As you read this the team are currently mid-way up Cape York, tackling one of the country’s most remote regions with the fresh Season 18 builds, a series rebuild of the F-150 as well as the new Everest and Ranger Tremor’s. And bolted to the hubs for this trip? A fresh set of Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres wrapped around Lenso alloys.
Now, we’ll admit, when we first heard the name Pirelli, our minds jumped straight to supercars and race tracks. This is a brand that’s more synonymous with Monaco than Maytown. But that’s exactly why we were curious to see how these A/Ts would stack up in the real world, with red dust, corrugations and croc-infested crossings to deal with.
So far? We’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Handling on the Blacktop
Before we even reached the dirt, we clocked thousands of kays up the east coast, cruising highways, navigating backroads, and motoring along loaded to the gills with two months worth of touring gear. And it’s on the blacktop where the Scorpions show off their racing pedigree.
“You can tell Pirelli hasn’t forgotten its F1 roots,” says Josh, who’s been rotating through several of the vehicles. “The on-road grip and road feel are second to none for an all-terrain.”
Steering feel is tight and predictable, and road noise is impressively low even on coarse-chip bitumen. A lot of A/Ts can feel vague or noisy, especially at highway speeds, but these have been rock solid. It’s the sort of tyre that makes you forget you’re running something off-road capable.
Traction Where It Counts
Once we hit the dirt and started tackling the Old Telegraph Track, we were expecting the usual trade-offs. Compromised traction, sidewalls too soft, lugs that clog up with mud. But that wasn’t the case.
The Scorpion A/T Plus features a fairly conservative tread pattern by off-road standards, but don’t let the looks fool you. The shoulder blocks dig in well under load, stone ejection has been consistent, and sidewall protection has been better than expected, especially on rocky creek entries.
“We thought these tyres might be out of their depth once we left the tarmac,” Josh admits. “But boy, were we wrong. They’ve been seriously strong performers through the rough stuff.”
They’ve clawed up loose muddy climbs, held their own in sloppy creek beds, and shrugged off the endless corrugations that shake vehicles apart. No punctures yet, either, which is saying something for this part of the country.
Confidence in the Rough
Off-road confidence isn’t just about raw traction, it’s also about how predictable the tyre feels when you’re pushing through variable terrain. The Scorpions offer a reassuring balance between ride comfort and bite, which is ideal for long-haul touring.
We’ve run into plenty of situations where we’ve needed the tyres to air down and flex without folding in on themselves, and so far they’ve responded well. It’s not just the compound or the tread, it’s the way the tyre talks to you through the wheel. And on remote trips like this, that kind of feedback counts.
They’ve got a certain composure to them. You feel like they’re working with you, not against you, even when the going gets tough.
Too Early to Call… But We’re Impressed
Look, it’s still early days, we’ve got more mud, more corrugations, and plenty of river crossings to come. But at the halfway point, the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres have done more than just hold their own.
They’ve delivered proper off-road capability without sacrificing the on-road performance we’ve come to expect from a brand like Pirelli. And in a market jammed with me-too all-terrains, that’s something worth noting.
We’ll be putting together a full, long-term review once the trip’s wrapped up. But for now? Consider us impressed.
