Pirelli Scorpion Str vs Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV

The Scorpion STR A and Scorpion STR tires are Pirelli's premium Highway All-Season tires that were designed to deliver the Stability, Traction and Ratings (STR) appropriate for today's light trucks by adapting their performance to the needs of crossover vehicles, sport utility vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. The Scorpion STR tires are designed to combine a quiet and comfortable ride along with ease of handling and year-round traction, even in light snow.

The Scorpion STR's tread compound is molded into one of two similar, but slightly different symmetric tread designs. The tires featuring Pirelli's North American tread pattern are identified as Scorpion STR A tires, while those featuring their European tread pattern are simply identified as Scorpion STR tires.

The Scorpion STR A tire's North American tread pattern features continuous shoulder ribs and narrower groves between all of the independent tread blocks. This type of tread design would tend to result in a quieter, more even-wearing tire.

The Scorpion STR tire's European tread pattern features lateral grooves through the shoulder ribs and larger grooves between all of the independent tread blocks. This type of tread design would tend to result in a tire with better hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.

On the inside, both Scorpion STR tires feature twin, high- tensile steel belts reinforced with polyamide to provide strength and durability on top of a two-ply polyester cord body that helps cushion the ride.

NOTE: The Scorpion STR in the 215/65R16 98V can be used in axle pairs to substitute for the Scorpion ST in the 215/65R16 98H size on Volvo XC70 AWD vehicles.

The ContiSportContact 5 SUV is Continental's Street/Sport Truck Summer tire initially developed to match the sporty driving characteristics of Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche crossover vehicles. ContiSportContact 5 SUV tires are designed to offer short braking distances and good cornering traction in moderate to warm ambient temperatures. However, like all summer tires, it is not intended to be driven in near freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

The ContiSportContact 5 SUV uses Continental's Black Chilli compound molded into an asymmetric tread design that features a macro-block outboard shoulder that adapts to the road surface to improve road grip and cornering stability. Four circumferential grooves channel water to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. A continuous center rib and notched intermediate ribs promote steering response and straight-line tracking.

Continental's Black Chilli compound's short-chain polymers react to braking forces by building heat to shorten braking distance on wet and dry roads, while the compound's long-chain polymers release the absorbed energy more efficiently at constant speeds to reduce rolling resistance. Thus, the tire stops faster and remains cooler for longer life and reduced fuel consumption.

The tire's internal structure features twin steel belts reinforced with spirally wrapped polyamide (a mixture of heat-resistant synthetic aramid fiber and nylon threads) that enhances the ride quality while tuning the contact area's vertical flexibility and lateral rigidity.

Limited sizes of the ContiSportContact 5 SUV are available with Continental's ContiSilent Technology, which involves the manufacturer adhering a layer of sound-absorbing foam to the inner liner of the tire to reduce cabin noise in the vehicle. These sizes are identified on the Specs page and in the search results.