Pirelli has completely revolutionised the sole family of premium tyres for SUVs: the famous Scorpion range. It's a name that has been around for more than 35 years now, and it's specifically designed for the fastest-growing segment in the automotive market, with the world's top car manufacturers introducing new best-sellers in this category all the time.
The brand new range takes in the Scorpion summer tyre as well as the Scorpion All Season SF2 and the Scorpion Winter 2. These are all tyres that feature the very latest technology and are specifically tailored to the unique characteristics of SUVs, which tend to be heavier than conventional cars, with a higher centre of gravity and a different driving feel. The Scorpion range is also the one that has the most ‘Elect' homologations in Pirelli's entire product catalogue: for pure electric or plug-in hybrid cars.
Eco-safety design
One of the hallmarks of the new Scorpion range is Pirelli's ‘Eco-Safety' design. This describes a design philosophy that combines respect for the environment – thanks to lower rolling resistance, road noise, and a longer tyre life – with the best possible driving performance and safety. That's achieved thanks to some innovative materials used within the tyre itself as well as cutting-edge modelling techniques throughout the development process. The new range is targeting more than 400 original equipment homologations: including more than 50% of them for electric cars.
The new Scorpion summer tyre: safe and silent performance for sustainable mobility
The latest Pirelli Scorpion summer tyre features a new asymmetric tread pattern that allows better braking compared to its predecessor and reduced rolling resistance, which leads to decreased fuel or battery consumption. That's thanks to a more even footprint across the road surface and a new compound, which draws inspiration from the technology applied to the current Cinturato P7. These tyres benefit from a sort of ‘mechanical intelligence' thanks to the way that the silica particles within the compound are distributed and how they interact with each other. This means that the tyre's behaviour actually varies according to outside temperature and driving conditions, giving the driver a wide operating window of perfect performance. This tyre was produced using a Pirelli-patented process that's directly derived from the Italian firm's experience at the top levels of motorsport. The new Scorpion is also incredibly quiet, emitting three decibels fewer than its predecessor, meaning a more peaceful life for everybody.
The Scorpion All Season SF2: an adaptive tyre with stronger tread blocks
The new Scorpion All Season SF2 is aimed at people who want to comply with winter tyre regulations but don't want to bother with changing tyres just for winter. The Scorpion All Season SF2 features a compound and a tread pattern that's again inspired by the Cinturato, with some unique twists to cater for the specific needs of SUVs. Thanks to 3D technology, the sipes – which are small channels in the tread pattern – can adapt themselves to different conditions, meaning that a winter tread pattern can automatically turn itself into a summer pattern to give the driver better control, whatever the weather. To cope with the heavier weight and particular dynamics of an SUV, the tread pattern has reinforced blocks, which are bigger than those seen on the Cinturato All Season SF2. The result is less road noise.
The tread pattern is made from innovative materials that lower rolling resistance, while the extra strength compared to the previous Scorpion means that this tyre will last longer, delivering top performance throughout its lifespan. That not only helps the driver but benefits the environment as well.
Scorpion Winter 2: the new winter tyre with extendable sipes
Safety is the watchword when it comes to Pirelli's new winter tyre for SUVs. The latest Scorpion Winter 2 means that people will be able to go anywhere throughout all the conditions that are typical of winter: from snowy to wet roads, as well as slippery surfaces and dry (but cold) asphalt. Once again, all the innovations recently introduced to the Cinturato family have been applied to the world of SUVs, thanks to a tread pattern that's equipped with ‘extendable' variable geometry sipes. Because of the 3D structure, these sipes can change shape depending on the amount of wear, going from a straight to a zig-zag pattern. This extends the usable area and delivers more efficient grip, meaning that the Scorpion Winter 2 always performs on snow, in the rain and in dry conditions even when worn, lengthening the life of the tyre compared to the previous product. The tread blocks are also reinforced and larger than those on the Cinturato, to cater for all the demands of modern SUVs and deliver more grip, ensuring excellent braking and driving performance both on snowy and wet surfaces.
The latest tyres in the Scorpion family rank among the very best in all sorts of different driving situations. Tests were carried out by prestigious German certification body TÜV SÜD, which has awarded the new tyre its prized Performance Mark(1).
(1) The TÜV SÜD Tire Performance Mark is a mark of excellence and confidence when buying a tyre. Performance Mark nr Z2 082041 0005 Rev. 00 (Scorpion); nr Z2 082041 0004 Rev. 00 (Scorpion All Season SF 2); nr Z2 082041 0006 Rev. 00 (Scorpion Winter 2) – Obtained by achieving the essential technical performance requirements of the independent certification body TÜV SÜD following tests carried out in January and February 2022 with tyres size 235/55R19 - 255/55R18 (Scorpion) and 235/60R18 (Scorpion All Season SF 2 and Scorpion Winter 2). More information on https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-ww/car/scorpion-tuv-certificate.pdf. Test report no. n. 713234207-SS (Scorpion); n. 713234207-SA (Scorpion All Season SF2) e n. 713234207-SW (Scorpion Winter 2). Valid until: 2027/02/09.
