Safety in the rain, control in the snow, quietness in the dry, efficiency on long journeys, agility on short ones. These are all requirements that the new Scorpion range, the Pirelli product family created in 1986 for off-road vehicles and newly redesigned to meet the needs of modern SUVs, has set as its objectives. Objective achieved, according to the parameters indicated on the labels of the three new tyres - Scorpion, Scorpion Winter 2 and Scorpion All Season SF2 - which indicate improvements on all fronts and without compromise compared to the previous generation. What does this mean? Not giving up on performance for the sake of safety and not giving up on safety for the sake of sustainability. For Pirelli, the key is the “Eco-Safety Design” approach, which uses advanced technologies to offer a product without compromise. Environmentally conscious but also capable of achieving the highest performance levels certified by the European label. Starting with wet grip.
EXCELLENT IN WET GRIP, ROLLING RESISTANCE AND NOISE
Wet grip: in this parameter, 100% of the sizes of the new range in all seasons belong to classes A or B, the highest performance levels defined by European standards. Of these, over 80% are in class A. As far as rolling resistance is concerned, the Scorpion range has more than 60% of sizes in class A or B - a sign of a particular efficiency that translates into environmental friendliness and contributes to autonomy for electrified vehicles. The level achieved is already very close to the target of 70% for all products in rolling resistance class A and B that Pirelli has set for 2025. In particular, 100% of the Scorpion summer and Scorpion All Season SF2 range is in rolling resistance class A or B. Top results also for quietness: all three seasons boast 100% of the products in noise class A or B.
SUV-SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGIES
The recent renewal of the Scorpion range responds to changes in an expanding segment, which expects a stable increase in global sales of Sport Utility Vehicles in the coming years. These cars are characterised by high weight and a high centre of gravity, resulting in a special driving dynamic that requires dedicated tyres adapted to the new standards of contemporary and future mobility. In addition to providing higher levels of comfort, safety and performance, some sizes of the Scorpion family are optimised for use with electrified SUVs: around 30% of the range is equipped with Elect technology, a solution specially developed for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This makes Scorpion the Pirelli product range with the highest number of green car approvals.
Together with Seal Inside, Run Flat and PNCS, Elect is among the Pirelli Specialties that characterise the most modern tyres in the range. More than a third of the Scorpion tyres, in the new summer, winter and all-season versions, feature these technologies, allowing comfortable and quiet journeys, thanks to the PNCS option and in the case of Seal Inside and Run Flat, they provide the security of not being stranded in the event of a puncture. Thanks in part to these innovations, Pirelli is the leading manufacturer in the European SUV segment with a particular focus on sizes from 19 inches and upwards.
“ECO-SAFETY DESIGN” - THE DEVELOPMENT THAT COMBINES SUSTAINABILITY AND SAFETY
The three new versions of the Scorpion range have been designed using a method Pirelli calls “Eco-Safety Design”: this approach uses innovative materials and tools, including virtualisation inherited from its experience in motorsport, in order to achieve high sustainability and safety performance. Thanks to the “Eco-Safety Design”, the tyre is able to guarantee reliability in braking, dry and wet grip and stability, all to the benefit of safety; but also, performance that limits environmental impact such as optimised fuel consumption, reduced noise and increased tyre durability. In order to achieve these results, the range was substantially redesigned through research and development work that influenced the composition of the compounds, the three different tread patterns and the structure, which was reinforced and equipped with new materials.
Updating the range enabled Pirelli to achieve the Performance Mark for Scorpion - an award given by the TÜV SÜD certifying body to tyres that are among the best on the market in different driving situations. In addition, with a view to optimising the supply chain, the manufacturing of the entire Scorpion range is based in factories within the European Union.
