- A side note here: As a former Bridgestone engineer, I strongly recommend checking DiscountTire - Treadwell out. This is a tool that DiscountTire dealers use in the store. You can get recommendations based on value, performance, and local favorites.
TRIED & TESTED!
Scorpion Winter is a Pirelli’s performance winter/snow tire. It’s specifically designed for SUVs(best tires for), crossovers, and sport utility vehicles. For this reason, it’s available in rare rim sizes like 19” and 21”. Unlike most winter tires, it’s all-round tire that can offer cozy driving for all seasons. Yet, it has pros and cons. Let’s dig into it and see what it’s capable of.
At a Glance
| Pirelli Scorpion Winter | |
|---|---|
| Best for | High-torque vehicles that need a solid winter traction and reliable performance, responsiveness and cornering stability |
| Category | Light-Truck/SUV Performacne Winter Tire |
| Vehicle | SUV, Crossover, sedans, coupes |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 19”, 20’’, 21”, 22” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Weight | 23 – 42 lbs |
| Made In | USA |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty (P-metric) | N/A |
| Warranty (LT Sizes) | N/A |
| Prices | DiscountTire: Check Price TireRack: Check Price Amazon: Check Price SimpleTire: Check Price |
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Pirelli Scorpion Winter has huge traction capability on wet and dry grounds. Due to its specific design, it has a massive handling ability. Moreover, its light-snow performance is one of the best. However, it has limited deep snow and ice performance. Regarding tread life, Pirelli Scorpion Winter is similar to performance tires. Well, it offers traction and comfort instead of long-lasting rubber. Though, its tread life isn’t poor but average.
I highly recommend checking the below pages out before making any purchase:
- DiscountTire Deals:
https://www.discounttire.com/promotions - TireRack Deals:
https://www.tirerack.com/specialoffers - SimpleTire Deals:
https://simpletire.com/tire-deals
Table of Contents
Dry Performance
Most people complain about winter tires’ dry performance. Well, that’s totally normal due to their weighted structure and sticker compounds. In that case, handling tends to decrease. Thus, in this section, that’s one of my evaluation point. Let’s analyze it deeply.
Dry Traction
Dry traction isn’t an issue for winter tires due to their highly notched rubber and soft compounds. These tires are designed to grip in slippery and squishy conditions.
Pirelli Scorpion Winter has massive dry traction.
Handling
Dry handling is where Scorpion Winter steps ahead. Unlike most winter tires, this one has a directional design. Moreover, it has a modular center section that is used to optimize contact patch. This section works like a mast and enhances this tires’ steering capability. Lastly but most importantly, Pirelli Scorpion Winter is a light tire. That feature has a huge impact on quick steering response.
Pirelli Scorpion Winter has extraordinary handling on dry grounds.
Wet Performance
Wet performance can be tricky for winter tires. Most winter tires have a block design which has a negative impact on the solid contact patch. Moreover, winter tires lack circumferential grooves which is the main game changer for water evacuation(hydroplaning resistance). However, this judgment isn’t valid for Pirelli Scorpion Winter.
Pirelli Scorpion Winter has 2 circumferential grooves for a width of 255 and 4 for 265 or higher. Moreover, its open shoulder block design helps it to throw the water out. Therefore, Pirelli Scorpion Winter has a huge wet performance at high speeds.
Regarding wet grip, sipes and fluffy compounds do all the work. It’s solid.
Note: Hydroplaning is vital for a safe ride under the pouring rain. However, it might occur even with the best tire. Maybe you can’t prevent it but if you know what it is and how to deal with it, you can easily stay on the safe side.
Here is an extremely efficient guide about ‘How to Deal with Hydroplaning?‘ –> https://www.discounttire.com/learn/hydroplaning
Winter Performance
As I mentioned before, Pirelli Scorpion Winter is a PERFORMANCE winter tire. So, expecting touring winter tire performance from it is kinda unrealistic. These tires are designed for mild winter performance on high-speed vehicles. Thus, they should sacrifice from deep snow and ice performance a bit.
Regarding light-snow,
Light snow is where it shines. Due to the slick compound and very well-siped rubber, it has a massive grip on light snow. Moreover, snow booster ridges that are placed inside the grooves increase their self-cleaning ability. For this reason, it’s a solid tire for light snow.
Regarding deep-snow,
Due to its self-cleaning ability, it can handle deep snow. However, this tire has shallow tread depth. This feature puts some limits on deep snow performance. If the thickness of snow is more than 4”, I don’t recommend using this tire.
Regarding ice,
Due to its multi-directional sipes, it can grip the ice with ease. However, this design has lack asymmetry. It’s highly important for ice traction. So, I’m going to say average for ice performance.
Comfort
Due to its handling capability and soft compound, this tire offers a smooth ride. Its flexible but durable internal construction make you feel like on the cotton while drive through the bumbs.
Road Noise
Even though the symmetrical design and narrowed void area help it to reduce road noise, this tire is slightly noisy compared to the touring tires. However, it’s still one of the best winter tires. Pirelli also applies noise cancellation technology into the structure that reduces noise by half.
A side note here: Even though some tires tend to make noise because of their tread patterns, it’s still possible to keep your tire noise down.
I’m leaving a perfect explanation below from DiscountTire for those who need it;
How to Keep Tire Noise Down? –>
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise
Tread Life
Tread life is where it comes short. In my point of view, that’s expected. Due to its fluffy compound and highly notched rubber, this tire could have high rolling resistance. However, the lightweight of this tire cover some of this deficiency. Yet, it’s not enough to promote long-lasting tires.
Pirelli Scorpion Winter has average tread life.
