Editors' review
The 2020 Hoyt RX-4 Turbo is the speed demon of the carbon hunting bow lineup with an ATA speed rating of 350 feet per second. The ZT Turbo Pro Cam is designed for speed, and Hoyt shortened up the brace height to just under 6-inches in order to squeeze out the most performance possible. The draw length adjustment range is the smallest out of the Hoyt bows for this model year with shooters ranging from 26-30-inches having an opportunity to fit this rig. Although the cams are designed for speed, they are still comfortable and not so aggressive they are hard to shoot consistently. The compact axle-to-axle measurement of 31-inches meets most shooter's needs in a hunting bow, but the longer measurement in the old Turbo model days seemed to add a bit more stability for the amount of speed produced. The Turbo model now fits between the Ultra and Alpha model with it being closer to the smaller Alpha series. Hoyt is also charging more money for the Turbo again this year with a suggested retail price of $1749. With Hoyt increasing their prices every single year, they will be pricing themselves out of the market at some point, and it will not matter how nice the bow shoots because consumers will be unwilling to pay for the bow.
Finish
The RX-4 Turbo has a large number of finish options available. With so many options being offered, and the price tags being $1749 for a bare bow, it is pretty unrealistic to expect a local shop to have each pattern stocked to see in person. Of course a shop is able to order any pattern offered, but seeing one in person may help buyers decide which choice works best for them. The Turbo model comes with target finishes as well, although the use of the shorter carbon bow as a target rig will not be a super popular sight on the 3D or tournament archery trail. For target finishes, Hoyt is sticking with the Black Out riser and colored limbs. However, the colored limb options are limited to Red, Blue, and White only. For hunting patterns, Hoyt is offering Under Armour Forest, Realtree Edge, Kuiu Verde 2.0, Optifade Subalpine, and Optifade Elevated II. The Bone Collector and Keep Hammering special edition bows are continuing to be offered in 2020 as well, which will make folks happy to show support for their favorite celebrity hunters.
Riser
Carbon risers have been a staple for Hoyt for a long time. The 2020 RX-4 Turbo takes a fairly compact riser and combines it with a high performance cam system to give hunters an absolute killing machine. Carbon risers were once marketed by Hoyt as being lightweight and more comfortable to pack over long days in the mountains. Hoyt also spoke of the warm to the touch feel of the carbon risers versus the much colder feeling aluminum risers. Finally, Hoyt advertised the benefit of the strength of carbon risers, and even had a YouTube video running a carbon riser over with a vehicle, strapping a rest on it, and shooting a bullseye like nothing ever happened. Carbon also costs more, so the bows got a premium price tag when compared to the aluminum model siblings. For 2020, the Turbo model difference in bare bow weight is only 0.4-pounds different from the carbon to the aluminum model. The carbon is still warmer to the touch, but shooters can buy some really warm gloves for the extra $500 they could save going with the aluminum riser Turbo. Hoyt is not creating a large enough difference between the aluminum and carbon model bows to justify the added cost. Those with an unlimited budget may find the carbon bow to be a perfect shooter for them, but more and more shooters are not even considering the carbon bow given the price tag.The carbon riser features a roller cable containment system, but the wheels are fixed in a particular spot on the riser. Instead of having a flexible cable containment system, the rollers just stay in one spot, and the new cams make it so the cable containment system no longer needs to move to keep torque on the riser at a minimum. There is still an engineered off-set front mounting stabilizer bushing for shooters to add a front bar to. Those wanting to add a back bar can also do so with the rear mounted stabilizer bushing. Hoyt has even created their very own back bar mount for those interested in using a Hoyt branded back car mount instead. The StealthShot string stop system is also included with the RX-4 Turbo, and offers some adjustment for those wanting to fine tune the string stop system. Hoyt also keeps with the Shock pod dampeners off the bottom of the riser to keep vibration from traveling up to the shooter's grip hand.
Grip
The REDWRK series gets the exclusive adjustable grip system for the second year in a row. The one-piece grip is plated and given the ability to slide left to right to account for different sized hands and different pressures shooters place on the grip when shooting. Ideally, being able to move the grip will allow shooters to get the perfect bullet hole through paper by adjusting the grip to account for this. It may make more sense to have shooters adjust their improper form instead of adjusting the grip to the shooter, but perhaps this is a quicker solution. The grip itself has a feeling that is just about perfect. The thickness is not too thick and not too thin. The grip also has a flatback, which fits perfectly in the proper shooting form, and the throat of the grip allows comfortable hand placement. Everything about the grip just feels right. From a looks standpoint, it is a bit disappointing to see a plastic grip on a bow with a price tag of $1749. The wooden grips looked much more premium than the plastic grips. The new version of the adjustable grip does not allow for shooters to use the sideplates like they have been able to do in the past either. It is nice the grip seems to fit about everyone because there is only one option.
