01-23-2020, 07:30 AM | #1 |
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Pirelli Scorpion Winter Initial Impressions
I have not put a ton of miles on my winters (or the X3m) but I figured I would share my impressions thus far. Please share your experiences as well:
Summary: Increased winter performance without sacrificing much in dry performance. Details:: - Road Noise: Maybe a slight increase over the summers, but insignificant. - Ride Quality: initially I had them at 38 PSI. The ride was less firm but felt too squishy. At 42 PSI they feel like my OEM 21”s (which I like) and handle better. - Cold Performance: Here is where they shine vs the summers. I no longer get slippage when taking off after reversing out of my driveway. The summers would slip with barely any throttle when cold. And I’m talking 40 - 50 degrees, not super frigid. - Dry Performance: I’m not pushing them but I have to admit they handle very well in dry conditions. I had a particularly aggressive turn today (full steering wheel lock) and they just barely started to slip. - Wet Performance: No complaints thus far. The cold/wet conditions seem to be no issue for this tire. Feels sure footed. - Snow Performance : We had a minor snow event recently. I found the tires did well getting traction on fresh snow, but was able to cause a skid (ABS kicked in) on 1” of slush in a parking lot during moderate braking at low speed. I also replicated the same on my street by aggressively engaging the brakes in fresh snow. It stopped, but took quite a bit longer than I expected. Kicking out the back end was no issue as well but that could be the rear bias of the AWD and 505 HP. Overall I am happy with the performance but I was expecting better snow traction from a dedicated winter tire on AWD. I expected they would grip as well in the snow as in the dry - though my expectations could be unrealistic. Not sure since it’s been over 20 years since I ran a dedicated winter tire. Please also share impressions if you are running another winter tire (I.e, Yokohama Blue Earth, Michelin Latitude Alpin LA2, etc) - there appears to be very few choices. Edited to add - I’m happy I spent the money on dedicated winter wheels and tires. It has instilled a feeling of confidence and increased the conditions within I can drive my X3M. Last edited by spta97; 01-29-2020 at 06:12 AM.. |
01-23-2020, 07:47 AM | #2 |
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Great writeup - thanks for posting this.
Now if it were only possible to somehow find the tires in stock! I'm picking up my X3MC this morning. Have Discount Tire working getting scorpion winters for me, but they have to be shipped from different stores from all over the country. Even tire rack is out! I guess mid-season is a tough time to buy. |
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01-23-2020, 08:16 AM | #3 |
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I have the cold weather package that comes with these tires and I have to say I'm somewhat disappointed in the snow traction as it's not as good as PA4's that I had on my M2 and that was a performance winter tire.
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01-23-2020, 08:52 AM | #4 | |
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Discount tire didn’t have them when I ordered but tire rack did. So I got my wheels from discount and the tires/TPMS from tire rack. I think it’s like trying to buy a winter coat in the winter |
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01-23-2020, 09:24 AM | #5 | |
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That thing was UNSTOPPABLE in the snow and ice as a result of the Swedish (?) tire. The Nordic countries understand snow the best I’ve seem. That said, could it be the Scorpion lacks in snow performance so it does not lose sports performance in dry conditions? If that’s the case, I’ll deal with the trade off as it doesn’t snow often around me and when it does it is cleared by the next day. How were the PA4s in the dry? |
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01-23-2020, 11:30 AM | #7 |
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01-23-2020, 11:32 AM | #8 |
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While I had my car in for the RIS, I had them swap out the Conti's for Scorpion Zero AS tires in the 265f/295r combo. So far, I'm really noticing the better cold weather traction, as we've been in the 20's and 30's this week. I haven't had the chance to test them yet in any rain/snow, and I haven't pushed them hard in the dry either. I would agree with your assessment above - slightly more road noise but also a bit more comfy. I am still fiddling with pressures. My service department sent it back at the stock 33/38 pressures, which felt very sloppy, and I did not like. I'm running 37/42 right now, but will probably continue to tweak a bit to get closer to the stock feel of the Conti's.
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01-23-2020, 11:35 AM | #9 | |
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I would not want to go down in snow performance from what the Scorpions provide, but definitely an advantage to not changing tires. |
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01-23-2020, 11:43 AM | #10 | |
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Given the moderate climate we have here and minimal snow, AS setups usually work the best for me. I won't be tracking the X3MC, and I really enjoy having a balance of dry/wet/snow performance without having to swap between a dedicated summer/winter set. I ran Michelin PSAS 3+ on my 550i, and I loved them.
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01-23-2020, 11:48 AM | #11 | |
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It was 65 degrees a few days ago then dropped to 20. Regardless, the summer tires are crap in the cold! Looking forward to your impressions. |
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01-23-2020, 11:58 AM | #12 | |
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01-23-2020, 12:01 PM | #13 | |
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01-23-2020, 10:02 PM | #15 | |
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These are the same tires in that package. The only down side vs after market wheels is the price (or style if you don’t like them). The $4k was too rich for my blood. My purchase was about $2.2k installed. You can’t go wrong with it if you are ok with my summary (and the price) which people seem to agree with. |
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01-24-2020, 02:22 AM | #16 | |
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02-18-2020, 07:13 PM | #17 | |
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As I plan to keep my X3MC for many years, I’m sure they will get some good snow use. |
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02-19-2020, 10:57 AM | #18 |
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I'm in CO and the scorpions have performed magically in the snow with the X3MC. We've had 15" so far this month and it's been rock solid. Little slip in thick slush but i was roaring through 11" of snow like it was no big deal last week. Very impressed thus far.
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02-20-2020, 11:05 AM | #19 | |
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Noushy
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02-20-2020, 05:14 PM | #20 | |
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I would have expected about 10k more but I guess time will tell. I don’t drive as much as I used to but that still sucks. |
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02-20-2020, 07:43 PM | #22 |
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Done, took me 1/2 hour to do it
Cold only 7F
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