SEMA Show 2006: Pirelli Goes Super Wide For Show Tire

Pirelli said the tire was “inspired by the technology in the heavy truck market and driven by the aggressive look of dually options of the bigger pick-up trucks.” While the tire remains in the concept stage, Pirelli said it will gauge reaction to the new tire – on display its SEMA Show booth 40509 – and is prepared to move ahead and begin producing the tire at its Rome, Ga., MIRS plant. The 405/25R24 is the widest tire that can be made at that plant.

The tire will also appear on a DUB Dodge Ram 1500 near the South Hall entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

According to Pirelli, the super wide Scorpion can be mounted on a 14.5-inch or 15-inch wide wheel and is “intended for all kinds of customized light trucks, particularly the small and mid-sized trucks that have wildly modified bodywork and rear suspensions.”

“Sure, we could have made a 32-inch Scorpion this year; actually we could have made it last year,” said Guy Mannino, president of Pirelli Tire North America. “But since none of our competitors have yet demonstrated any technology beyond making a handful of prototypes bigger than 28-inch and we are selling plenty of 30-inch Scorpions. So we decided to do something a little different this year.

“SEMA is the birthplace of almost all extreme tuning ideas, so why not show the true face of Pirelli here – market leading innovation, technology beyond that of our competitors and trend-setting products that display an intuitive understanding of what looks cool,” he said.

Nestled in between a thick wooded forest and a beautiful 13-acre lake in Ohio’s Mahoning County is a small farm and homestead. It’s unassuming, really. The kind of place you might pass right by without noticing on your way from here to there.

A little over a century-and-a-half ago, it was the birthplace of the man who would fundamentally change American agriculture forever, but today, that small farm is home to test tracks and testing facilities designed to put tomorrow’s farm tires to the test. To push the limits of what’s possible, pioneering the latest technology that allows farm tires to go where they never have before. To stand strong in the fields and ride soft on the roads. To tread lightly over soil and roots, while translating ever-increasing horsepower to traction in the fields.