Pirelli conducted in Sweden a test drive of new summer, winter, and all-season tires, designed for crossovers and SUVs.
In 2022, Pirelli renewed its Scorpion line, designed for the owners of CUVs and SUVs, introducing tires of three categories — the summer Pirelli Scorpion, the all-season Scorpion All Season SF 2, and the winter Scorpion Winter 2. To give the representatives of the industry media an opportunity to check out the performance of the new models, Pirelli conducted their test drive at the Sottozero Center test facility in Sweden. Interestingly, in spite of the fact that the event took place in summer, the guests could test the tires on snow as well. One of the guests was Tomasz Kamiński of Auto Świat; hereinafter is the author’s text:
The Pirelli Scorpion summer tire features a completely new asymmetric tread pattern, and Pirelli says that the increased rigidity of the compound combined with the altered shape of the longitudinal and transverse grooves made it possible to improve the braking performance compared to that of the tire’s predecessor — Scorpion Verde — on dry and wet pavement alike. According to the Italian specialists, the tire’s braking performance was improved by 7%, and yet another strong side of the new model consists in even wear across its entire lifespan.
Quick Take
Pirelli Scorpion
- This tire replaced Pirelli / Cinturato P7 (P7C2)
- Available Sizes in Line: 48
- Year Released: 2022
- Regions for sale: Central & South America, Europe, Russia+, Japan
We started testing the Pirelli Scorpion on a wet track, which was so liberally sprinkled with water that in some spots shallow puddles appeared. In these conditions, we could appreciate how much traction could be ensured by the new tires — the Mercedes GLC, fitted in them, confidently passed high-speed transitions, quickly slowing down before entering a corner whenever necessary. Sometimes it was even hard to believe that I was driving over wet pavement, and not over dry.
In another section of the Sottozero Center proving ground we tested the new tire’s dry performance. Here the speeds were obviously higher, but creating a dangerous situation was still difficult, and even when I pushed my car to the limit, it confidently passed every turn. An additional strong point of these tires was the fact that they were very quiet, and even at a high speed they did not make the ride any less comfortable.
The Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF 2 is made of a special rubber compound that becomes more supple on wet pavement and at low temperatures and becomes more rigid on dry pavement, thus increasing the grip. In addition, the components are combined in such a way as to ensure low rolling resistance, and, hence, lower fuel consumption by the vehicle and increased ride comfort.
Quick Take
Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF 2
- Available Sizes in Line: 22
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Volvo C40 I [2021 .. 2023]
- • Volvo XC40 I [2017 .. 2023]
- Year Released: 2022
- Regions for sale: Europe, Russia+
How did the all-season model perform? We tested it on the same track as we did the summer tires, and the all-season model behaved just as confidently in corners and during the braking. The all-season tire was also pretty quiet, but you could still feel the difference from the dedicated summer model. On the whole, the speeds were lower, and eventually, when we tried to come close to the results of the summer tires, the all-season tires started squealing in corners. Also, you had to start braking earlier than you did on summer tires.
On the whole, both summer and all-season new Pirelli tires turned out to be very successful models. Is there a lot of difference between them? Yes and no. If you need tires for a powerful SUV, and if you are at the same time into dynamic driving, you need to invest in two sets of tires — summer and winter. On the other hand, the owners of less powerful cars who prefer a calmer driving style can be quite happy with the all-season tires. Although a summer tire is more effective in corners and ensures a better braking performance, in everyday peaceful driving these differences are so small that they will not compromise your safety in any way.
Despite the summer weather (in Sweden, near the city of Lulea on the Gulf of Bothnia, it was about 20°C), we were able to check how the new Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 tires behaved in the snow, because in the indoor complex it is possible to conduct tests on snow and ice at temperatures down to -30°C.
The building includes a straight section 290 meters long, the length of the ice fragment being 100 meters; there is also a zone with an area of 10,000 square meters that can serve multiple functions. It was this section that had a winding track laid for us, on which we tested the new Pirelli winter tires.
The cars on new tires started confidently, and the tires provided good grip both in corners and on a straight line, and besides, braking before the corner occurred without any excessive skids, and even if the skids did happen, they did not pose a safety threat. The car also remained stable during sharp cornering.
The exceptional performance of the new winter tires is ensured by the new tread pattern with expanding lamellas with a total length of 51 meters, which improve snow traction. According to Pirelli, their working area has been increased by 20% compared to the tires of the previous generation — Scorpion Winter. The tread blocks were reinforced and enlarged, which was done taking into account the characteristics of modern crossovers; at the same time, this improved the tire’s overall traction. Thanks to the three-dimensional structure, the lamellas transform depending on the degree of tread wear, moving from a straight to a sinusoidal (zigzag) shape, which increases their working surface and efficiency. This solution allows you to provide the desired grip on snow, as well as wet and dry pavement even if there are signs of wear, and in addition, the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 has a 30% longer tread life than that of the previous-generation tires.
Quick Take
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
- This tire replaced Pirelli / Scorpion Winter
- Available Sizes in Line: 55
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Porsche Cayenne E3 (9Y) Facelift [2023 .. 2025]
- Year Released: 2022
- Regions for sale: Europe, Russia+, China
