Toyota Launches Winter Tire Trial Program

With snow beginning to make its presence felt across Europe, Japanese manufacturer Toyota announced it kicked off in the UK a trial winter weather tire program through which it plans to help British motorists get ready for one cold winter.

The program means fitting vehicles with special winter tires which use a special compound. This compound is said to be specially formulated to maintain performance at low temperatures and help the tire get better grip when braking and handling.

The cars targeted through the program are the Auris, Avensis and Corolla cars and the Dyna and Hiace light commercial vehicles. There will however be only two Toyota centers handling fitting in the UK, Currie Motors in West London and Ron Brooks Toyota in the East Midlands.

For all Toyota owners, the Japanese manufacturer will be launching a maintenance program which comprises checks on lights, wipers and tire condition, screen wash and oil top-up and a visual assessment of brake condition. The maintenance program will cost Toyota owners GBP35.

“Safety is of prime importance and, following the severe winters we’ve experienced recently, there is a much greater awareness of the benefits of fitting winter weather tires,” said Toyota Customer Services director Steve Settle.

“We have launched our trial program to give Toyota owners the chance to gain the right advice and professional assistance to fit appropriate tires to their vehicle. Although this is a pilot scheme, we will be monitoring its progress closely and there is the potential for it to be expanded to other models and to centers in other regions in the future.”