Toyo Celsius Review: A Tire That Works in All Conditions

Pros

  • Excellent snow and ice traction and braking performance
  • Very good traction in dry and wet conditions (regardless of the temperature)
  • Durable for a tire that works in the winter
  • Comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Slightly more noise on the highway
  • Worse than all-season tires in warmer conditions

All-season tires might look like the perfect option for driving in all conditions, but they are still not the smartest choice for winter driving. Sure, a good set of all-season tires will give you excellent traction in cold weather, even when it rains, but it’s still far behind winter tires when it comes to snow and ice traction. They are simply not as safe. That’s why I always recommend replacing all-season tires with winter tires from October to February.

However, in the past decade, tire manufacturers started producing all-weather tires. This tire type promises much better snow and ice traction than an all-season tire, while also being good in warmer conditions. Such a tire is the Toyo Celsius. According to the manufacturer, the Celsius should be the only tire you use throughout the year, even in areas with harsh winters. But is it really that good? You can find out in this detailed Toyo Celsius review.

The Toyo Celsius is aimed at car owners that live in areas with unpredictable weather. For example, if snow happens often in your state, even in the fall, then the Toyo Celsius might be great for you. However, if you live in areas with mild winters, a good set of touring all-season tires might be a better choice. See, while all-weather tires are really more usable in the winter, they don’t offer the same handling prowess and comfort levels as all-season tires.

As far as all-weather tires go, the Toyo Celsius is one of the best tires in its category. Available in sizes ranging from 14-20 inches, the Celsius is primarily designed for owners of crossovers and SUVs, cars like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Some sizes can also be installed on smaller compact vehicles. Let’s find out if they deserve a place on your rims.

Toyo Celsius Tire Overview

According to Toyo, the Celsius is a true four-season tire for drivers of crossovers and SUVs, with real winter performance. The Celsius offers extended mobility in colder weather, which means that the owner doesn’t need to change the tires in the winter. Toyo puts a big accent on winter drivability: “Celsius delivers control on snowy or wet roads for a wide range of small and medium-sized cars” they say on their website, continuing “Innovative components combine to provide highly versatile performance for continuous safe motoring, whatever the conditions.”

But how do they achieve this? It seems that the whole magic happens in the tread. The compound is pretty standard, perhaps the same as all-season tires, but the tread design is different. For example, the sipe density is variable – the inner tread with higher sipe density delivers better traction on snow and ice, while the outer tread has lower sipe density for better handling in dry and wet conditions. Then, the snow claws additionally improve deep snow traction, while the slush grooves take care of evacuating slush for increased traction in slush and snow. In the end, the multi-wave sipes minimize irregular wear and offer a smooth and quiet ride.

The Toyo Celsius also comes with the 3-peak Mountain/Snowflake symbol (3PMSF), which is a testament to its winter traction. Toyo offers 60,000-mile treadwear warranty for the Celsius which is pretty good for an all-weather tire and much better than winter tires. In other words, this is a tire that you can truly use throughout the year without worrying about damaging it in the summer.

Toyo Celsius Detailed Review

Treadwear and Durability

As you perhaps already know, all-season touring tires are the most durable type of tires. Winter tires, on the other hand, tend to lose their tread quickly due to the soft and pliable tire. Given the fact that the Toyo Celsius is designed to work better in colder conditions, its tread life suffers a bit. However, with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, the Celsius is still a very long-lasting tire that will serve you well for several years.

And truthfully, touring tires are most likely to warp over time, and you’ll be left with a set of tires that has the proper tread depth, but one that will be unsafe to drive. With all that said, the Toyo Celsius should serve you well for around 4 years between replacements if you drive around 10,000-miles annually, which is a very good result for a tire that works in colder conditions.

Dry Traction and Grip

As expected, the Celsius is very safe in dry conditions, regardless of the temperature. If we go deeper, I would’ve liked more responsiveness in warmer conditions. The softer compound has its limitations here, and that’s why I wouldn’t directly recommend the Celsius for people that live in warm areas, like Florida, for example. However, that doesn’t mean that the tire is not safe – it’s just that the driving experience suffers.

Nonetheless, traction is very good, even under hard acceleration. The grip was surprisingly good under hard cornering, giving the driver a lot more confidence to push forward. Most importantly, though, the Celsius provides ample braking power, even in colder conditions where all-season tires usually suffer. Overall, I find the Celsius to be completely safe and reliable in a wider temperature range than all-season tires, which makes it an excellent choice for drivers that live in areas with unpredictable weather.

Wet Traction

Here it’s pretty much the same story as the dry section. The Celsius is not the best tire for rainy weather – any all-season competitor from Bridgestone, Michelin or Continental will be much better. However, it is not very far from them, especially when it comes to resisting hydroplaning. The Toyo is pretty good at keeping traction in heavy rain – it’s just damp surfaces where it suffers a bit. That said, it does work better in colder conditions – remember, temperature plays a big role in how your tire handles everything.

Suffice to say, I wouldn’t give it negative points here, especially because it is supremely safe. Sure, you might get a better experience with a set of premium all-season tires, and even better with high-performance summer tires, but none of them will give you the freedom the Celsius does. Considering the fact that it works in the winter as well as in the summer, it’s outstanding how much traction the Celsius offers in wet conditions.

Snow Traction and Braking Performance

I know, I’ve been preparing you for this, and here it comes – the Celsius is very good on snow and ice if you set your expectations right. While the Toyo will certainly not replace a proper set of winter tires in the snow, it is much closer than all-season tires in that regard. Thanks to the higher sipe density in the inner tread, the Celsius is very usable in both loose and packed snow. Braking performance is very good, while the handling is very predictable, even at the limit. The Celsius is especially good at handling slush (thanks to the Slush Grooves), which is something that you will mostly encounter in the winter, anyway.

While I still recommend proper winter tires for people that live in colder areas with a lot of snow, the Celsius can be used as the only option in areas with 1-2 months of wintry conditions. In my opinion, that’s outstanding.

Comfort & Noise

This is the one area where the Celsius truly suffers when compared to touring tires. Noise can become an issue, and that’s especially true for bigger tire dimensions and at speeds of around 70mph. Still, the Celsius is not as loud as a winter tire, and most people will never have a problem with the added noise at higher speeds. On top of that, modern SUVs and crossovers are pretty good at isolating noise from the outside, which somehow mitigates the problem. On the positive side, ride quality is pretty good, even on models with smaller sidewalls and large rims.

Toyo Celsius Review: Conclusion

Despite the fact that I love what Toyo has done with the Celsius, it is not the best tire for everyone. Vehicle owners that live in areas with mostly warm weather should overlook it and install a good set of all-season touring tires instead. These will give you better traction in warmer conditions and ultimately, less noise on the highway.

That said, if you live in areas with unpredictable weather (i.e., snow in October), you might overlook the slightly worse (but still supremely usable) performance in warm weather. The all-weather Toyo Celsius really offers a safe and reliable driving experience in colder weather, and it is miles better than all-season tires on snow, ice, and slush. On top of that, it is not very expensive to buy and comes with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, which is excellent for a tire that works in the winter. This is a tire that’s truly usable throughout the year and should be applauded for that!

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