Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus Tire Review and Ratings
Dry Conditions – 90%
Wet Conditions – 80%
Snow – 70%
Comfort – 70%
Noise Reduction – 80%
Durability – 80%
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Overlanding is a way of life, but it’s not just get in your car and start driving. For a successful off-roading experience you need to have a vehicle that can perform in those conditions and a set of good tires.
Modern SUVs or light trucks generally do a pretty good job, so that leaves only the tires. Depending on what kind of activities you’re planning, there are multiple options. The most common options on the market are all-terrain or mud-terrain, with rugged-terrain models becoming popular lately.
Despite that, all-terrain tires are still the most common for the blend of performance they offer. Most manufacturers have at least one model, and the same goes for Pirelli. The tire in question is the Scorpion All Terrain Plus, which I’ll be talking about today.
Pros
- Stable in harsh rain
- Usable snow performance
- Grip and traction levels on dry and wet roads are excellent
- Fairly quiet for an all-terrain tire
Cons
- The comfort levels aren’t the best in its class
- Will struggle in harsher off-road conditions
The Features of the Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus
Considering the category, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus is a tire with many features designed to help it with off-road performance.
The tread pattern I molded from an all-season rubber compound which is what allows it to remain pliable in lighter winter conditions. There are several features in the design that should help it with traction on snow-covered surfaces.
Pirelli designed this tire with a high-density pattern, which should offer numerous advantages. The most notable ones are the performance on packed snow or damp roads. They help a bit with dry performance but aren’t crucial for it.
The design features irregular block shapes and positions with multiple advantages, with the main one being off-road performance. In addition to that, the tire should deal relatively well with unpacked snow.
Another important feature for off-roading situations is the groove cones. Their goal is to provide a self-cleaning ability to the tire, which should result in a more consistent performance and keep the integrity of the tire intact. The tire’s shoulder blocks are also designed to help keep the sidewall free of damage and add a bit more off-road performance.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus in Dry Conditions
As an all-terrain tire, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus offers surprisingly good performance in dry conditions.
The grip and traction levels are excellent for its category, especially when compared with other aggressive-er all-terrain tires. Sure, there are better performers, but as milder options, they offer better road performance at the expense off-road one. This tire seems to do an impressive job, allowing you to have a slip-free driving experience combined with short braking distances.
You don’t get this kind of tire for its handling characteristics, but this one does a pretty decent job. The responsiveness is enough for most drivers and, despite not offering a lot of feedback, it’s linear in nature.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus on Wet or Slippery Roads
Stability in wet conditions is what people are after, and the Scorpion All Terrain Plus delivers on that front.
The tire’s performance on damp roads is excellent, providing you with a good amount of grip and traction. Both are enough to provide a safe experience, if you’re not the world’s most aggressive driver. Yes, it can handle some of that, but you shouldn’t expect miracles. Luckily, the braking distances are short, so the tire stops well in an emergency.
Pirelli’s tread pattern combines its performance with the high void area allowing the tire to have exceptional aquaplaning resistance. Thanks to that, it can handle standing water well even at higher speeds without compromising the stability.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus in Snow
As an all-season tire with 3PMSF rating, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus achieves fantastic results in winter conditions.
The tread pattern does a solid job of delivering traction on unpacked snow. It also deals with packed ones well, meaning you won’t experience as much slip as with some of its rivals. The braking distances are decently short and overall, as long as the conditions are light, the tire will do well.
Ice is an issue for many all-season tires, and the same goes for this one. While you may get just a bit of usable traction, it’s not enough to call it good.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus Off-Roading
The Scorpion All Terrain Plus is a tire designed for off-roading, and as long as the conditions aren’t overly extreme, it will do a phenomenal job.
It deals with hard-packed surfaces with ease, offering plenty of performance. You even have some headroom to push it and have fun, if you’re into throwing dirt or rocks around. Speaking of rocks, the self-cleaning pattern does wonders and keeps itself clean in most cases.
