Pirelli Scorpion MTR vs Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires

Anyone who’s been driving in the last 20 years knows that there are really a lot of trucks, SUVs, and crossovers on the roads. Trucks and SUVs are the vehicles that have taken over family cars and daily-driver duties, the kind of role that used to be filled by big sedans and minivans (and big woodgrain-paneled V8 station wagons a generation before that). With every passing year and design generation, trucks and SUVs get a little more sophisticated, refined, and comfortable, and of course, light truck tires have changed and progressed right along with them.

Many of those trucks and SUVs are equipped with 4WD and if you go off the pavement from time to time and want to get the most out of your truck’s performance potential, you need a good-quality set of all-terrain tires. The best all-terrain tires are designed for a balance of off-road capability in mud, snow, loose dirt, and gravel paired with ride quality, handling, durability, and road manners that are civilized and equally at home on the pavement. The only problem with all-terrain tires is that for drivers who like to take their trucks through heavier mud or deep snow, or maybe rock-crawling with aired-down tires over tough obstacles, they’re likely to fall a bit short of getting the job done. That’s when you need a set of premium mud-terrain tires. Both all-terrain and mud-terrain tires are designed around the weight, power, torque, center of gravity, load capacity, braking, and handling of modern trucks and SUVs, and that brings us to this head-to-head comparison of the Pirelli Scorpion MTR and Cooper Discoverer STT Pro.

In the course of this comparison, you’ll see us make frequent reference to SimpleScore rankings for these tires. If you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s the rating method the SimpleTire team came up with to give you a quick at-a-glance picture of a tire’s performance and value. We sort through things like specs, reviews, and other data points, then distill that information down to a numerical value from 1 to 10 for the categories of handling, traction, and longevity as well as an overall average SimpleScore for any given tire. For the Pirelli Scorpion MTR vs Cooper Discoverer STT SimpleScore rankings are as follows:

Pirelli Scorpion MTR

• Traction: 9.6
• Durability: 9.2
• Longevity: 7.2
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro

• Traction: 8.3
• Durability: 8.4
• Longevity: 8.6
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4

SimpleScore is great and is a handy way to get an overview of what any tire is about, but it doesn’t tell the whole story about a tire’s strengths and weaknesses in any detail. We’re going to do a little deeper dive in this head-to-head comparison of the Pirelli Scorpion MTR and Cooper Discoverer STT Pro.

Pirelli Scorpion MTR tires

Robust and rugged, the Pirelli Scorpion MTR is a mud-terrain tire that’s designed for some of the worst punishment and conditions you can subject any tire to. Its massive, chunky tread blocks deliver the kind of traction that can claw through loose, sticky or rough surfaces and terrain, with stone bumpers that protect the casing and enhance traction as they quickly eject rocks and debris from the tread. At the Scorpion MTR’s shoulder, alternating scoops and large, notched over-the-shoulder lugs dig into soft surfaces or mud to get you where you need to go, especially when the tire is being used aired-down over rocks.

When the weather turns wet or the snow starts piling up, a network of in-block sipes multiplies traction and surface area with hundreds of extra biting edges that carve your way through snow, slush or water. Like the Cooper, the Pirelli Scorpion MTR has a specialized heavy-duty tread compound along a reinforced sidewall and a thick rim protector flange to help guard your valuable wheels against abrasions and damage. Internal construction of the Scorpion MTR includes a 2-ply polyester casing with twin steel belt package and a 2-ply nylon cap for extra durability and stability. The Scorpion MTR is M+S rated for mud/snow performance. SimpleTire’s price on the Pirelli Scorpion MTR starts at $235.97 per tire.

Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires

The Cooper Discoverer STT Pro is loaded with innovations, and one of the most notable ones is its Armor-Tek 3 system. While most radial 3-ply tires with plies running at the same angle, the Armor-Tek 3 technology incorporates a third ply running at a slightly different angle for extra protection. That angled ply reduces the number of weak points in the tire’s structure, especially in the tire’s sidewall, and gives it extra resistance to punctures, cuts and other damage.

