Milestar tires are distributed by Tireco Incorporated and are made by the Nangkang Tire and Rubber Corporation. Tireco was established in 1972 is one of the largest marketers and distributors of private brand tires in North America. It is interesting to note that Tireco is also the distributor of West Lake, Nangkang, and Trac Gard tires.
Creating this Milestar tires review was an easy feat. I have raked a lot of miles test driving cars and SUVs fitted with Milestar tires. I still fondly remember the time when I drove a 1967 Pontiac GTO at the 2015 Rat Rod Rally in Las Vegas. That car was fitted with the Milestar StreetSteel tires which are specifically designed for hot rods, muscle cars, and classic cars. The GTO was a blast to drive, or should I say was a blast in the dragstrip. The two brothers who co-owns the magnificent GTO swears by the quality, performance, value, and durability of Milestar tires. Those statements have stuck by me ever since.
Why Choose Milestar Tires?
- Solid reputation for durability
You can go online and read reviews on Milestar tires. Some might say that the tires were average in terms of traction and grip, while others will praise the comfort and ride silence. However, what stands out from the reviews is the durability. There was this one review where the owner accidentally hit a curb and was hoping for the worst. Fortunately, the Milestar tires in his vehicle help up nicely and ended up getting 50,000-miles before buying a new set.
- Price
Milestar tires are not only about durability. They are also good value for money. If you’re on a relatively tight budget and you need new tires for your car, Milestar tires are a brilliant choice.
- Warranty
Milestar tires are backed by a 40,000-mile warranty. That is not the best warranty in the business to be quite honest, but it is generous enough to gain the respect and confidence of drivers and car owners all over North America.
Milestar Tires Review
Milestar All-Season Tires
Milestar MS70 All-Season
The Milestar MS70 All-Season is perfect for subcompacts, compacts, and midsize sedans. This tire is available for 13 to 15-inch wheels and is ideal if you are looking to replace the stock OEM tires in your vehicle.
The Milestar MS70 is equipped with a symmetrical tread design that gives you the ability to rotate the tire in any configuration to increase the tread life. Featuring variable siping with vertical siping patterns to improve grip in all types of weather, this tire has a circumferential groove design to improve traction in wet weather.
I drove a bone stock 2012 Toyota Corolla fitted with 15-inch OEM wheels and Milestar MS70 All-Season tires.
The Corolla was not perfect since it had problems with the front suspension bushings, which caused an irritating noise when bothered by road irregularities and rough pavement.
However, the tires were smooth and quiet on the highway. Wet and dry traction was good while the steering was responsive if not a bit on the numb side.
I asked the owner of the Corolla regarding the durability of the tires. He told me that the worn-out front bushings were the result of an unfortunate encounter with a huge crater-like pothole at moderate speeds. The crashing sound was that of imminent damage and he thought that the rims were bent beyond recognition.
He parked at a nearby gas station to check the condition of his wheels and tires. Except for the front bushings, his wheels and tires were okay.
The Milestar MS70 has a UTQG rating of 300 AB. This tire is backed by a 40,000-mile warranty.
Milestar StreetSteel Classic Performance
This is the tire that was fitted to the Pontiac GTO that I drove in Vegas. The Milestar StreetSteel is perfect for muscle cars, hot rods, custom street rods, and classic cars that demand a period-correct retro inspired tire with modern characteristics and performance abilities.
The Milestar StreetSteel can be easily identified by the classic checkered flag sidewall design and the solid raised white letters similar to the tires fitted on the muscle cars of yesteryear.
This tire is equipped with angled siping and a notched center rib to improve stability and grip in wet and dry pavement. Featuring circumferential grooves that quickly evacuates water from the main treads for enhanced handling in wet weather, the tire is also engineered with an angled shoulder design to aid better handling, more responsive steering, and better cornering.
The problem with test driving muscle cars is the shock factor.
Your brain will immediately absorb the styling and the sounds of the machine with no regards to the refinement and handling. Muscle cars are all about excitement, so it is hard to judge the merits of the car based on modern standards of NVH and refinement.
With that in mind, I strapped myself inside the 1967 Pontiac GTO and prepared for launch.
The burnouts were surreal, and dry grip was fantastic especially if the tires are properly warmed-up. I also appreciate the ride comfort since I also drove the GTO around the streets of Vegas.
This tire reminds me of the Mastercraft Avenger G/T tires, which is also designed for classic car applications. If you’re an avid fan of the different types of tires, it is essential to point out that only Mastercraft and Milestar are the affordable brands that have retro-inspired tires in their lineup.
If your daily driver is a classic muscle car, or if you want to dress-up your vintage ride for the weekend car show, you can’t go wrong with the Milestar StreetSteel tires.
This tire has a speed rating of S & T with a UTQG rating of 440 AB. The StreetSteel is also accompanied by a 40,000-mile warranty.
Milestar MS775 Touring SLE
The Milestar MS775 SLE is a touring tire for all-season driving. This tire is available in a black and white sidewall option with the latter offered in a narrow white-striped sidewall option for low riders, classic cars, and custom coupes.
The Milestar MS775 Touring SLE is equipped with interlocking circumferential blocks that aids traction and grip while improving the directional stability of your ride. The circumferential grooves and open shoulder tread blocks are all engineered to swiftly dissipate water for superior traction in wet or icy weather.
