Review: Toyo Celsius All-Weather Tires

We test the Toyo Celsius all-weather tires in both snow and warmer weather. Do they really bridge the gap between all-season & winter tires?

One of the most common reasons drivers resist buying winter tires for their cars is that they can’t get past the cost of buying a second set of tires and dedicated wheels to mount them on. It’s a purchase that can easily run higher than $1,000 for the SUVs and crossovers that serve as daily drivers for many families, and that expense can be hard to justify on a tight budget.

Back in 2016, Toyo introduced a tire it hoped would address those budgetary concerns. It’s called the Celsius, and its maker calls it an all-weather tire designed to be well-suited to year-round driving.

Quick Specs:

  • Tire Type: All-Weather
  • Tire Size Range: Available in various sizes, typically ranging from 15 to 20 inches
  • Speed Rating: T (118 mph)
  • Load Range: Standard Load
  • Studdable: No (Studs cannot be added)
  • Tread Depth: Varies by tire size
  • Price Range: Moderate to High, depending on size and retailer
  • Warranty: 5-year workmanship and materials warranty (Treadwear limited warranty); 60,000-mile warranty.

If you’re not sure if all-weather tires are the right choice (and how they compare to all-season tires), we recommend our article – Are All-Weather Tires Good in Snow? The Pros & Cons Explained

toyo celsius tire review
Celsius All-Weather Tires. Photo: Toyo

Does the Toyo Celsius bridge the gap between all-season and winter tires?

Toyo’s idea was to come up with a tire that represents a compromise between those two positions. We wanted to see how well that worked, so we took delivery of a set of Celsius tires sized 205/55 16 and put them on a 2010 Mazda3 Sport.

The Celsius wears a more aggressive tread pattern than the all-seasons our Mazda uses the rest of the year, with plenty of chunky tread blocks to help with deep-snow traction and zig-zag cuts (or sipes) that give more grip on ice and packed snow. But those appear on only two-thirds of the tire, with the balance composed of a tamer tread. This tire quite literally splits the difference between a winter tire and an all-season.

Performance in the snow

We got our tires right before the first snow fell in 2016, so we dove right in to see how the Celsius handled winter’s worst. We’ve reviewed a lot of cars fitted with a wide variety of winter tires, and our initial impression is that the Celsius also splits the difference performance-wise between the best and worst dedicated winter tires we’ve used.

That’s where the Celsius seemed least proficient, with ice traction that, by the seat of our pants, didn’t feel a lot better than with all-season tires.

There’s decent grip in loose snow, with the Celsius working well to pull our Mazda through several inches of freshly fallen white stuff on side streets, but we’ve tested other tires that worked better in the nasty, slushy stuff snow turns into more heavily-travelled arterial roads.

Winter tires have been proven to improve grip on ice and packed snow, but that’s academic when you’re out and about in the aftermath of a freezing rainstorm, a common event in Ottawa, Canada’s winter of 2016–2017. That’s where the Celsius seemed least proficient, with ice traction that, by the seat of our pants, didn’t feel a lot better than with all-season tires.

toyo celsius tire review tread
Celsius All-Weather Tires. Photo: Toyo

Performance in warmer weather

Once the weather warmed up and the snow melted away, we discovered the Celsius performs solidly on clear roads, offering good cornering grip when we drive the Mazda3 in the spirited manner it was meant for. Mazda’s popular compact is not a quiet car to begin with, but to our ears, the Celsius generated more road noise than the all-season tires it wore before, especially when the rubber stiffened up in the cool but snow-free parts of spring and fall.

As strong an all-around performer as it is, it strikes us that Toyo’s ultimate goal with the Celsius is to sell tires to winter-rubber resisters.

Our experience shows the Celsius is a good all-around tire, but its performance is exactly the compromise you’d expect from one that’s designed to be used 365 days a year. As strong an all-around performer as it is, it strikes us that Toyo’s ultimate goal with the Celsius is to sell tires to winter-rubber resisters. We would recommend the Celsius to those drivers if only to get more cars plowing through winter on tires that are at least somewhat suited to the conditions.

Takeaway

Given our experience in Ottawa’s typically snowy and icy winters, though, we still endorse the two-tire approach for those living and driving in similar climates: choose a set of dedicated winters with more bite in the deep, slushy stuff and an all-season or summer tire for quieter running and sharper handling on clear roads.

But the reality is, for the majority of consumers (not bound by law yet), buying a new set specifically for winter isn’t feasible – that’s where all-weather tires come in, offering the ideal compromise and, ultimately, a safer driving experience during the cold, slippery winter season. 

If you’re shopping for new snow-rated tires, check out our comprehensive winter tire buying guide.

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Author:
Chris Chase
Chris Chasehttps://chrischasescars.com/
Chris has been writing professionally about cars since 2004, in print and online. He lives in Ottawa with his wife and two feline tyrants. In rare quiet moments, he can be found travelling or playing one of his way-too-many guitars. Chris is also a journalist member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).