Currently rated as the fifth-largest tire manufacturer in the world, Pirelli has a reputation for high-performance tires. Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati, Lamborghini, McLaren, Pagani, Aston Martin and Bentley are just some of the automakers that use their tires. Beyond performance cars, they also manufacture tires for trucks and bikes.
Pirelli invited us to a press event where we got to sample a few of their offerings, including their Scorpion off-road tires on the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor. Pirelli was founded way back in 1872 by Giovanni Battista Pirelli, and since 1907, they have sponsored performance events. They are still the main tire supplier for Formula 1 along with being the sole supplier of tires for many sports car builders.
They also make SUV and truck tires
Pirelli not only makes truck and SUV tires, they make winter tires too. We were specifically invited to Las Vegas to sample their all-season Scorpion Verde, Scorpion Zero Season Plus and their off-road Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires.
Each tire has its own handling characteristics and is made with unique compounds. We didn’t have the bandwidth to compare these tires with competitors. Fortunately, we did get to sample each one on a performance course and on the street.
Being truck fans, Roman and I were especially curious about the Scorpion All-Terrain Plus tires. We admit, they certainly look cool, but what about performance? We did get to sample them on the streets, highways, in light mud and on sand…and on a racetrack at over 100 miles per hour.
Our initial impressions were good, but we need to do our own testing to truly get a feel for these tires. Not only are these tires aimed directly at truck and SUV/crossover buyers. According to Pirelli, they are competitively priced as well.
Scorpion All Terrain Plus on the Pirelli website. [Photo: Pirelli]
Buying aftermarket tires
While Pirelli sponsored this event, we’re not here to tell you to buy any specific tire. At TFLtruck, we sample all sorts of competitor’s tires and we have had mixed results with various brands. In time, we’ll have real-world, long term experience with Pirelli as well.
We wanted to tell you, the consumer, what to look for when buying any aftermarket tire. In this video, we sample three different vehicles with three different tires. We also get to talk to a Pirelli engineer about the technical details. Fun stuff!
