Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 Review

Pirelli has just expanded its Plus line of tires for the North American market with a new all-season touring tire designed to deliver comfort and performance with long life.

PROS

  • Longer life
  • Top-tier performance
  • Quiet ride

CONS

  • Likely to be expensive
  • Exact sizes not yet known

   

Pirelli’s Scorpion lineup is designed for crossovers, SUVs and trucks and while top quality performance has always been one of the brand’s best features, Pirellis often trade off performance for tire life. This new tire takes strides in the tread life department and Pirelli estimates a 70,000 mile life, putting it on-par with other best-in-class tires.

This has been achieved thanks to a custom tread compound, a unique tire pattern and special construction.

While all tires these days use computer design tools to help design a tread with long life and low noise, Pirelli’s development process takes this a step further to analyze the designs and how they will perform in motion. This modelling allows Pirelli engineers to simulate wear in dynamic driving scenarios, with different levels of pressure on different areas of the tire, and testing for hear buildup as well. As a result of this, numerous different designs were tested with the final tread pattern the one you see here.

The result of all this is a capable all-season tire that’s lasts longer in the real world.

Pirelli was also able to design a tread pattern that absorbs road noise, improving ride quality too.

A new tread compound is used to offer optimum grip in the wet, with a conventional all-season tire design with four large circumferential grooves to easily evacuate water and prevent hydroplaning.

Beyond all this, 3D sipes are used, which offer increased tread stability in the wet and dry for optimal performance, while delivering improved grip in snow. Still, this is an all-season tire and we do recommend proper winter tires if you live in climate with regular snow.

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 Price

Pricing for the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 has not yet been announced but we expect it to fall in line with similar products, with a price range of $150 to $400 per tire.

   

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 Warranty

Pirelli backs the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 with an impressive 70,000 mile limited treadlife warranty. In addition, it’s backed by the brand’s standard limited warranty that covers free replacement for tires deemed defective in the first 2/32-inch of tread wear and replacement on a pro-rated basis for any defects found up until the last 2/32-inch of tread life.

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 Sizes

Exact sizes for the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 haven’t been announced, but the tire will be available in 37 popular sizes ranging from 17- to 22-inches. Popular fitments will be available for vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda CR-V, Toyota Highlander, Ford F-150 and Kia Sorento.

How Long do Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 Last?

Based on the brand’s tread life warranty, you should expect to get roughly 70,000 miles from these tires. This assumes proper rotation procedures over the life of the tire, as well as proper inflation.

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 vs Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II

Both of these all-season tires are custom designed for use on crossovers, SUVs and trucks. They’re incredibly similar but do have some important differences to be aware of.

With the Scorpion AS Plus 3 Pirelli used a tread pattern that’s designed to wear more evenly, thus prolonging tire life. Combined with a stiffer overall tread compound with a UTQG rating of 800 (the bigger the number the harder the compound) it’s designed to last up to 70,000 mile on a set. Designed specifically for North American vehicles and roads, it also puts a priority on low road noise and impressive comfort.

Compare this to the Scorpion Verde All Season Plus II, which is slightly more performance focused. While still a very capable all-season tire, it’s a touch grippier thanks in part to a 740 UTQG rating. This also means tread life is slightly less, with a 65,000 mile factory warranty.

Added performance comes as a result of reinforced shoulder blocks for better handling, as well as some uninterrupted bands of rubber on the inside of the tire that help with acceleration and braking performance. Overall, the tread design makes for a larger contact patch with the road, and delivers a more engaging drive.