Pirelli Scorpion Snow and Ice review

[Eric91Z]

Well, finally got a chance to "test" the Pirelli's this morning. Drove home last night in a dusting snow and the neighborhood streets had a light layer of snow on them. Well, get up this morning and head out about 4:30am, before the plows have been through the neighborhood, and we have about 2-3 inches on the driveway and about 4 inches on the streets. Plus, we live on the outside edge of a half-culdasac and get a little more drifting there. And I did not shovel this morning. Just got in the car and left.

Again, I have the 215/65-16 front and 225/70-16 rear Pirelli Scorpion Snow and Ice on 16" CVPI wheels. Brand new wheels and tires this year and only on the car for about 2 weeks or so now.

THESE THINGS ROCK!!!!!! :banana:

I had a little under half a tank of gas in the car and no extra weight in the trunk. Went through everything that I came upon with no problem. The 4 inches on the street were untouched - no plowing, no one else driven on it, etc - and the car went right through. No slipping, no sliding, no pulling, nothing. Just straight through. Then I got on some of the highway roads and there were grooves, but not a recent plow and there was some small drifts from blowing snow. Car went right through all of that and wouldn't even pull to the side when you hit one of the little drifts.

Biggest frustration on the drive to work this morning was getting behind a S-10 Blazer running about 35mph, down the middle of the road, on the highway and holding me up. So glad when they turned off.

Going around corners the rear end would only kick out if 1) the TC was turned off, and 2) I wanted it to. Otherwise tracked right through the corner. Only time I could get the TC to come on was starting from a stop and getting a little slip until I got moving and that was it. And if the TC was on, I could try all I wanted, it would not kick the back end out. Did it's intended job nicely.

Definitely the best all around car I have ever owned or driven!!!!

I would highly recommend these tires for anyone needing to drive their Marauder in the winter with snow and ice on the roads. Not saying they are better than others, but this is my personal opinion. From what I have read, I would have gone with the Blizzak WS-50 if they had the size combination needed/recommended to run with Traction Control. But these work great. Plus, they ride nice and are very quiet during normal, non-snow/ice travel.

[Rider90]

This is good news as I mounted the Scorpions last night on the MM.

[MMM2003]

..

Again, I have the 215/65-16 front and 225/70-16 rear Pirelli Scorpion Snow and Ice on 16" CVPI wheels. Brand new wheels and tires this year and only on the car for about 2 weeks or so now.

Glad you like your tires. I tried driving with the BFG's in my first winter. Ever since then I have been using snow and ice tires (typically Michelins).

Enjoy and drive careful!

Peter

[MENINBLK]

I have a set of the Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow since last winter.
I bought them with a set of Sport Edition TK5 (16x7) Winter Allow Wheels from Tirerack last fall.
They came to me mounted and balanced, with lug nuts, ready to mount.
All I did was adjust the tire pressure to 35 psi all around and they are great.

These tires are fantastic in the snow!!
The bad side to these tires is that they are a silicone compound
and are very soft and plyable for the colder temps.
That's good for the reallly cold winter days, but its bad if you have a heavy foot.

I'm finding out now, that with my mild upgrades, these tires can't hold a lot of horsepower.
So if you've done some mods, you need to use your reserved driving habits
while these are mounted on your Marauder, or you WILL wear them out quickly.

I put 5,000 miles on them last winter, and the highway driving
is the most pleasant I've had on any winter tire.
They do make some noise, but on different road surfaces the noise
can be amplfied or subdued.

I strongly suggest getting a set of these tires if you need winter tires for your Marauder.

[MENINBLK]

Glad you like your tires. I tried driving with the BFG's in my first winter. Ever since then I have been using snow and ice tires (typically Michelins).

Enjoy and drive careful!

Peter

Which Michelins are you using ?
I couldn't get a set to match the tire size we need,
and Michelin was no help either.

[rumble]

Again, I have the 215/65-16 front and 225/70-16 rear Pirelli Scorpion Snow and Ice on 16" CVPI wheels.

Did you find it necessary to re program the EECU? Speedometer?

Thanks..........