The aggressive high-void tread pattern of the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro incorporates anti-stone retention ribs and mud-release dimples so it easily sheds mud, rocks, and debris to ensure there’s always a clear section of tread to dig in as the wheel turns. Alternating shoulder lugs enhance grip and lateral traction in snow, mud, or loose dirt. For great ride quality and road manners on the highway, the Discoverer STT Pro utilizes a 3/2 block pattern for the tire’s center tread blocks, improving stability and handling. SimpleTire’s price on the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro starts at $190.61 per tire.

Pirelli Scorpion MTR vs Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires on traction

The Pirelli Scorpion MTR and Cooper Discoverer STT Pro are both very capable and confident mud-terrain tires when it comes to traction, but there’s a pretty big disparity between their SimpleScores in that category. The Pirelli registers a SimpleScore of 9.6 for traction vs 8.3 for the Cooper. Why the big difference, you ask? The dense network of 3D sipes embedded in the tread blocks of the Pirelli helps to multiply the tread’s surface area and traction with hundreds of biting edges that slice their way through slush, snow, and standing water as well as adding rigidity to the tread face. That design, along with the alternating shoulder scoops that help with lateral traction, is enough to make a pretty significant difference in off-road performance as well as dry-weather traction on the pavement. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Scorpion MTR

Pirelli Scorpion MTR vs Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires on durability

When it comes to the durability category, there’s another pretty significant spread between SimpleScores: the Pirelli comes in at 9.2 vs 8.4 for the Cooper. Granted, the Cooper is designed with the Armor-Tek 3 system that we mentioned above, making it a very tough tire. The Pirelli, on the other hand, features a rim protector flange that not only guards against damage to your valuable wheels but also helps protect against cuts and punctures to the tire’s sidewall. That along with the heavy-duty tread compound of the Scorpion MTR is enough to tip the scales, so our call is:

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Scorpion MTR

Pirelli Scorpion MTR vs Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires on longevity

When discussing longevity for these tires, it’s important to mention right off the top that neither the Pirelli Scorpion MTR nor Cooper Discoverer STT are covered by conventional manufacturer’s treadwear warranty with mileage guarantees. That’s not unusual, because many, many mud-terrain tires don’t feature a mileage warranty, considering the hard use that they see. This is one area where the Pirelli loses some ground to the Cooper, though – the Cooper has a SimpleScore of 8.6 vs 7.2 for the Pirelli. A lot of things can figure into a tire’s longevity and service life – in the case of the Cooper it comes down to internal construction and that unique, innovative tread block arrangement at the center of the tread, helping to ensure even wear. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Cooper Discoverer STT Pro

When to use each

The question to get to here is, what are your needs and expectations in tires for a 4WD equipped truck or SUV? If you want a set of mud-terrain tires just because you think they make your truck look cool, that might not be the best reason to go with them. While mud-terrain tires have come a long way when it comes to noise levels, handling, and ride quality on the street, they’re still a heck of a lot different from all-terrain tires that are designed for a compromise between civilized performance on the street and offroad traction and durability, and unless you do a lot of serious off-roading mud-terrain tires like the Pirelli Scorpion MTR and Cooper Discoverer STT Pro might not be right for you. If, on the other hand, you do go way off the beaten track on logging trails, ranch roads, or oilfield lease roads or regularly navigate through deep mud, rocks, rough terrain, sand, or snow, then all-terrain tires might fall short of being able to get the job done for you. If that sounds like your situation, then by all means consider a set of mud-terrain tires like the Pirelli or Cooper.

Which one should you choose?

Our job here at the SimpleTire team gets a little dicey when you have two great tires like this that come out with the same overall average SimpleScore. But as handy as SimpleScore is, it’s really the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. As tough and capable as both of these tires are, the Pirelli shows some definite strengths over the Cooper when it comes to durability and traction, thanks to some key design elements and materials. With that in mind, if we were in the market for a great premium mud-terrain tire for a 4WD light truck, Jeep, or SUV, we’d have to go with the Pirelli Scorpion MTR.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.