Pirelli Tire North America has launched the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3, a new, touring all-season tire that targets the fast-growing crossover, SUV and pickup truck segment.
"The Scorpion AS Plus 3 offers a wide-range of fitments for owners of CUV, SUV, and pickup trucks who are looking for peace of mind in all weather conditions on their daily commutes or long distance journeys," say Pirelli officials.
The new tire - which comes with a 70,000-miles limited treadwear warranty - is available in 37 sizes, ranging from 17 to 22 inches. Key fitments include the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda CR-V, Toyota Highlander, Ford F-150 and Kia Sorento.
The Scorpion AS Plus 3 is the latest addition to Pirelli's Plus line, which was "exclusively developed to meet the needs of North American drivers - in particular, the demand for durable tires, capable of covering many miles with great handling."
In development of the product, Pirelli used advanced computer-aided tools and virtual simulators "to optimize product development and test multiple tire designs long before the first physical tire was created," note Pirelli officials.
"For example, to create the profile of the new Scorpion, Pirelli engineers utilized new advanced virtual tools that could simulate the tire in dynamic conditions, predicting pressure and energy dissipation. Thanks to these predictions, it was possible to optimize the mold profile and tread design of the tire to reduce wear and consequently to improve mileage.
"The new simulation tools were also used to predict the behavior of the new tire in wet conditions – to simulate hydroplaning conditions and help optimize the void distribution in the tread pattern for excellent wet handling and braking."
The company's engineers "placed great emphasis on improving the mileage of this product compared to previous generations. To achieve this important result, Pirelli engineers completely redesigned the tread pattern and compounds" of the new tire.
The tread pattern of the Scorpion AS Plus 3 features "a specific distribution of siping that is designed to give the tire more uniform stiffness and promote a regular wear pattern as the tire wears down. This translates into greater mileage and excellent product performance."
The tire also contains innovative compound materials - including highly functionalized polymers that help extend the tire’s working temperature range, even at low temperatures - "while still bringing significant mileage improvements and maintaining strong wet capabilities."
In addition, it features 3D sipe technology for enhanced all-season traction.
"The 3D sipes work on dry and wet surfaces to optimize the tread block stiffness for handling ability and feel, while on snow-covered surfaces they are able to open and increase traction for year-round performance."
And an optimized tread patterns helps reduce road noise.
"Pirelli’s technology and expertise (also) reduced the environmental impact of the creation of a quality performance tire."
