Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus Review: an Accomplished On- and Off-Road Tire

Just two decades ago, owners of SUVs and trucks had two choices of tires. The first ones, highway tires, worked excellently on the road, but not so good for off-roading. Off-road tires, on the other hand, worked outstandingly well for off-roading, but they weren’t as accomplished for on-road driving.

Fortunately, today things are different. Many tire manufacturers offer all-terrain tires that are able to provide their owners with safe handling and braking on the street and reliable traction for off-roading. Even Pirelli jumped onto the bandwagon recently, a company that previously people mostly associated with high-performance track tires.

The newest addition to Pirelli’s lineup of all-terrain tires is the Scorpion All Terrain Plus. As a successor to the Scorpion ATR, the new model promises much better off-road traction on all surfaces, while also improving on-road performance.

The thing is, the competition in the all-terrain segment today is very fierce. Established companies, such as Goodyear and BF Goodrich, already compete with excellent products. Moreover, Pirelli has competition from new players in the segment, such as Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continental. And, we didn’t even mention the plethora of excellent all-terrain tires from the budget-minded manufacturers.

The Italian company probably knows that, which is why the engineers took their time when they designed this tire. Compared to the Scorpion ATR, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus seems like a completely different animal. By looking at the tire, it instantly becomes obvious that the Italians listened to SUV and truck owners and made the new version much more aggressive.

But, how does that translate into the real world? I’ll try to answer that question in this detailed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus review. In the text down below, you can find out about the on-road dynamics of the tire, but also the off-road traction, treadlife, and comfort levels.

Before we jump to conclusions, though, let’s see what the marketing department at Pirelli says about their new and shiny product.

What are the features of the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus?

According to Pirelli, the new Scorpion All Terrain Plus tire offers light-truck and SUV drivers a durable, high-performance experience in a wide range of challenging on or off-road conditions.

They continue by clarifying that the tire features a self-cleaning tread pattern that aims to increase integrity, while also improving wet, snow, and mud traction.

To achieve these things, Pirelli used its proprietary New Generation tread compound, which aims to provide a high level of performance in both hot and freezing conditions.

The tread compound is molded into a symmetric, high-void pattern, which looks much deeper and more aggressive than the predecessor.

The tread pattern is designed to be smooth and quiet on the road, something that many competitors fail to accomplish. Moreover, the aggressive pattern should improve off-road traction on every surface.

The tread features deep grooves and independent tread blocks that provide clawing action. As a result of that, Pirelli improved the traction on loose terrains, such as dirt and gravel.

Furthermore, the conical stone ejectors take care of cleaning the tread from sharp objects, therefore improving the puncture resistance of the tire.

For better wet performance, Pirelli utilized wide lateral notches and open shoulders, which help with water evacuation and hydroplaning resistance.

Additionally, the advanced tread compound with multiple block edges and in-block sipes helps with traction, handling, and braking over snowy surfaces.

The Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus gets the 3PMSF (ThreePeak Mountain Snowflake) symbol, which signifies that the tire offers better snow traction and braking than regular M+S all-season tires.

The internal construction of the Scorpion All Terrain Plus is regular for the category and consists of a polyester casing on top of two high-strength steel belts, and multiple nylon reinforcements.

That design should give the tire better ride quality, but also improve rigidity for off-road use, and high-speed stability for highway use.

Pirelli offers the Scorpion All Terrain Plus is many sizes, ranging from 16-inch wheel diameter to 20-inch wheel diameter.

Apart from regular sizes, you can also find LT-metric models in the lineup. These models are designed for heavier vehicles, towing larger trailers, or hauling heavier cargo.

What are the maintenance indicators?

Like most manufacturers, Pirelli utilizes the regular tread wear indicators in their tires. These indicators are very important for safety because they show the driver when the tire isn’t safe for wet surfaces anymore.

Without sufficient tread depth, the tires have significantly worse wet traction, handling, and braking. Moreover, they are borderline unusable over light snow and for off-roading.

According to Pirelli, the minimum tread depth on its products is 1/32-inch, which is lower than most competitors. That said, I suggest replacing the tire well before it comes to that point.

You can use the treadwear indicators to know when to replace the tires. These are essentially narrow bars of a smooth rubber, recessed into the tread pattern.

As the tire wears down, the rubber bars become more visible. When the tread is completely worn-down (1/32-inch), the bars will be flush with the tread.

Fortunately, you won’t need to think about this in a long time. The Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus comes with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is very good as far as all-terrain tires go.

That said, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus is a new product, and we can’t say for sure how much its owners are satisfied with the treadlife.

How does it behave on a dry tarmac?

Despite the more aggressive tread when compared to the predecessor, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus performs excellently on the road.

At lower speeds, drivers will be hard-pressed to guess that they are driving on all-terrain tires. Pirelli did a great job of making the tire responsive and easy to drive.

Moreover, high-speed driving doesn’t pose an issue for the tire. Straight-line tracking and stability are excellent, even at higher speeds. Additionally, the tire provides safe levels of grip and traction, and it brakes very well.

Overall, this is one of the best all-terrain tires for on-road driving right now. That’s true even when you compare it to products from Michelin, Bridgestone, and Continental, all of which have much less aggressive tread patterns.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

Pirelli engineers already showed us that they could make excellent wet tires, and the Scorpion is certainly not an exception to that rule.

The carefully placed grooves limit hydroplaning by a significant margin, making the tire completely safe in heavy rain and puddles of water.

Furthermore, the advanced tread compound gives the tire sticky performance over damp roads, which is an area where most aggressive all-terrain tires struggle.

That being said, I must note that less-aggressive competitors from Continental (TerrainContact A/T) and Bridgestone (Dueler A/T Revo 3) offer better traction and braking on wet surfaces. However, these models are also less useful for off-road driving.

With that being said, how is it on snowy roads?

Snow performance is another area where the Scorpion provides very good results. It’s not the best in the category, that’s for sure, but I think that the tire is safe enough for driving over light snow.

The traction levels and stopping distances are among the best in the all-terrain category, and the Pirelli Scorpion is surefooted in the corners as well.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that the Scorpion All Terrain Plus will replace a proper winter tire. For example, the braking distance on ice and snow is twice as long when compared to a regular snow tire.

Is it suitable for off-road driving?

Given its on-road credentials, the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus is one of the most accomplished tires in its category.

I found it to be exceptionally surefooted on hardpacked surfaces, such as dirt and gravel, where it provides the driver with high levels of traction, direct and lively handling, and great stability.

You can also master some light-mud tracks with this tire, but deep mud might prove to be ан insurmountable obstacle.

Furthermore, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus doesn’t seem as sturdy as some more aggressive all-terrain tires. Therefore, I wouldn’t trust it over large rocks, especially after you deflate the tires.

Is it comfortable and refined?

The Scorpion is far from the quietest all-terrain tire, but it’s still fine for everyday driving. Noise can only be heard over rough patches on the road, and even then, it’s not overly intrusive.

Additionally, the ride feels firm over large potholes, but it settles down on the highway, where I prefer it over some softer all-terrain tires.

You can see more Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus Review here: videos created by Cyberskrimps

Should I buy the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus?

The Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus doesn’t break new ground in any of the categories. What it does, though, is offering a great balance between on-road dynamics and off-road traction.

Right now, I can’t think of a lot of all-terrain tires that offer the same combination. Those that are better on the road suffer in off-road scenarios, and vice versa.

Hence, if you own a truck or an SUV and you want a dependable tire for the street and off-road terrain, then you should definitely put the Scorpion All Terrain Plus on your shortlist.