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Head-to-head Updated

Continental CrossContact UHP vs Pirelli Scorpion — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 4 road tests and 43 + 1,034 owner reviews. How we score

Scorpion is ahead, 79–65

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Pirelli Scorpion
Tire BPirelli

Scorpion

Summer

± 6

Tests 85 · 4 tests Owners 75 · 1,034 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2024 Summer SUV Tyre Test (noise)

“Just got Pirelli Scorpions 275/60 R20. $200 ea. Good tires. Rode on stock Bridgestones for 2.5 yrs. What a waste of time. They were awful.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 68

    Dry

    Scorpion +13
    81
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 68 (est.)85
    Reviews found online6975

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 68.8 = 68

    Scorpion: 60% × 85.2 + 40% × 74.7 = 81

    No road tests of dry for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 70

    Wet

    Scorpion +11
    81
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 70 (est.)84
    Reviews found online6976

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 70

    Scorpion: 60% × 84 + 40% × 75.7 = 81

    No road tests of wet for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 56

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)–
    Reviews found online47–

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 46.7 = 56

    No road tests of snow for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 64

    Comfort

    Scorpion +13
    77
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 67 (est.)81
    Reviews found online6374

    CrossContact UHP: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 62.5 = 64

    Scorpion: 40% × 80.8 + 60% × 74.1 = 77

    No road tests of comfort for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 68

    Noise

    Scorpion +16
    84
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 66 (est.)95
    Reviews found online69≈ 66 (est.)

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 68

    Scorpion: 60% × 95.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 84

    No road tests of noise for CrossContact UHP. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Scorpion. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 53

    Treadwear

    Scorpion +19
    72
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 59 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online4575

    CrossContact UHP: 60% × 58.7 (est.) + 40% × 45 = 53

    Scorpion: 60% × 69.7 (est.) + 40% × 75.4 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for CrossContact UHP. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for Scorpion. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Scorpion +9
    73
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Reviews found online6473
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    77
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact UHPScorpion
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–77
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental CrossContact UHPPirelli Scorpion
Relative Score 65 79
Dry 68 81
Wet 70 81
Snow 56 –
Comfort 64 77
Noise 68 84
Treadwear 53 72
Handling (owners) 64 73
Efficiency – 77

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

CrossContact UHP

± 6

Scorpion

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryCrossContact UHPScorpionΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/6 2016 Off Road Summer SUV Tyre Test #3/6 2025 Vi Bilagare Summer EV Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A CrossContact UHP

Pros

  • Excellent dry and wet grip
  • Smooth and comfortable ride on compatible vehicles
  • Inspires confidence in handling and cornering

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear, especially on front axles
  • High road noise
  • Firm or hard ride over bumps
All owner themes in the CrossContact UHP review

Tire B Scorpion

Pros

  • Excellent ride comfort and quietness
  • Confident grip in both wet and dry conditions
  • Impressive tread wear and longevity compared to stock alternatives

Cons

  • Average steering feedback and imprecise cornering when pushed
  • Potential for low-speed howling or tread noise
  • Loss of grip reported when starting uphill on wet surfaces
All owner themes in the Scorpion review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental CrossContact UHP

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Pirelli Scorpion

Mixed

Community sentiment toward Pirelli Scorpion tires is distinctly divided between retail models and factory-installed equipment. Users frequently praise retail variants like the All Season Plus 3 for their smooth ride, quiet cabin experience, improved fuel economy, and capable wet grip. Conversely, OEM versions and certain factory variants draw heavy criticism for fast treadwear, poor winter or wet traction, stiff sidewalls prone to flats, and premature dry rot.

5thgenrams.com ·2 upvotes ·2023-04-28

“Just got Pirelli Scorpions 275/60 R20. $200 ea. Good tires. Rode on stock Bridgestones for 2.5 yrs. What a waste of time. They were awful.”
r/HyundaiSantaFe ·1 upvote ·2026-05-23

“The Pirelli tires are crap. The Pirelli Scorpion tires sidewalls are very firm & stiff and not very elastic. They are not good handling potholes. I replace all my 20 inch Pirelli tires with Falken Pro G6 sport 20 inch tires. Consider getting a different brand on the tire replacement.”
r/4Runner ·3 upvotes ·2026-05-05

“Never had the xtm ats, just the scorpion AT plus and absolutely loved them. I was going to get another set bc they wore amazingly and did some off roading with them but wanted to go to a 285/70/17 and unfortunately they didn't have that size. So moved on from them but if I was ever to go back to stock size I'd look into pirelli's again”
Top themes
#retail vs OEM quality#wet traction and handling#quiet and comfortable ride#tread life and wear#winter and snow capability#fuel economy improvements#sidewall durability issues

Based on 67 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental CrossContact UHP B · Pirelli Scorpion
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4—
Sizes available2772
Rim diameters16″ – 23″16″ – 22″
Tread depth9 - 10/32″10/32″
UTQG280 - 420 A - AA A—
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi50 psi
Sizes in common1616

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental CrossContact UHP

Pirelli Scorpion

Winner: Pirelli Scorpion — better treadwear, noise and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Pirelli Scorpion scores 72 vs 53 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Pirelli Scorpion scores 84 vs 68 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli Scorpion scores 81 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Pirelli Scorpion scores 77 vs 64 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental CrossContact UHP
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Tire B · Pirelli Scorpion
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CrossContact UHP or Scorpion?

Which is better in the wet, CrossContact UHP or Scorpion?

Pirelli Scorpion, 81 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossContact UHP or Scorpion?

Pirelli Scorpion, 81 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, CrossContact UHP or Scorpion?

Pirelli Scorpion, 84 vs 68 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, CrossContact UHP or Scorpion?

Pirelli Scorpion, 77 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, CrossContact UHP or Scorpion?

Pirelli Scorpion, 72 vs 53 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology