Tire Test Results

Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus Preview Report

April 4, 2018

Tires Tested

Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus (Off-Road All-Terrain)

Vehicles Used

GMC Acadia, GMC Yukon XL, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Rogue, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra

Off-Road All-Terrain (A/T) tires make an unspoken promise. Installing a set of A/T tires on a vehicle brings with it visions of breaking free from paved roads and daily routine to embark on a grand adventure and conquer the rugged landscape of the great unknown. The harsh reality is most A/T tires rarely encounter anything more challenging than a slippery boat ramp, grassy field or gravel parking lot, and many don’t leave pavement from their first mile to their last. Yet the promise still exists, and an A/T tire that merely feigns off-road capability will quickly be exposed and likely fail in the marketplace.

Features that provide off-road traction tend to have a decidedly negative effect on a tire’s on-road behavior, so the challenge faced by any manufacturer developing an A/T tire is considerable: Either create a tire that is great off-road to the detriment of its performance on the road, which is where it will likely spend 90+ percent of its life, or create a tire optimized for pavement that will potentially be labeled a poseur among enthusiasts and struggle for sales volume. Neither option sounds like an optimal solution, but Pirelli says they have the answer with the Scorpion All Terrain Plus, a tire with the refinement, handling and longevity expected by the drivers of modern crossovers and SUVs plus the ability to conquer a wide range of off-road challenges.

In April of 2018, select members of the Tire Rack team were invited to a launch event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to experience the breadth of the Scorpion All Terrain Plus’s capabilities.

Sidewall of Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus mounted on a Nissan Rogue With a single day to demonstrate the many talents of their new tire, our hosts filled the schedule to bursting, with experiences in an array of vehicles on assorted stages in varied conditions.

The first drive of the day featured Nissan Rogues and Toyota Tundras driven on a modified track consisting of a section of the Speedway’s South Road Course. The road surface alternated between smooth asphalt, broken asphalt, gravel and a gravel/dirt mixture, and also between dry and wet. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus proved capable on both vehicle platforms in the many conditions and handled the transition from one surface to another confidently. Sound quality over the smooth surfaces was a high point, with only a little hum from the tread pattern when the vehicle was turning. Ride comfort was also admirable if a touch firm over impacts.

Front left side of a Toyota Tunda Straight on shot of a muddy Scorpion All Terrain Plus The next proving ground for the Scorpion All Terrain Plus was the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Off-Road Course, which featured a series of hairpin turns separated by short straights, some longer, sweeping turns and several jumps. With explicit instructions not to catch air in the provided Toyota Tacomas and Tundras, this experience was designed to demonstrate how well the tires decelerate, grip through turns and put down the power on corner exit. The dirt was relatively deep and churned around the inside of turns, which led to some understeer as the tires on the front axle searched for grip, but taking the wide line around the perimeter revealed the tires’ impressive lateral traction on the hard-packed dirt, which had a layer of loose soil on top. Acceleration and braking were both confidence-inspiring thanks to the longitudinal bite provided as the tread pattern dug into the surface.

Two GMC Acadias From the Off-Road Course, the group moved to the North Road Course, where GMC Acadias and Jeep Grand Cherokees waited to be hustled around the approximately 1.2-mile track. With a combination of fast and slow sweeping turns, left-right transitions and a high-speed kink, the North Course was sure to expose any deficiencies in the handling of the Scorpion All Terrain Plus. While certainly not a performance tire, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus was surprisingly capable in this environment. Despite the tires’ mission and the pedestrian vehicles to which they were mounted, the overall handling behavior was balanced, without the punishing understeer expected from this combination. The responsive steering was appreciated through fast transitions, and the vehicles remained composed, even in abrupt lateral maneuvers.

Our team became passengers for the final two events of the day, riding shotgun while professional drivers took the wheel. The first experience further demonstrated the Scorpion All Terrain Plus’s off-road prowess, with the pro drivers navigating half-ton pickup trucks around an off-road park utilizing the natural topography of the Speedway. Featuring climbs and descents at grades up to 19 percent, the loose, rocky terrain limited traction, but the tires never seemed to struggle for grip. Even driving across the face of a hill with an 18 percent grade was more of a test for the vehicle’s seat belts than the lateral bite of the Scorpion All Terrain Plus.

To finish the day, participants loaded into one of three full-size SUVs for high-speed runs around the banked oval of the Super Speedway. Consistently running at the 112mph limited top speed of a GMC Yukon XL, the ride was as smooth and composed as it was at typical road speeds.

At any good product launch, the driving experiences are carefully designed and pre-tested to ensure they demonstrate everything the manufacturer intends them to, and nothing they don’t. Knowing that, we reserve final judgment until we can get some real-world experience on the tires. Even so, it’s hard not to be enthusiastic about the Scorpion All Terrain Plus. The surprising diversity of the demonstrations pushed the tires from one extreme to another, harder than they are ever likely to experience during normal service, and they didn’t falter. Initial impressions indicate the Scorpion All Terrain Plus delivers the smooth ride, quiet demeanor and sure handling that are appreciated during the everyday routine, and will be a willing and capable accomplice when that unspoken promise gets louder and the call of the grand adventure is too much to resist.