I'm looking for the closest match to replace Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico tire that I have now. Zero Asimmetrico has been discontinued in my size 235/65/17. Zero Asimmetrico has a very soft and cushy car-like ride feeling, and an excellent grip at the same time. I chatted up with a Pirelli rep online, and he told me Pirelli does not make a similar tire in the same class (Sport) for my size anymore, and offered either Scorpion AS Plus 3 or Scorpion Verde, which are both in the Touring class. I presume being in the Touring category they should provide the same level of comfort, albeit possibly not the same traction as Zero. Which one would you recommend? Superb ride comfort and excellent traction are the priorities, and I’m willing to compromise on tread wear, as I did with Zero. Would be helpful to hear from those of you who rode Scorpion Zero before, so you know exactly what I’m used to. To keep my choice simple, I am only looking at the Pirelli brand. I once attempted to switch away from Pirelli in the past and it did not work for me. I had a great Bridgestone tire that many XC90 owners gave a good review, and while it was excellent overall, it had a noticeably stiffer ride and give my XC90 more of a truck-ish feel compared to what I am used to with Pirelli Scorpion.

2006 XC90 2.5T AWD

 

Narrowed it down to just a couple of choices for a soft comfortable tire. I want my XC90 to retain the sedan-like driving feel, not a truck-like feel.

Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3, seems to be the closet Pirelli replacement. But it will ride somewhat stiffer than Zero Asimmetrico due to better tread wear rating.

Michelin Crossclimate SUV. Michelin's seem to be the go to brand for a comfy tire. Looks like Crossclimate is the only Michelin choice available for the 17in wheels, but I'm getting a sense from reviews they might not be as comfortable as other premium Michelin choices. Anyone has experience on how comfortable they are?

 

I'd check in with Tire Rack - Lots of good content on their web site and they feature all the major performance tire brands. I'd also add the Conti Extreme Contacts to your comparison list.

 

Thanks. Yes that's what I've done. Reviews are somewhat subjective though, since so many different cars and opinions. Someone coming from a really stiff tire in the past might rate a new tire as soft, but it would still be stiff compared to the Pirelli.

 

You can control the stiffness through air pressure. I tend to run mine +3-5 PSI over the factory numbers as pot hole protection - you should be able to compare what each brand has as a recommended/max pressure to consider as well.

 

Yes - As long as I avoid getting a really stiff tire, like Bridgestone Alenza Dueler I've tried in the past. Even when I dropped the pressure to the minimum it would still ride noticeably stiff.