[Eric91Z]

No reprogramming done what so ever. The over all height of the winter tires is almost the same as the factory tire. And the difference in height between the front and rear winter tires is almost the same as the factory. So speedometer reads about as accurate as before and no problems with the traction control.

And we have gotten another couple of inches so far today and it is still falling. Planning on getting it out again today for some in town testing. Also, plan on letting the wife drive it in this stuff so she knows what the car is like since she has to drive it to work next Friday as I am taking her Five Hundred in for her Christmas present - Ford remote start/alarm setup.

[rookie1]

1st a little background. On a recent business trip to southern Indiana during a snowstorm(8" if I remember right) I arrive at the hotel(10:30ish PM) and promptly get stuck in the unplowed parking lot(stock tires). After several attempts to unstick myself I go the front desk, hand them the keys and ask them to have somebody push it out and park it close by morning. Next morning it was cleaned of and parked right in front....good staff at that hotel.

On returning home I decided to immediately check some snow tire threads and decide on the Pirelli Scorpions based on Eric91Z's review and the fact that he had the 16" sizes figured out already. I promptly emailed the Bman(roylpita) and got a price on the 16" steelies....good price as always cause he is the king. I then on a lark decided to check Ebay and came up with a set of oem Mustang wheels for $325 shipped. After several messages with RoyLPita with his guidance and assurances they would fit I pulled the trigger and purchased them.
The next chapter of this saga was finding the tires........sheesh what a pain in the a$$. TireRack was absolutely useless, they were out of stock on the fronts and were not restocking them then told me they wouldn't sell me 2 different sizes anyway. I finally found a guy at Discount tire that was willing to actually call Pirelli and find the tires for me(no small feat, took 2 days).
Just had them put on and am totally happy with the ride quality and lack of noise. No snow on the ground today but any tire has to be better than the kdws in the white stuff. The only thing I notice is that the steering feels a hair lighter, i suspect this is due to the reduction of unsprung mass in the fronts with the smaller rims.

So anyway, I want to give a shout out to EricZ91 and Brian for helping an idiot like me get this done without straining the gray matter.

[Rider90]

I go the front desk, hand them the keys and ask them to have somebody push it out and park it close by morning.
I would have felt bad, asking somebody else to do that for me.

I agree, these tires are excellent in the snow!!

[MENINBLK]

Just for anyone's FYI, it is easier to buy your WINTER tires IN THE SUMMER,
and much easier to buy your SUMMER tires IN THE WINTER.

With that said anyone who needs KDWs or KDWS should be putting in a order NOW,
and not wait until the spring when Tirerack is SOLD OUT.

I got my winter package directly from Tirerack.
Wheels and Tires, mounted and balanced, shipped and ready to install.
It cost me a little over $800 for the set of 4, and this was in the fall 2004 when I ordered them.
Cy from Tirerack was a great help, and gave me the MM.net pricing as well.

[Eric91Z]

I still absolutely loves these tires for winter driving. Up until this week, we had gotten 1-4 inches of snow 2-3 times a week. Each time the streets would get pretty clear it would snow again. And usually on those days I was on the road for the commute to work before the plows were out. This setup gets me there safe and sound with no drama. And the ride is smooth and quiet when the street are clear.

I definitely can't take credit for the setup. I just happened to bring the thread back up for the winter. Many others on here are more deserving of the credit for figuring out the right tire size that works without effecting the traction control and getting the right 16" wheels that work with the stock brakes. Thanks to the others on here that have lead the way for the last 3 years and figured it out for me.

[Eric91Z]

Just for anyone's FYI, it is easier to buy your WINTER tires IN THE SUMMER,
and much easier to buy your SUMMER tires IN THE WINTER.

With that said anyone who needs KDWs or KDWS should be putting in a order NOW,
and not wait until the spring when Tirerack is SOLD OUT.

I got my winter package directly from Tirerack.
Wheels and Tires, mounted and balanced, shipped and ready to install.
It cost me a little over $800 for the set of 4, and this was in the fall 2004 when I ordered them.
Cy from Tirerack was a great help, and gave me the MM.net pricing as well.

When I checked originally in late August/early September 2005, they did not have anything to offer any more like they used to. They didn't even know about the staggered tire size and didn't have the 16" steel wheels any more. Through information gathered on here, I started working with a salesman at Tire Rack and informed him of what was needed for the proper setup on the Marauder. He then told me that with that information they were putting together a package for the Marauder.

