Pirelli releases new all-season SUV tire

The Pirelli company has revealed details about the new all-season tire Pirelli Scorpion All Season SF 3, designed specifically for crossovers and SUVs, joining the Cinturato All Season SF 3 model for passenger cars.

As the manufacturer emphasizes, the key benefits of the novelty are versatility and the ability to guarantee safety in any weather conditions (in regions with a mild climate), and according to the Euro marking system, all sizes received an "A" rating for grip on a wet road. In addition, the 3PMSF marking indicates that the tires have met the standards for traction on snow, the "B" rating for external noise level indicates good acoustic comfort, and the "A/B" rating for rolling resistance ensures fuel economy and reduced emissions.

The tread pattern was borrowed from the Cinturato All Season SF 3 with some modifications, and Pirelli says the new tire has "inherited the key characteristics that made the passenger model a winner in independent comparative tests and allowed it to earn the best-in-class reputation."

Since crossovers and SUVs have increased weight, the creation of Scorpion All Season SF 3 involved the introduction of new technological solutions, and the pattern, for example, includes reinforced blocks of increased size. In addition, the geometry of the blocks is optimized to gradually increase the contact patch with the road without peak loads, which reduces vibrations and noise, and also increases stability, especially when used on heavy vehicles.

The tread pattern has an adaptive structure, borrowed from the Cinturato All Season SF 3, and 3D lamellas change their shape as they wear, becoming zigzag-shaped from straight. This solution allows increasing the volume of voids for snow capture even when the tread depth is reduced, and thanks to the adaptive design, the lamellas can also close when subjected to high loads, resulting in the "pattern becoming more summer-like" and improving traction and braking efficiency on dry roads.

The adaptability of Scorpion All Season SF 3 was achieved, among other things, through the use of innovative materials, and to compensate for the increased width of the grooves, the composition of the rubber mixture was improved to increase stiffness, stability, and response to steering wheel turns in hot weather. In addition, new natural resins enhance traction on cold surfaces, and liquid polymers improve snow properties without compromising wet road characteristics.

To determine the optimal composition of the mixture, Pirelli used the Virtual Compounder technology based on artificial intelligence, which helps engineers choose the best combination of materials from thousands of options, and 3D modeling also played a crucial role, allowing the development of the compound and tread pattern in parallel and optimizing their interaction to improve the operational characteristics of the new tires.

The Scorpion All Season SF 3 demonstrated its braking efficiency in tests conducted by Dekra specialists, who compared the new tire with direct competitors: Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6, Continental AllSeasonContact 2, Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 SUV, and Michelin CrossClimate 2 SUV. The 235/60 R18 tires were tested on snow, wet, and dry asphalt, and when calculating the total length of the braking distance, Pirelli outperformed all its competitors.

Scorpion All Season SF 3 tires have entered the market in sizes from 235/65 R17 to 275/45 R21 and have received the Elect marking, indicating that the tires have been adapted for use on hybrids and electric vehicles. In addition, versions are available using the PNCS technology and equipped with a layer of sound-absorbing material that increases acoustic comfort.

For passenger cars of medium and small sizes, Cinturato All Season SF 3 tires are still offered, which also showed excellent results in Dekra tests and received the "quality mark" from the TÜV SÜD organization for high traction in various weather conditions. The tires are available in sizes with diameters from 15 to 20 inches, have the Elect marking, and in some sizes are manufactured using the Seal Inside technology, which allows the vehicle to continue moving after a puncture, and Pirelli says that holes in the tread are sealed in 85% of cases.