Driving in mud is something this tire can handle, as long as you’re not asking too much of it. It deals with shallower patches well, allowing you to drive through without losing traction and getting stuck. Since it’s not the most aggressive off-road tire, don’t expect it to excel in deeper mud.
Another area the tire won’t do excellently well is rock crawling. Most all-terrain tires struggle in these situations, so it’s not like this one is designed poorly. Smaller obstacles are not a massive problem, but for the bigger ones, you’d need to aim for a proper off-road tire.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus for Sporty Driving
If you’re looking at an all-terrain tire, you’re probably not into sporty driving, so you won’t get that from the Scorpion All Terrain Plus. Even though the performance is good, and the tire handles well, it’s not ideal for that kind of driving.
Does the Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus Ride Comfortably?
Unlike touring tires, all-terrain ones aren’t the most refined options on the market. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus does a decent job, but it’s not perfect.
The noise levels are pretty good for the category, especially when you consider the aggressive design. There is some hum and roar here and there, but it’s far from being unbearably loud and intrusive.
On the other hand, the comfort isn’t the best, even in the all-terrain segment. While it deals with smaller bumps well, it doesn’t handle larger ones as good. To be specific, it transfers some vibrations and feels a bit stiff in some situations.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus Warranty
The warranty situation is as good as you can expect from a premium all-terrain tire. You’ll get the Scorpion All Terrain Plus with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is on par with the Wrangler Workhorse AT and the rest of its rivals.
Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus Pricing: Is It Worth the Price?
The biggest surprise with the Scorpion All Terrain Plus is the price. A 17-inch LT-metric tire costs less than the All-Terrain T/A KO3, which is often considered a relatively affordable model.
Should I Buy the Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus?
The Scorpion All Terrain Plus is one of those models that offer everything, a lot without many drawbacks.
Performance on paved roads is pretty good for the category, and I don’t have plenty of negative things to say about it. It offers plenty of performance on dry and wet roads, which is more than enough for daily driving. The tire also offers solid performance in lighter winter conditions, so it won’t struggle too much.
Off-roading is something the tire does well, but it’s not a superior performer. The tire is good for dirt or gravel roads as well as mud, as long as it’s not too deep. In harsher conditions, you’ll notice it struggling, at which point you should consider a mud-terrain tire.
The refinement is solid, but not the best even in its class. It’s fairly quiet tire, which is a surprise in this category, but the comfort levels aren’t the best. There is some stiffness to it, and it’s not as composed over bad roads as some of its rivals. It rounds this up with a long treadwear warranty and an affordable price.
As a package, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus is an excellent all-terrain tire that does many things right. Despite some small drawbacks, it’s a superb choice for people looking for a good all-round all-terrain tire.
What Vehicles Will the Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus Fit?
Here’s a sample list of cars that the Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus will fit:
- Chevrolet Equinox
- Ford F150
- GMC Canyon
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Lexus GX
- Nissan Rogue
- Rivian R1S
- RAM 1500
- Subaru Forester
- Toyota Highlander
Tire Sizes of the Continental ControlContact Tour A/S Plus
16″
- 235/70R16 106T
- 245/70R16 111T XL
- LT 245/70R16 113/110T
- LT 245/75R16 120/116R
- 255/70R16 111T
- 265/70R16 112T
- 265/75R16 116T
- LT 265/75R16 123/120S
17″
- 225/65R17 102H
- 225/65R17 106H XL
- LT 235/80R17 120/117R
- 245/65R17 111T XL
- 245/70R17 110T
- 265/70R17 115T
- LT 265/70R17 121/118S
- LT 285/70R17 121/118R
- LT 315/70R17 121/118S
18″
- 265/60R18 110H
- 265/65R18 114T
- 275/65R18 116T
- LT 275/70R18 125/122S
19″
- 245/45R19 102V XL
20″
- 275/55R20 113T
- 275/60R20 115T
- 275/65R20 116H
- LT 275/65R20 126/123S
- LT 285/55R20 122/119T
- 295/40R20 110V XL
