Both the Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive and the Bridgestone WeatherPeak are notable grand touring all-weather tires, providing various strengths and weaknesses. Let’s find them all.
Key Takeaway
So overall it all comes down to this. The Scorpion WeatherActive is better at:
- Dry performance, especially in cornering and steering precision.
- Wet grip and handling, with superior hydroplaning resistance.
- Snow traction in winter conditions.
Detailed Discussion on Pirelli Tire: https://tiredriver.com/pirelli-scorpion-weatheractive-review/
Whereas the WeatherPeak has the upper hand in terms of:
- Wear resistance, offering a longer lifespan.
- Fuel efficiency, due to its lower rolling resistance.
- Handling on icy surfaces in winter conditions.
Detailed Discussion on Bridgestone Tire: https://tiredriver.com/bridgestone-weatherpeak-review/
Sizes Specs
| Features | Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive | Bridgestone WeatherPeak |
|---|---|---|
| Rim Sizes | 15 to 19 inches | 15 to 20 inches |
| Speed Ratings | H and V | T, H, and V |
| Load Ratings | SL and XL | SL and XL |
| Tread Depth | 11/32″ | 10/32″ |
| Weight Range | 19 to 32 lbs | 17 to 30 lbs |
| Warranty | 60k miles | 70k miles |
| UTQG Rating | 700 AA | 700 A A |
| Winter Ratings | 3PMSF M+S | 3PMSF M+S |
Dry Performance
The ability of a tire to handle dry pavement is deeply influenced by its acceleration abilities, braking efficiency, cornering performance, and steering precision. Let’s break these down.
Directional Grip
Directional grip is calculated by tire’s stopping abilities, and is predominantly determined by the tread’s central footprint.
But why central? Well because as the tire moves in a straight line, a majority of its weight is focused in this area. Meaning this middle part of the tread is what makes the most contact with the road.
Now out of both tires here, the Pirelli WeatherActive comes out with better results, showcasing more than a feet shorter braking distance (on average), on my multiple 60 to 0 mph tests.
This is thanks to its more packed up design, if I were to put things simply.
On the other side, despite featuring a prominent central rib, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak still lacks behind, where the tire grip is compromised primarily due to the presence of multiple lateral voids that reduce the tire’s contact with the road.
Dry Cornering
The performance of a tire in handling is a blend of its lateral traction and steering responsiveness.
Speaking of traction first, both tires exhibit similar values, as indicated by their comparable lateral g-forces of 7.7g.
However, the Scorpion WeatherActive comes out with a relatively quicker and more responsive steering feedback. And because of it, you get a whole second faster handling lap times on lap tests (on average).
This superior responsiveness of tire is attributed to its tread’s increased stability, a result of its internal construction, with spirally wound nylon cords.
Moreover, the Pirelli’s rounded contact patch is another advantage, which basically facilitates a smoother transition of weight between the shoulders and central ribs, during cornering.
(As the tire turns, the weight shifts towards the tread edges, think of it this way, why do you want to move in the opposite side of the turn, as the vehicle corners?)
The Bridgestone WeatherPeak on the other side lacks behind primarily due to its softer rubber composition, which causes its lugs to bend more easily, resulting in a tendency for understeering.
Basically when lugs bend more, they take more time to revert back to their original shape, wasting time which is seen as the delay of steering response.
Wet Performance
Wet performance is dictated by the tire’s anti-hydroplaning properties and overall control and grip on wet roads. Let’s discuss these important factors more comprehensively.
Hydroplaning Resistance
Achieving peak performance in wet conditions requires tires to efficiently channel water away. This necessity arises because water is in-compressible. And so if not quickly evacuated, it can accumulate between the tire tread and the road surface, resulting in floating (or hydroplaning) of the tires.
To address this, tire designs mostly include grooves that play a crucial role in displacing most of the water quickly.
Now here, although the Bridgestone WeatherPeak comes with a pretty voided up tread design, providing ample water evacuation, it still can’t outperform Pirelli’s tire.
Why? Well because Scorpion WeatherActive comes with a directional tread design, which is a huge advantage when it comes to hydroplaning.
This is because its directional tread design with V-shaped grooves are more effective at directing water from the center towards the shoulder voids and out of the tread area.
Wet Grip and Handling
Wet grip depends on both grooves and sipes.
Now grooves are straight forward to understand, as they offer clear pathways taking out a bulk of water. Sipes on the other hand are a little complicated. Though let me make them easier to understand.
So, sipes work by absorbing the residual water (left out by grooves), thus maintaining optimal wet grip. They basically function by contracting and expanding, creating a suction effect that effectively sucks up water particles in their slits.
Here, the Pirelli WeatherActive with a more effective groove/sipe structure takes the lead. As already explained above (in hydroplaning section), the tire takes out more water through its V shaped channels. This lifts off a lot of burden from sipes, already.
Moreover, the tire also features more effective siping in comparison too.
I mean, sure the Bridgestone WeatherPeak has a ton of winter-tire like siping, but these sipes aren’t as flexible to expand/contract, because of the tire’s stiffer rubber composition.
