Toyo's new Celsius offers more winter safety

The new Toyo Celsius is not an all-season tire like the Toyo Extensa A/S. It’s not a winter tire like the Toyo Observe GSi5.

It’s something that bridges the gap between the two. It performs much better than the Extensa A/S on ice and snow, and features a 60,000-mile limited tread wear warranty, something unheard of for a winter tire.

“We believe we are setting the standard for a new category -- ‘variable-conditions’ tires,” says Roy Bromfield, chief operating officer for Toyo Tires U.S.A. Corp. “We didn’t call Celsius an all-season tire because it isn’t the same as an all-season tire. It also isn’t the same as a winter tire. Celsius meets needs between an all-season and a winter tire.

"We see it as a new category, best described as variable-conditions. We’re confident drivers and dealers will get it, and they will appreciate the difference it makes.”

Celsius for passenger cars

The Celsius is certified for severe winter conditions and bears the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol. Toyo says it combined the best of all-season tires and winter tires in the Celsius through tread design.

“We developed the inside of the tire for winter performance and the outside for all-season performance,” says Julie Sediq, senior manager of marketing communications for Toyo.

“It’s not a winter compound. We didn’t take a winter tire and try to extend the life. The foundation was an all-season tire and the compounding that you would find with an all-season tire. Then we took the tread design and tread technology to give it that elevated performance.”

Toyo says the Celsius stops up to 14 feet shorter on snow and eight feet shorter on ice than its Extensa A/S tire. In addition, Toyo says the Celsius performs well on dry and wet roads to give dealers the opportunity to emphasize road conditions rather than seasons.

 “We feel to the consumer all season and all weather don’t sound that different. The term variable conditions is not talking about all season or all weather, it’s talking about the conditions on the road,” says Sediq. “We’re using the term to clearly define it as not an all-season tire and to be able to focus on the conditions versus the seasons.”

Celsius tires for passenger cars are available in 22 sizes ranging from 185/65R14 86H to 215/50R17 91H. The tires are produced at Toyo’s Malaysia plants.

Celsius for cross-over vehicles

The Celsius family includes a tread pattern for cross-over vehicles. The Celsius CUV is available in 24 sizes ranging from 235/65R17XL 108V to P265/50R20 102V.  The new tire is also rated for severe winter conditions. Toyo says the Celsius CUV stops up to 31 feet shorter on snow compared to its Versado CUV tire.