He also told me he would not know the availability of the winter tires until late summer early fall as they normally don't stock their winter tires during the summer. But I agree, if you need replacement stock KDWS's, order them now as both Tire Rack and Discount Tire direct show them in stock. This never seems to be the case through the spring/summer/fall. I am hoping to get by on my current KDWS's (the originals with 11,000 miles on them) until next winter and then order replacements next winter while the winter setup is on the car.

[Hack Goby]

We have had snow here in Michigan since Thanksgiving and the Pirelli`s do a great job. http://home.comcast.net/~hack_goby/DSCN1788a.JPG

[Eric91Z]

We have had snow here in Michigan since Thanksgiving and the Pirelli`s do a great job. http://home.comcast.net/~hack_goby/DSCN1788a.JPG


Good idea. I need to start traveling with the camcorder or camera to get some winter pictures. Also would be nice to have around - JUST IN CASE - of an accident.

[Sully008]

I just wanted to update my experience with the Scorpions. In an earlier thread I wasn't impressed by the performance of the tires. I'm running 215-65-16 in the front and 215-70-16 in the rear on CVPI wheels. My first thoughts were, "this isn't any better than my CVLX w/all-season tires".

But after altering my driving style to match the weather (duh, it just took me a while to get accustomed to snow again). These tires are pretty good in the white stuff. The car is much less squirrely than my CV, although I won't be taking any corners really quick anytime soon. With an easy right foot, I can stop the car on ice and snow without having the ABS kick in, and accelerate without the TC coming on. I would recommend these tires for those still looking.

[MENINBLK]

When I checked originally in late August/early September 2005, they did not have anything to offer any more like they used to. They didn't even know about the staggered tire size and didn't have the 16" steel wheels any more. Through information gathered on here, I started working with a salesman at Tire Rack and informed him of what was needed for the proper setup on the Marauder. He then told me that with that information they were putting together a package for the Marauder.

That's strange, because when I called and spoke to Cy,
Cy knew exactly what I needed and that was LAST YEAR...
This is the second winter I am riding on the winter package.
I put 5,000 miles on them last winter, and in Jan 2004, when I purchased the Marauder,
I rode out that winter on the original KDWS tires.

[Eric91Z]

That's strange, because when I called and spoke to Cy,
Cy knew exactly what I needed and that was LAST YEAR...
This is the second winter I am riding on the winter package.
I put 5,000 miles on them last winter, and in Jan 2004, when I purchased the Marauder,
I rode out that winter on the original KDWS tires.


Yeah, I thought it was going to be easier to do, too, because of the previous group purchase that was setup over a year ago. But they don't have the 16" steelies any more (I got mine from Ray, Sr. (TheDealer)) and the Pirelli was the top offering since the Blizzaks don't come in the correct size combination. Must not have been enough interest to keep the package together.

[SergntMac]

All the brands mentioned here are very good tires, and I think it's important to remember that size has as much to do with performance as brand, compound, or, tread design. Once you start slicing your way through snow, rather than plowing it, things change. Slightly skinner tires up front open the path with little resistance, and the rears can do their job. When you plow up the equivalent of a decent sized speed bump in front of your front tire, the rears cannot develop enough traction to overcome that barricade. Happy motoring, gents.

[Eric91Z]

All the brands mentioned here are very good tires, and I think it's important to remember that size has as much to do with performance as brand, compound, or, tread design. Once you start slicing your way through snow, rather than plowing it, things change. Slightly skinner tires up front open the path with little resistance, and the rears can do their job. When you plow up the equivalent of a decent sized speed bump in front of your front tire, the rears cannot develop enough traction to overcome that barricade. Happy motoring, gents.



Much agreed and this is why I went with this tire setup instead of some of the wide combinations that people were throwing around. I could care less about them being wider looking and care more about getting through the snow safely and securely.

[seabreeze]

I also got the Tire Rack special this year with the Sport Ed wheels, and it sure beats slipping the BFGs going up the ten degree driveway last year. Very sure-footed thru the crud, and much more desirable when the frau is driving.