Few things are as American (cars or otherwise) as the Ford F-150 pickup truck. Its familiar frame towers over competitors while touting significant horsepower and surprisingly high mileage. Its immediate and longstanding success over four decades is a testament to Ford's commitment to producing a reliable, uncomplicated, and consistent vehicle for anyone looking to haul heavy cargo or venture through bumpy backroads.
Born from the post-war Ford F-Series, the F-150 was released 45 years ago to an eager customer base looking for that dependable bellcow truck. By meeting this demand, the F-150 only needed two years to overtake its most popular competitor and even led to the discontinuation of the older F-100 iteration in the 1980s. Fast forward to the present day, and the F-150 is still on top, taking the lion's share of pickup truck sales at almost 900,000 in 2019 alone.
So, how does the king of American pickups measure up when rolling on Pirelli tires? Test an F-150 on the road with Pirelli tailor made Scorpion ATR tires and you'll realize that it's a formidable combination.
For more than 20 years, Pirelli and Ford have had a strong relationship, working together to develop tires specifically designed for a wide range of more than fifteen different Ford models.
These joint efforts manifest today in a new version of the Scorpion ATR with innovations designed to emphasize the performance of the new F-150. This new tire design will be the basis of a range of tires within the Pirelli Scorpion family that will be released in the coming months.
Over the past two and half years, engineers from Pirelli and Ford worked together through a rigorous homologation process, which involved co-design, prototyping, industrialization phases, severe indoor testing as well as hundreds of hours of simulation and modelling.
The goal was to design a perfect-fit tire that incorporated all of Ford's targets. In particular, Pirelli's engineers designed mold profiles specifically for the new F-150, in order to offer a maximum level of grip with improved rolling resistance.
In addition, the tailor-made Scorpion ATR for the Ford F-150 presents a dedicated tread design to reduce tire noise by up to 3 decibels. Pirelli's technicians also worked on a new generation of tread compound to provide secure wet handling and snow performance for this heavy duty vehicle.
To achieve these goals, Pirelli deployed its most advanced simulation and engineering tools to meet Ford's demanding tire specification targets at every iteration of development. This digital and collaborative design approach significantly increased development speed and optimized tire performance, along with a reduction in the number of physical tires tested.
The Pirelli Scorpion ATR tires designed for the Ford F-150 are available in two sizes: 275/60R20 and 265/70R17.
The ATR is part of the Pirelli's range of Scorpion SUV and light truck tires, offering comfort, excellent traction and better wear resistance. As an All Season tire, it provides controlled performance on the most diverse surfaces and weather conditions.
The sporty past and pageantry of Pirelli provides surprising advantages when handling a towering marvel of high-torque American engineering. Shifting from smooth driving at high speeds, toughness and reliable mileage have become quintessential characteristics of driving on Pirelli tires.
