The tires being compared here are Pirelli Scorpion AT Plus which belongs to the All-Terrain family while the other tire is Nitto Ridge Grappler, a hybrid of both All-terrain and Mud-terrain tires.
Pirelli Scorpion AT plus comes with a unique rectangular based tread pattern along with wide groove spacing that enhances the performance of this tire in rough areas whereas Nitto Ridge Grappler has relatively narrower groove spacing to provide more contact patch for maximum traction on road. Find more about interesting features of both the beasts below, in detail.
Table of Contents
Overview of both
Pirelli Scorpion AT Plus
Nitto Ridge Grappler
Vs
Pirelli Scorpion All-terrain comes with an inventively built five-pitch tread pattern that delivers impressive off-road performance while being confident on asphalt roads as well.
Aggressive groove spacing increases the void ratio to make it a better choice for off-road adventures without compromising the safety and comfort.
The sipes pattern spread overall the tread blocks works efficiently in wet areas by wiping away the water and maintaining grip with the road.
While the wider grooves assist in evacuating mud, snow, and small stones from the pattern, promoting self-cleaning of the tire.
It is suitable for off-road adventures with three peaks mountain snowflake and the M+S ratings.
On the other side the Nitto Ridge Grappler has an ingenious tread pattern with the partition of tread blocks at vigorous angles.
This helps in efficiently increasing the contact patch of the tire while maintaining maximum number of grooves in between the pattern.
The comparatively low void ratio increases the surface area of Nitto in contact with the road to provide sufficient grip with the surface without compromising the handling and stability of vehicle.
The lower groove spacing decreases the rolling resistance thus, decreasing the braking distance and improving its efficiency while going at high speeds.
The sipes pattern works impressively in wet conditions and wipes away the water to maintain required traction.
The hybrid tread design makes the tire quieter and provides a comfortable ride on highways, while bold sidewall lugs and aggressive shoulders improve the off-road performance.
On-Road Traction
The tire with more contact patch will provide better on-road traction.
Pirelli Scorpion has relatively wider tread blocks allowing a decent contact patch but the wider spacing between the tread pattern reduces the surface area in contact with the road to some extent as compared to its competitor.
This gives a negative impact to the tire while going at high speeds as both the grip and handling values are compromised.
However, the wider grooves give this tire an edge on wet surfaces as the 3D sipes technology wipes away the water and cleans the tire to maintain maximum grip in slippery conditions.
The dynamic tread design of Ridge Grappler favors it on asphalt roads. The increased contact patch enhances the grip on dry roads road. The lower void ratio reduces the rolling resistance and improves its efficiency at higher speeds.
The densely packed tread blocks ensure a smooth and comfortable drive on highways under dry conditions.
The wet performance of this tire is also not disappointing as the deep sipes perpendicular to the grooves play their role in wet conditions to maintain traction with the road.
Both the tires give an adequate performance on highways and paved roads but Nitto having more contact patch provides a more comfortable and reliable ride in dry conditions, but Scorpion performs slightly better in wet conditions.
Off-Road Traction
On Mud
The groove spacing along with the width of shoulders is the primary source of determining the off-road characteristics of a tire.
Pirelli Scorpion is dominant in mud terrains as the higher void ratio allows smooth navigation through the swamp by throwing chunks of mud backward and clearing the path of the tire to move forward.
This prevents the tire from getting stuck and keep rolling in one place as the wide grooves do not let any mud get stuck in between them
Nitto Ridge on the other hand, does okay here with its decent void ratio allowing self-cleaning of the tire in mild muddy swamps.
The prominent shoulder design improves its mud traction to some extent by evacuating the mud and clearing the path for the tire.
The tire can be used in light mud surfaces, but its grip and handling might be compromised in extreme mud conditions as the soft mud could fill up the narrow grooves leading the tire to get stuck.
On Snow
Scorpion does not have to struggle much while navigating through soft snow areas as the wider groove channels swiftly move the tire forward by biting the soft snow and scooping it out efficiently.
The higher void ratio does not let any snow get filled up between the rectangular-shaped tread blocks and provides maximum traction.
On the other side, Nitto Ridge Grappler with lacking sipes does and snow biters does not offer better traction values, that’s why it’s not 3pmsf rated as well.
On Rocks
The toughness and rigidity of the tire along with the presence of stone ejectors make it favorable in rocky areas.
Pirelli Scorpion is built with robust compound material that makes the tire sturdy to withstand rocky terrains. Its bold stone ejectors (in the form of groove cones) keep it’s grooves clean.
The Nitto Ridge Grappler on the other side, offers bolder ejectors which deals with small rocks in a better way.
The tire also features more no. of biters in the form of chamfered edges, offsets and notches, and together they offer better climbing abilities on bigger rocks as well.
Though, both tires have cut resistant rubber.
Driving Comfort
The Pirelli Scorpion comes with relatively wider grooves which compromises the comfort on paved roads. Due to the high void ratio, the air gets trapped inside the grooves of the tire and strikes the walls of tread blocks back and forth which makes the tire noisier.
The wide groove channel does not favor this tire much while going at high speeds and compromises comfort.
On the other side, when it comes to a smooth and comfortable ride, Nitto will not disappoint you. The exclusive tread design makes the tire quieter than its competitor and provides a more pleasant ride.
The advanced 3D simulation technology in Nitto makes the tire virtually inaudible and does not let it produce much noise while going at high speeds.
Tread Life
Pirelli Scorpion AT+ offers an aggressive tread pattern along with a bold sidewall design to favor off-road conditions while maintaining sufficient on-road traction. It features bold conical stone ejectors for efficient self-cleaning while preventing stone drilling and damage to the tire.
So this combined with it’s robust rubber compound the tread last quite a while, and you get 60k miles warranty with it.
On the other side, the Nitto Ridge comes with 3 ply polyester construction, that although makes it tough, it also increases the tire’s weight.
So with more weight, the tire puts more pressure on the surface, increasing wear (and fuel consumption as well).
Though with larger tread depth, it still offers decent overall mileage.
Pricing
Nitto Ridge is costlier than Scorpion as it provides excellent on-road traction while delivering sufficient off-road features. Scorpion is better off-road but the performance on paved roads is not so impressive due to less contact patch.
Quick Summary
- Pirelli Scorpion AT Plus is an All-terrain Tire while Nitto is a hybrid of both All-terrain and Mud-terrain tires.
- Nitto performs significantly better on paved roads where more speed is required.
- Scorpion has more wide grooves which favor it in mud and snow terrains.
- Nitto provides a more comfortable ride and better handling on road at high speeds.
- Nitto is a bit costlier than Scorpion due to its exceptional on-road capabilities and adequate off-road performance.
