definitly the best color in the fall when all the leaves start to change and fall off the trees.
He started telling me that certain colors of discs may be more overstable than other colors. I think he said that darker color discs such as blue and green are more overstable that lighter colors such as pink and yellow and orange. I think that is what he said.
Is this true, do the colors really make a difference in the stability of the disc?

[Paul Novak]

I understand that the difference in the plastic makes a difference in the stability. Like a Elite Z Avenger is a +1.8 but my Elite X Avenger is only a +1.6 I was just curoius about how much of a difference the colors really made.

[Paul Novak]

Ha ha that would be awesome.

[mark ellis]

Colors sometimes make a difference but the trick is to figure out when there is a difference and what the difference is. Unfortunately there is no consistent difference based on color from disc to disc and run to run. So orange may be overstable in one run of one disc made on one day. But for another disc the orange ones may be understable. In another disc the orange ones might fly just like the other colors.

One of the ingredients which goes into a disc is color (when color is added). So the formula to produce a Blue Surge is slightly different than the formula to make a Red Surge, even if the plastic mixture for the two is identical except for the color additive. The same mold was used to make the two discs. The same amount of plastic went into the two discs. The atmospheric conditions were the same. The settings on the plastic squirting (injection molding) machine were the same. But when the formula changes, sometimes the plastic dries differently which causes the disc to take a slightly different shape which causes the disc to have different flight patterns.

It is my suspicion that atmospheric conditions and machine settings generally play a greater role than color additives as an explanation for variances among and between runs.

The molding of discs is as much art as it is science. The art is all about guessing how a disc is going to dry and shape once it comes out of the mold and how that translates into flight patterns.

The wider and sharper the rim of the disc, the more tiny changes affect its flight. So putters are very consistent. Midrange discs you can usually bank on. For drivers you don't know exactly what you have until you throw them. The great thing about drivers in candy plastic is that whatever they are, they will stay that way for a long, long time. So even if it is a hair off of what you expect, you can adjust to it, memorize it and be confident in it.

[AK Discer]

Great insight! Thanks a lot Mark. This is a conversation that I've had with a lot of people that I play disc golf with.

[MonTTy #794]

No!

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

I haven't noticed a color effecting stability in a disc...in a long...long time.

Back when Cyclones first came out there was no question the darker ones were more stable then the lighter ones. A couple of us tested that theory ourselves...in an open field....white and yellow against dark green and black...all weighing 176. There was no doubt there was a difference...it was "no question about it" obvious.
I threw Cyclones fairly exclusively until the KC plastic came out...up till then, I always had a couple of white ones in varying degrees of understable....a newer one for a nice turnover and a beat one for rollers. And at least 2 dark greens ones for the stable hyzer bomb.

[Paul Novak]

I use my blue cyclone for a stable hyzer but my bright green one is slightly more worn in and way easier to turn over for a smooth anhyzer shot. The only problem. With the green one is that it is exactly the same color as the grass

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Eventually they all became rollers. I stopped throwing them because they really didn't last long...on our course the average flight life span of any color cyclone was about 2 to 3 weeks....some of the DX plastic of the day...lasted longer....like a Viper or a whippet...it took some time to beat in those.

It was tough having to always baby that honey clone...keeping it off the trees and of course the dark colors were hard to find.

The KC plastic were white so that was a plus....an easy to find Disc and a great flight...but they too were also not very durable. Had to buy a few each time...to keep one in stable shape. Always had a few extra rollers in the bag...lol!

When the XL's came out, I jumped back on the Discraft bandwagon for a short period of time...they were light colors..super long flights..but again I needed to buy several at a time to keep one in original shape. When the Champ stuff came out....that changed my disc buying habits forever...no more need to buy multiple discs in the same weight or same color as with the Cyclones.

I haven't noticed color ever being an issue with stability in any Champ plastic.


Back when Cyclones were the $#!t...our theory was, the darker the color...the more dense the plastic mix was....thus creating a more stable disc??? Side note on the heat thing...back in the day....nothing flew farther then a cyclone that sat in direct sun for a few minutes.

[eric beich]

mark touched on it, but what makes the most sense to me, and I'm no expert, is that different colored plastic will heat and cool at a different temperature. makes sense, right? dark absorbs more heat than light.. basic science?

as I saw it explained, was that it made more of a difference in the cooling process. which again... made sense to me.

and Ive read it here a few times, which still doesn't mean it's true,haha.
but yeah, Ive been carrying almost all the same color plastic, and it seems to seem more consistency between discs, whether it be Innova,discraft,gateway,ching,millennium,etc.

I also believe in the "ZEN" theory though.. if you become the disc, it will flow from your hand no matter a slight difference in color. :)

peace.

[Donny Olow]

Sometimes on Drivers. Putters are OK.

[discgnome]

True Statement...... Throw Tye-dye disc. They look kool flying no matter where they fly. oooooo Look at the pretty colors.

[4U2NV]

Color and plastic type both make a difference in flight stability characteristics. The differences primarily are due to the specific gravity of the plastics and colors. This accounts for the differences in stability bacause of the weight distrabution of the plastic/colors.