| dodge Ram 1500 intro Twisted Vista Matrix Billet Wheels
This month's review focuses on a super-premium rolling stock combination: a set of the new Intro Twisted Vista Matrix 22-inch billet wheels wrapped with Pirelli Scorpion Zero P265/35ZR22 high-performance tires on a dropped Hemi Ram 1500 Quad Cab. The Dodge Ram connection is especially cool for this review since Pirelli's Scorpion Zero is OE on several high-performance light trucks, including the Dodge Ram SRT-10, the "world's fastest production pickup truck." So the Scorpion Zero has certainly made a name for itself regarding its high-performance capabilities.
Pirelli touts the strengths of its Scorpion Zero, a low-profile sport tire designed for light trucks and SUVs, as its outstanding steering and braking response, especially in the wet. While we didn't have a chance to drive it in the wet, we can report that in driving the Scorpion Zero in the dry, the tire lived up to the promises made by Pirelli's marketing materials.
In terms of handling, we had more tire than suspension. The tires generated such a high level of grip in the lane-change exercise that we could feel the chassis flex, which caused the rear to lose grip prematurely. Turn-in was quick and sensitive. The short sidewalls of the 35-series tires transmit every little bit of steering wheel input into action at road level. The combination of sensitivity and the fact that the tires generated cornering force smoothly and predictably gave us a very secure sense of control over the vehicle, even when the suspension allowed it to move in unexpected ways at the limit. It's quick on turn-in, but the tires tell you how much grip you have to work with, so maintaining control of the vehicle is very natural and comfortable. This is perhaps one of the more important characteristics of a streetable performance tire, and in our opinion, it's hard to imagine a tire doing it better, at this level of grip, than this set of Scorpion Zeros.
As for ride quality, we were impressed with how little it altered the ride from the stock wheels and tires on the lowered suspension. We were expecting the 2-inch sidewalls of the 35-series tire to cause a very rough ride, and to be honest, it did increase the sharpness of the ride, though the magnitude of the change wasn't near the level anticipated. The Pirellis did generate a little more noise over sections of the freeway with pronounced anti-hydroplane grooving than the OE rolling stock. It's not enough to be a negative factor in your purchase decision in our opinion, but it was noticeable.
Given the target market, the Scorpion Zero designers know the wheels most owners would match with their Pirellis would be expensive, so they provided a rim-protection rib to help prevent damage to the expensive aluminum-alloy wheels.
Oh, how right they were! The set of 22-inch Intro Twisted Vista Matrix wheels featured in this review approach $4,000. So what does nearly a grand a corner get you? Well, you get a billet wheel machined from T6061 aircraft-quality aluminum. The wheels are very strong and reasonably lightweight given their size. Intro says its 22-inch wheels weigh approximately 37-38 pounds, depending on rim width and lug configuration - they're offered in 8.5- or 10-inch widths and five- or six-lug configurations. More important, though, is the precise machine work and polished finish of the wheels. These are literally, as the images supporting this article attest, jewelry for your ride.
Twisted Vista Matrix By Intro Custom Wheels In addition to marketing and distributing wheels, Intro Custom Wheels is a full-service fabrication and custom wheel design facility. The company has been in business for more than 15 years and is generally recognized as one of the premier custom wheel manufacturers.
The Intro Twisted Vista Matrix is a design enhancement of the extremely popular Twisted Vista. The new wheel, as is any Intro wheel, is built from solid billet aluminum, including the caps. Both interior and exterior surfaces are polished completely, except for the optional new smooth finish or the company's patent-pending satin-suede finish (the Vista features the satin-suede finish).
TWISTED VISTA MATRIX (five-lug) wheel size min/max
backspacing MSRP
(per set) 15x7, 8, 10 - $1,350 16x7 - $1,450 17x7, 8, 10 - $1,750 18x7, 8, 9, 10 - $2,395 19x8, 10 - $2,595 20x8, 9.5 (step-lip only) $2,895 20x8.5, 10 (rolled-lip only) $2,895 22x8.5, 10 (rolled-lip only) $3,695 P265/35zr22 Scorpion Zero AsimmetricoThe new asymmetric tread pattern design provides a shoulder-block design that improves dry-handling performance at the limit. The inner shoulder, with its deeper and more regular cuts, is geared to maximizing traction. Its solid center rib and the special Z tread design keep the tire quiet and give it a high-precision feel at high speed and excellent grip when braking. Its four-wide longitudinal grooves enhance water evacuation of the footprint to increase safety and wet performance. The Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico is built with the latest construction techniques in Pirelli's Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS). This tire line is designed to be part of the most powerful light trucks and SUVs.
Scorpion Zero* and Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico, the first U.S. MIRS SUV pattern, are available in the following 20-, 22-, 23-, 24-, and 25-inch rim diameters:
Tire Size Scorpion Zero 255/50R20XL {{{TL}}} 109V {{{M}}}+S Scorpion Zero 265/45R20 REINF TL 108V M+S Scorpion Zero 295/45R20TL 110V M+S Scorpion Zero 295/40R20TL 106V M+S Scorpion Zero 305/45R20TL 112V M+S Scorpion Zero 305/50R20TL 116V M+S Scorpion Zero 315/40VR25XL TL (120) M+S Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 265/35ZR22XL M+S TL 102W Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 295/30ZR22XL M+S TL 103W Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 305/40ZR22XL M+S TL 114W Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 305/35R22XL TL 110W M+S Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 305/35ZR23XL M+S TL 111W Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 305/25ZR23XL M+S TL 110W Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico 315/35ZR24XL M+S TL 114W This unique ultra-high-performance tire is derived from the legendary P Zero. It's designed predominantly for on-road use and is identified by the yellow scorpion on the sidewall.