My test car is a 2006 Toyota Avalon fitted with aftermarket 15-inch wheels with wider Milestar MS775 touring tires with black sidewalls.
I am aware that the 2006 Avalon came with 16-inch OEM wheels but the owner decided to downsize the wheels and install wider tires to achieve a meaner and more aggressive stance.
The Avalon is a terrific highway cruiser. It seems the Milestar MS775 Touring tires were a perfect fit for the personality of the car. Traction and grip in the dry were commendable while wet weather traction is not bad either. The ride was comfortable while road noise was directly proportional to the speed since the tires were a bit noisier when traveling over 90 mph.
The owner of the Avalon had the tires installed 6 months ago and has accumulated 4,500 miles since then. He said that the tread wear is excellent considering that fact that he does a lot of driving on the highway.
If you are the type of driver who stacks up a lot of miles, touring tires will give you better value since they will last longer than summer tires.
The Milestar MS775 Touring has a speed rating of S and a UTQG rating of 480 AB. This tire is accompanied by a 40,000-mile warranty.
Milestar Performance Tires Review
Milestar MS932 Sport
I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the Milestar MS392 Sport. This is a high-performance touring tire designed for sedans, sports coupes, and crossover vehicles.
The Milestar MS392 is engineered with wide circumferential ribs and an optimized tread design for enhanced stability, better traction and grip, and excellent all-season performance even in snowy or icy weather.
The hard working guys at the tire center told me that the Milestar MS392 Sport is one of their bestsellers since it offers a lot of value for money.
One of the guys is the owner of a 2012 Ford Focus and he loved how the tires rode silently and comfortably on both city and highway driving. He also admired the cold weather capabilities of the tires.
As much as I wanted to test drive the Ford Focus, the car was unavailable as of this writing. I found myself a stock 2014 Ford Fusion SE equipped with 17-inch wheels and Milestar MS392 Sport tires.
I can confirm that the tires made the Fusion a better car. The car was quiet, refined, and comfy in both wet and dry roads. The traction, grip, and steering felt vastly improved as well. I once was the proud owner of a 2012 Ford Fusion so I am familiar with the driving feel of this car.
The Milestar MS392 Sport is available in sizes of 14 to 20-inches and is backed by a 50,000-mile warranty. This tire has a speed rating of T, H, and V with a UTQG rating of 540 AA.
Milestar MS932 XP
The Milestar MS932 XP is an ultra-high performance tire designed to fulfill the needs of high-performance sedans, sports cars, and sports coupes. This tire is available in 18 to 20-inch diameters with a low profile configuration.
The Milestar MS932 XP is engineered with large shoulder tread blocks to enhance the handling and cornering stability of your ride. The wide circumferential grooves and angled siping are all designed to improve traction and grip on wet roads. This tire is also equipped with optimized inside tread patterns for improved traction on icy and snow-covered roads.
I was fortunate to get my hands on a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro 1SS with 20-inch wheels and Milestar MS932 XP tires.
I was impressed by the ride quality of these tires considering the 45-series aspect ratio. I also like the fact that the tires were smooth and quiet even as you approach insane speeds.
The owner of the Camaro was a bit concerned about the tread wear.
The tires were only 3 months old but tread wear was already evident especially on the rear wheels.
There was no chance for me to test the tires on snow since I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the cold weather performance of the Milestar MS932, but wet and dry traction was excellent given the low price.
The Milestar MS932 has a speed rating of W and a UTQG rating of 380 AA. This tire comes with a 30,000-mile warranty.
Milestar Truck/SUV Tires
Milestar Grantland AP and Milestar Grantland H/T
The Milestar Grantland AP is an all-purpose tire designed for pickup trucks and modern SUVs. This is ideal for SUV or light truck owners who demand a tire that can handle highway driving and a bit of off-road trailing.
This tire is equipped with angled tread notches and stone ejectors to enhance traction while protecting the tires from stone damage. The wide circumferential ribs and lateral siping are designed to improve handling and stability in any type of weather.
This tire has a UTQG rating of 540 AB and is backed by a generous 60,000-mile warranty.
On the other hand, the Milestar Grantland H/T is an all-season highway tire designed for pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles.
This tire is equipped with wide circumferential grooves to easily dissipate water. The ribbed shoulder design improves stability while the circumferential ribs are designed to improve handling and stability on both wet and dry roads.
I got the chance to test drive a 2015 Ford Expedition with stock 20-inch wheels and Grantland H/T tires.
The comfortable ride is a given, but what really impressed me was the quiet road manners of the Grantland tires. Traction and grip on both wet and dry roads were very good given the affordable price. This tire is backed by a 50,000-mile warranty.
Conclusion
I am hoping that this Milestar tires review will provide some much-needed insight on the characteristics and on-road performance of Milestar tires. According to consumers and car owners who are familiar with Milestar, these tires are not only dependable but ridiculously affordable as well. After driving multiple vehicles fitted with Milestar tires, I find it hard to disagree with those claims.
Alvin Reyes has expertise in automotive evaluation. He collaborated with famous newspapers and is still making efforts in tire review for DrivingPress.com