Getting maximum wear life from a tire is related to you as well as your tire,
If you’d like to learn how to get maximum tread life:
Warranty
Pirelli doesn’t offer any tread life warranty for this product. However, a material warrant is still valid for the first 2/32” wear.
Note: Winter tires are designed to perform under 7 Celcius degrees. If you’ll use them over this temperature, they will wear quickly. Moreover, feather-type uneven wearing might occur. Material warranty doesn’t cover this wearing.
Sizes
Most tire sizes begin with modifier letters(P, LT, etc.) that identify the type of vehicle or type of service for which they were designed. Here is a perfect guide for reading tire size –> https://tireterrain.com/how-to-read-tire-size/
| 16” | 17” | 18” | 19” | 20” | 21” | 22” |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/65R16 | 215/60R17 | 235/50R18 | 225/55R19 | 235/45R20 | 245/45R21 | 255/40R22 |
| 215/70R16 | 215/65R17 | 235/55R18 | 235/50R19 | 235/50R20 | 255/40R21 | 265/35R22 |
| 225/60R17 | 235/60R18 | 235/55R19 | 235/55R20 | 265/40R21 | 265/40R22 | |
| 225/65R17 | 235/65R18 | 235/65R19 | 245/45R20 | 265/45R21 | 275/35R22 | |
| 235/60R17 | 245/60R18 | 255/40R19 | 245/50R20 | 275/40R21 | 275/40R22 | |
| 235/65R17 | 255/55R18 | 255/45R19 | 255/40R20 | 275/45R21 | 285/35R22 | |
| 245/65R17 | 255/60R18 | 255/50R19 | 255/45R20 | 275/50R21 | 285/40R22 | |
| 255/65R17 | 265/60R18 | 255/55R19 | 255/50R20 | 285/40R21 | 285/45R22 | |
| 265/65R17 | 265/50R19 | 255/55R20 | 285/45R21 | 295/30R22 | ||
| 265/55R19 | 255/60R20 | 295/35R21 | 295/35R22 | |||
| 275/50R19 | 265/45R20 | 295/40R21 | 315/30R22 | |||
| 275/55R19 | 265/50R20 | 305/35R21 | 315/35R22 | |||
| 285/45R19 | 275/40R20 | 315/35R21 | 325/35R22 | |||
| 295/45R19 | 275/45R20 | 315/40R21 | 325/40R22 | |||
| 275/50R20 | 315/45R21 | 325/55R22 | ||||
| 275/55R20 | ||||||
| 285/40R20 | ||||||
| 285/45R20 | ||||||
| 295/40R20 | ||||||
| 295/45R20 | ||||||
| 305/40R20 | ||||||
| 315/35R20 |
A side note here: If you are planning to upsize or downsize from your original equipment size (changing tire size with a smaller or bigger size), or if you have already done, it’s crucial to remember that changing tire size will decrease the accuracy of your speedometer. If this is the case, I strongly recommend checking DiscountTire Speedometer Guide.
Price
The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.
Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.
Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,
DiscountTire
- Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
- 1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
- Free rotation and balancing
- 5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchase
- Highest rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
- Almost all brands are available
- Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
- Frequent discounts and promotions
Pirelli Scorpion Winter: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/pirelli-scorpion-winter
TireRack
- Fast and Free shipping
- Usually delivered in 1 day
- Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
- Tons of installer options, they also help you to choose the best one
- Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
- Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
- 4.6/5 points on Google rate
Pirelli Scorpion Winter: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-scorpion-winter
SimpleTire
- Free shipping
- Delivered in 2 days
- Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
- Mobile installation option
- 7 million customers since 2021
- 4.7/5 points on Google rate
- Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match
Pirelli Scorpion Winter: https://simpletire.com/brands/pirelli-tires/scorpion-winter
While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire buying process.
Conclusion
Pirelli Scorpion Winter is one of the best tires in its segment. It’s reliable and multi-functional. However, it’s a performance tire. Therefore, it focuses on traction, handling, and good appearance instead of tread life.
| Pirelli Scorpion Winter | |
|---|---|
| Best for | High-torque vehicles that need a solid winter traction and reliable performance, responsiveness and cornering stability |
| Category | Light-Truck/SUV Performacne Winter Tire |
| Vehicle | SUV, Crossover, sedans, coupes |
| Available Sizes (Rim) | 16’’, 17’’, 18’’, 19”, 20’’, 21”, 22” (Ensure these tires fit your vehicle) |
| Weight | 23 – 42 lbs |
| Made In | USA |
| Labels | 3PMSF |
| Warranty (P-metric) | N/A |
| Warranty (LT Sizes) | N/A |
| Prices | DiscountTire: Check Price TireRack: Check Price Amazon: Check Price SimpleTire: Check Price |
I recommend you take the below points into consideration for a better size selection.
Take-Home Points,
- XL sizes tend to carry more load and offer better handling. Hence, they might be a better pick for bigger vehicles( XL vs SL tires)
- Please pay attention to the load range and speed index. These metrics are essential if you expect decent tread life
- There isn’t a bad tire in the market right now, you should just know what to expect from tires
A side note here: If you’d like to get local advice and find the best fit for your driving habits, location, and road conditions DiscountTire – Treadwell Tire Guide can give you masterpiece recommendations.
I hope this article was helpful. If you have any further questions, please leave them in the below section.
Guide Me Bruh!
This section contains my research and top picks. Depending on your need, you may choose a category and easily find the best fit for yourself. Remember, nobody knows your driving conditions and requirements better than yourself. You’re in the charge out here.
Start Here:
Blue-Ribbon All-Weather Tires
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