Pirelli launches new high-performance all-season tire Scorpion MS

Milan, Itlay – Pirelli launches the new Scorpion MS: a high performance all-season tire created as original equipment for the latest generation of SUVs. The heir to the Scorpion Verde All Season and Scorpion Zero All Season, this new product is led by the company’s Eco-Safety Design philosophy, which combines the highest safety standards with reduced environmental impact. As a result, this new tire benefits from better grip in both wet and dry conditions, and reduces rolling resistance compared to previous models. To meet the demands of the countries for which it is destined, the Pirelli Scorpion MS has a long tire life – a sought-after characteristic from American drivers – as well as comfort: particularly requested by the Asian market. As it is intended for SUVs, the tire has also been designed for light off-road use as well as snow driving.

The Pirelli Scorpion MS was born to equip the latest premium and prestige SUVs, with individual tires for each model that also use some of Pirelli’s key specialties as requested by carmakers. Above all, this means Elect technology for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In total, 75% of all the original equipment Scorpion MS co-development projects feature Elect technology. One example is the Maserati Grecale Folgore, the Italian manufacturer’s first fully-electric SUV, for which Pirelli has developed two new Scorpion MS fitments: 255 50 R19 all around, as well as 255 45 R20 at the front and 295 40 R20 at the back, both with Elect marking. This new tire shows how well-adapted the Scorpion family is to electric mobility, with more than 30% of the entire Scorpion range featuring Elect markings. Other technologies that can be found on different versions of Scorpion MS tires include the Seal Inside anti-puncture system, Run Flat – which allows drivers to keep going even with zero tire pressure – and PNCS (Pirelli Noise Cancelling System), to reduce cabin noise while driving. In the future, on request of car manufacturers, Pirelli RunForward – just debuted on the new P Zero E – could also be integrated: this new technology allows journeys to continue after a puncture, an increasingly important feature in electric cars, which often don’t come with a spare wheel due to the presence of the batteries.

The new Pirelli Scorpion MS has been designed to work all year round, with no need to change tires according to the season. In order to reach this goal, Pirelli’s research and development department worked on both the compound and tread pattern design. A new formulation of polymer and particular resins favor grip as well as wet and dry braking, while the sipes are designed to optimize performance on snow: fulfilling the demands of Pirelli’s manufacturer partners. Another priority for the Scorpion MS is acoustic and plastic comfort, reducing noise by 25% compared to the Scorpion Verde All Season: a result achieved thanks to the customized pitch sequence, to the particular spacing and inclination of the main grooves as well as the single-ply carcass. This carcass is light and strong, soaking up all the demands of the road and making the driving experience more pleasurable while also improving steering precision. Rolling resistance remains low due to the optimization of the compounds and tread pattern. Finally, the contact patch deformation is uniform even when the tire is subjected to lateral and longitudinal forces: a quality that contributes towards a regular wear pattern throughout the whole life of the tire.

The new Scorpion MS joins the range of Pirelli tyres dedicated to the unique characteristics of SUVs. All the products within the Pirelli Scorpion family have been designed to cope with the weight and driving dynamics that set these vehicles apart from traditional cars, and there is a specific variant for all types of weather conditions. The most recent arrivals are the Scorpion (summer), Scorpion Winter 2 and Scorpion All Season SF2.

Following the homologated original equipment versions, the aftermarket versions of the new Scorpion MS will arrive from 2024 in the APAC region, while the other tyres in the Scorpion range will be aimed mainly at the European market.