In other words, its sipes don’t suck up as much water particles as the Scorpion tire, lacking in terms of various performance parameters.
These parameters include the wet slalom test, wet handling, and shorter braking distances. Instead, all of these collectively point to the WeatherActive’s superior wet directional grip, demonstrating its better overall performance.
Wear Resistance
The lifespan of a tire’s tread is influenced by several factors, including tread design (particularly depth), rubber composition, and the tire’s overall weight.
In these respects, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak takes the upper hand, where the tire offers an additional average life of nearly 10,000 miles.
This longevity is attributed to its more robust rubber composition, which includes wear-resistant polymers.
Additionally, its lighter construction reduces the pressure on the tire lugs as they interact with the road surface.
On the flip side, the Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActive, with its deeper tread, theoretically should offer enhanced durability. However, its softer rubber composition is more prone to wear.
For Your Info: The 2/32″ tread depth is the legal tread depth limit in the US.
Overall Ride Quality
The smoothness of a ride largely depends on a tire’s proficiency in cushioning against road bumps and quieting ride. Let’s examine both of these elements.
Ride Quietness
Tire noise primarily results from air interacting with the tread walls, often entering through the shoulder voids. And understanding this factor, it makes sense why the Pirelli tire provides you with a quieter ride, comparatively.
At lower speeds, it produces only a subtle white noise, while at higher speeds, any distinct tones it emits tend to blend seamlessly with ambient sounds.
Now, this impressive performance in noise control is attributed to two key factors: the tire’s advanced blend of polymers in its tread and its use of variable pitch technology.
The tire’s variable tread design creates multiple air striking points, each producing different tones. These varied tones prevent any single sound from becoming amplified, leading to a quieter ride.
In contrast, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak faces challenges here, due to its broader grooves. These wider spaces allow more air to enter and interact with the tire, generating louder sounds.
Additionally, it’s higher number of sipes contributes to greater growling sounds, resulting in a noticeably higher decibel level compared to the WeatherActive.
Road Smoothness
The comfort experienced while driving is significantly influenced by various tire characteristics, including internal and external construction, tread material, and design.
In this context, the Scorpion WeatherActive excels in delivering a comfortable ride, based on my personal evaluations.
What makes it comfortable? Well, Pirelli tire features a deeper tread and a softer rubber composition, which collectively contribute to a smoother drive by effectively absorbing road imperfections.
In other words, there is just more area for bumps to settle down with this tire.
Though the tire is not excessively soft. Which means it does not compromise on stability too, unlike overly soft tires which tend to diminish agility, giving out a sensation of floating
Winter Performance
Both of these tires here come with 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake ratings along with the M+S (Mud and Snow) classifications. This technically makes them all-weather tires and indicates their enhanced capabilities in winter conditions, a testament to their design which incorporates advanced snow traction technologies.
These technologies include sharp, interlocking sipes, snow vices, and robust lateral and longitudinal slits, all aimed at improving grip and stability in snowy conditions.
Now, choosing between the two tires here, depends on specific needs: the WeatherActive provides slightly better traction in snow, while the Bridgestone excels on icy surfaces.
However, the difference in performance is minimal, as evidenced by extensive testing. In everyday driving conditions, both tires are likely to perform exceptionally well on snow and ice.
The Pirelli Scorpion tire’s advantage in snow traction can be attributed to its biters, which enhance snow-to-snow contact.
Why this contact significant? Well this is based on the principle that snow adheres more effectively to itself than to rubber, commonly referred to as the “snowball effect.”
Moreover, the tire’s directional pattern plays a crucial role, channeling and ejecting snow to backwards, thereby improving forward momentum and acceleration, as the tire rolls forward.
Conversely, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak showcases its superior performance on compacted snow and icy surfaces through its winter-tire-like siping structure.
Its blend of linear and wavy siping patterns, coupled with lugs that have chamfered edges, significantly improves its grip and handling on ice (even though they aren’t so effective for wet roads, in comparison).
Fuel Economy
The fuel efficiency of a tire is determined by multiple factors that affect its rolling resistance, including the tire’s weight and the composition of its tread.
Now out of both tires here, the Bridgestone WeatherPeak demonstrates superior fuel efficiency.
This is due to two main reasons.
First off, its construction includes lighter steel belts and a shallower top rubber layer, reducing tread stress and conserving fuel.
Additionally, its rubber composition dissipates heat more effectively, further reducing rolling resistance and enhancing fuel economy.
Wrapping Up
In the end, we see that determining the superior tire is tricky, as both excel in their respective areas.
The Scorpion WeatherActive excels in dry performance and wet conditions, with superior cornering, steering response, and hydroplaning resistance.
The WeatherPeak, however, has an advantage in wear resistance and fuel efficiency, due to its durable composition and lower rolling resistance.
While both tires perform well in winter conditions, the Pirelli is slightly better in snow traction and the Bridgestone in handling icy surfaces.