Limbs
The RX-4 Turbo is available with six different limb offerings, which should fit just about any shooter on the market for a new flagship bow. Hoyt offers limbs in 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 55-65, and 60-70-pounds. The limbs continue with the split limb tradition of Hoyt bows, which come equipped with dampeners right out of the box. The limb pockets look less like pockets, but serve their purpose perfectly. The pockets keep the limbs from changing positions while being drawn, and make sure the shot is repeatable arrow after arrow to make sure the bow is as consistent as possible. There is nothing new with the limb and pocket system used on the RX-4 Turbo, but all the technology used is tried and tested to Hoyt's standard of excellence.
Eccentric System
The ZT Turbo Pro cam supplies an ATA speed rating of 350 feet per second when paired with the 5 ⅞-inch brace height measurement. Although the cams help in producing additional speed, the shorter brace height accounts for some added performance too. The cams come in two base cams to achieve the 26-30-inch draw length range. The number one cam offers a 26-28-inch draw length, and the number two cams are available in 28-30-inches. Each base cam has a module, which adjusts the draw length within that range in half-inch increments. Draw length adjustments are easy enough to make, and changing the draw stop post is a breeze to make sure it is located in the desired draw length setting. For shooters at the 28-inch draw, they would benefit from the number one cam because it will provide them some increased performance. However, if there is any chance their draw will be longer, the number two cam will not make much sense.The Turbo models are also highly focused on the increased speed. However, shooters should consider adding weight to their arrow, and shooting a slower speed with higher kinetic energy. The added arrow weight will allow the arrow a lot more punch, and in the hunting world two holes are almost always better than one. Speed is great, and for those with a shorter draw length, the benefit of more speed, while not necessarily noticing the shorter brace height will be a great trade off. However, it would be worth looking into a heavier arrow with the Turbo model, and same arrow speeds as a lighter weight arrow and non-Turbo cams. Speed by itself is great, but maximizing the knockdown power may give better results in the end.
Draw Cycle/Shootability
The RX-4 Turbo is designed for speed, and that is fairly obvious with Turbo in the name. Hoyt has offered a Turbo model for a while now, and the added speed is achieved with a slightly more aggressive cam in combination with a lower brace height measurement. Although built for speed, the ZT Turbo Pro cam is not significantly more aggressive feeling than the standard 2020 cam from Hoyt. The valley is a little shorter, but the bow does not want to rip the shooter through the peep sight like some speed cams in previous model years. The draw cycle, just like the rest of the Hoyt lineup for 2020 is ultra smooth, yet still maintains a rather stiff pull making the way to peak weight and into the back wall. The back wall feels somewhat firm, but there is some give when pulling into the back wall executing the shot. Shooters will want to maintain proper shooting technique while holding on target in order to keep the cams from inching forward. The hold on target is a bit easier than anticipated considering the shorter 31-inch axle-to-axle measurement. The 5 ⅞ - inch brace height is a bit short for some shooters, but it does help generate the added performance and quicker arrow speeds. One of the best parts of shooting the RX-4 Turbo is the balance of the bow. Without any accessories, the grip is set up perfectly to keep the bow from tilting side to side, or fighting it up and down. After the shot, the bow has a mild thump in the shooters hand, but it is not necessarily unpleasant. Adding accessories, which is how the bow will be shot in real life fixes this issue, and keeps the pin float at an absolute minimum as well. Overall, the shooting experience of the RX-4 Turbo is pretty great, and will make a lot of hunters very happy to carry into the woods with them.
Usage Scenarios
The RX-4 Turbo is designed to be a performance hunting bow, and it lives up to that hype very well. The shorter axle-to-axle measurement is a trend in the bowhunting world many shooters are flocking towards, and the 31-inch axle-to-axle measurement gives a little added stability to support the faster speeds the Turbo model is capable of producing. With an ATA speed rating of 350 feet per second, the Turbo model has enough performance to take down just about any big game animal shooters are interested in. Perhaps the largest benefit of a Turbo model is the ability to shoot a heavier arrow and more kinetic energy. Faster arrow speeds are great as well, but for the dedicated hunter, it may be better to shoot a heavier arrow the same speed to pack an even larger punch. Although Hoyt is offering the Turbo in their three target colors, it will be rare for the RX-4 Turbo to be used for anything other than a dedicated hunting bow.
Summary
The RX-4 Turbo is a great shooting bow. It has a maneuverable frame with a compact 31-inch axle-to-axle measurement, and an ATA rated 350 feet per second gives shooters a lot of options for arrow weight and kinetic energy versus raw speed for each to choose what makes the most sense for them. For shooters nearing the top end of the 30-inch draw length max, the string angle may start to get uncomfortable for those wanting to keep a straight up and down head position. The cams are pretty big, but they may still require shooters to tip their head into the string for an anchor in the corner of the mouth and tip of the nose. The largest negative is the price. For some reason, the Turbo and the Ultra in the REDWRK lineup get an upgrade charge when compared to the RX-4 Alpha series. Ultimately, this annual $50 price increase is going to hurt Hoyt. There are a ton of great bows in the compact hunting bow market, and Hoyt is no longer creating the carbon riser models much lighter than the aluminum risers, which was a huge reason they marketed the original carbon bows so well back in the day. The $1749 price tag is a ton of money, and it really stinks to take up so much time in a review talking about the cost, but there will be a large number of shooters unable to even consider the RX-4 Turbo because of the cost.
