MTB Tire Test: Pirelli Scorpion XC RC Race Lite Team Edition 29x2.4

Pirelli's Scorpion XC RC is their most all-round mountain bike tire. It's a direct competitor to popular tires like the Continental Dubnital, Schwalbe Racing Ralph, Vittoria Mezcal, and many other tires in this crowded category. The Scorpion XC RC has recently been updated with a new Race XC compound and a fully updated casing. It's now also made in Pirelli's new factory in Italy.

The Pirelli Scorpion XC RC has been around for a while, and we tested the previous version in 2023 and found it to be an average performer. A new test of the XC RC is justified, since it's now also made in Pirelli's new factory in Italy and comes with the updated Race compound, which is also on the Scorpion XC RH that we tested a couple of months back and showed strong performance.

The new Scorpion XC RC is available in either a lightweight Lite casing version, which is the right choice if you're looking for absolute performance, or a reinforced ProWall casing that offers an additional layer of sidewall protection and is suitable for XC, Trail, or Enduro use. Be aware that there's also a cheaper ProWall version that comes with a 60 TPI casing and Pirelli's Sport compound.

We've tested the new Pirelli XC RC with Lite casing and Race compound in the 29x2.4 size, in the yellow Team edition colors. There's no quality difference between the Team Edition and the regular Lite casing versions; the only difference is the color of the logos. We've compared it to the previous edition of the Scorpion XC RC (read our review), the new Scorpion XC RH (read our review), and a selection of similar tires from competing brands.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Pirelli
Model	Scorpion XC RC Race Lite Team Edition
Year	2026
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	4309200
EAN	8019227430929
TPI	120
Compound	Race Compound
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	60-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.40
Specified Weight	655 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	44
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	29x2.40

Pirelli Scorpion XC RC Race Lite Team Edition Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	655 grams
Measured Weight	625 grams
Measured Width Carcass	59 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	61 mm
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	1.8 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.1 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.2 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant)
Measured Width	59 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 51-55 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 56-60 = 34 psi/2.3 barHigh Air Pressure (34 psi / 2.3 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 bar 51-55 = 32 psi/2.2 bar 56-60 = 29 psi/2.0 barMedium Air Pressure (29 psi / 2.0 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 bar 51-55 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 56-60 = 23 psi/1.6 barLow Air Pressure (23 psi / 1.6 bar)	31.5 Watts CRR: 0.00944
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 bar 51-55 = 19 psi/1.3 bar 56-60 = 17 psi/1.2 barExtra Low Air Pressure (17 psi / 1.2 bar)	Pro Data
The MTB section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	35 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.2 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

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Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	67 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	1.8 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	4.1 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

We're puzzled by the performance of the new Pirelli Scorpion XC RC, made in Italy, with Lite casing and Race compound. Performance comes in surprisingly close to the old-made-in-Thailand version of the Scorpion XC RC that we tested in 2023 (read our review), and at that time, already wasn't a top performer in its class. We expected performance closer to the Scorpion XC RH (read our review), which is also made in the same factory in Italy and comes with the same Lite casing and Race compound.

We have even gone so far as to order another sample of the Scorpion XC RC, manufactured in a different week than our first sample, but the second sample tested spot-on to the first. The production code of our first sample was week 33 of 2025, and our second sample was week 40 of 2025. The production code of the Scorpion XC RH that we tested and found to be much stronger performing was week 37 of 2025, which falls right in between our XC RC samples.

What we usually see with tires that share the same casing and compound is that the tread pattern makes only a small difference in our tests. When we analyze the results of the various Pirelli Scorpion tires we've tested, we conclude that the new Scorpion XC RC does come with the new casing (improved puncture resistance). The compound, on the other hand, appears to be made to the specifications of the original Scorpion XC RC that came with the SmartGrip compound.

For now, we only recommend the Scorpion XC RH as it's proven to be a great performer in our tests. While we normally assume that tires from the same family with the same specifications would perform similarly in our tests, we only recommend Pirelli Scorpion tires that have been proven to perform well in our tests.

Compare the new Scorpion XC RC and old Scorpion XC RC on our comparison section
Compare the new Scorpion XC RC and Scorpion XC RH on our comparison section

RATING: 3.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Not Recommended

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