Pirelli Launches the Scorpion AS 4, Its New All-Season SUV Tire for North America

Pirelli launches the Scorpion AS 4 for North America

Pirelli North America has announced the Scorpion AS 4, an all-season touring tire for crossovers, SUVs and pickups. It is the fourth generation of the Scorpion all-season line and replaces the Scorpion AS Plus 3. Pirelli says the development brief came from what North American drivers asked for: better wet braking and handling, a quieter and smoother ride, and long tread life. The tire carries a 70,000-mile (about 113,000 km) limited treadwear warranty and a 60-day trial.

Positioning

The AS 4 is a replacement-market tire, not an original equipment fitment, and it is sold only in North America. Pirelli's US range tags it as a touring tire, the mainstream all-season choice for family SUVs, while the Scorpion Zero All Season covers performance SUVs and the Scorpion WeatherActive carries the three-peak mountain snowflake mark for drivers who see real winters. Pirelli does not claim a snow rating for the AS 4, so it is a conventional all-season tire rather than an all-weather one.

Key technical changes

• Symmetrical tread pattern. Pirelli says the stiffness of the tread blocks is more even across the pattern, which it claims gives more uniform wear and a tire that looks better as it wears.
• Less void, new pitch sequence. The pattern has less open groove area than before, making the tread firmer, and the block pitch sequence has been changed to break up noise peaks. Pirelli says this is where the comfort and noise gains come from.
• New polymers in the compound. According to Pirelli, tailor-made polymers improve abrasion resistance, which underpins the mileage warranty.
• New resin package. A new resin in the tread compound is there for grip, and Pirelli says the benefit is mainly on wet roads.
• Virtual development. Pirelli says much of the design work was done in simulation before a prototype existed, modelling contact pressure and energy flow for wear, and aquaplaning to decide where the tread voids should go.

Manufacturer performance claims

Pirelli's claims for the AS 4 are all relative to the AS Plus 3: improved wet braking and wet handling, better ride quality, and noise that stays low as the tire wears. The only hard number is the 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. Pirelli has not published any test figures to back the wet or comfort claims, and there is no EU tire label to check them against, because the AS 4 is not sold in Europe.

The AS 4 has a demanding predecessor. We used the Scorpion AS Plus 3 as the road-biased reference tire in our 2026 all-terrain tire test. On the road it was the best tire there. It had the shortest wet and dry braking, the best wet handling, the best comfort and the lowest measured noise. It was also strong for snow traction and handling, with snow braking its one clear weak point. The AS 4 will have to beat that on wet grip and refinement to justify the claims.

Sizes and availability

• Pirelli says 58 sizes are planned. The product page lists 55 so far, from 215/65 R17 to 285/45 R22, covering 17 to 22 inch rims.
• Pirelli says the range will be available across North America. No European launch has been announced.

What it means for drivers

For owners of crossovers, SUVs and light pickups in North America, the AS 4 is the new default all-season Scorpion. The AS Plus 3 it replaces was already very good on the road, so the question is how much Pirelli has managed to add, especially in the wet. Nobody has run an independent test of the AS 4 yet. We will test how Pirelli's claims hold up once tires are available.