Milestar MS932 Review: Dirt Cheap Sport Tire

What does it take to make your car better to drive instantly? I would argue that a set of grippy tires can make an immediate impact on the dynamics, and I’m sure that most of you will agree. However, not all high-performance tires are created equally. Let’s say you opt for the Milestar MS932, perhaps the cheapest sporty tire on the market today. Will you get the performance your enthusiast’s heart deserves? Let’s find out in this detailed Milestar MS932 review.

Milestar is a new manufacturer of tires that originates from China, popularized by Amazon and its selling network. If Amazon sells it, it must be good, right? Well, things aren’t that simple here. Good tires are pretty hard to make, and most budget options simply can’t touch premium tires in terms of performance, durability, and safety. And I’m talking about trusted manufacturers such as Kumho, Hankook, and Toyo, which have a pretty significant cult following. Milestar is a company that produces tires that are much cheaper than even the most budget-oriented options from other manufacturers. Currently, you can buy the Milestar MS932 for nearly a third of the price of competing tires.

If you know something about tires, you’ll know that something is off here. An outstanding set of tires can’t cost that much – not even close. With that said, given the extremely low price point, there’s still a market for tires such as the Milestar MS932. Not necessarily for your new and shiny car, of course, but for older cars. If your vehicle is over a decade old and you don’t drive like a maniac, you might get away with a set of these tires. If you won a newer vehicle or want extra performance, you might want to spend a little more for a more trustworthy manufacturer.

What are the features of the Milestar MS932?

Milestar says that the MS932 Sport is a performance-touring tire. This means that it should give your car better handling, but keep the comfort characteristics of a touring tire. Available in sizes ranging from 14-20 inches, the MS932 portfolio is really comprehensive and covers a lot of different cars. Old Corollas and Civics? Check. New Lexus IS’s and BMW 3-Series models? Check. Crossovers? Check. Whatever the vehicle you own, the chance is there will be a size that fits. Also, the tire is available in T, H, and V-rated models, which covers slower and faster cars.

The MS932 is an all-season tire, which means that it should work throughout the year. However, it is only M+S rated, which means that it only works in light snow. It utilizes an advanced silica tread compound that improves treadwear and gives the tire excellent wet handling. The optimized tread pattern seems like a derivative from tires from premium manufacturers. Its main features are wide circumferential ribs for improved stability, handling, and lateral grip, lateral siping for consistent traction in wet and snowy conditions, and wide circumferential grooves for better resistance to hydroplaning.

What are maintenance indicators?

The MS932 doesn’t come with any maintenance indicators that I know of, but Milestar still offers a standard limited mileage warranty of 50,000-miles. This is certainly not a great result given the type of tire; some manufacturers offer touring tires with 90,000-mile and even 100,000-mile treadwear warranty. That said, 50,000-miles is probably the best you can get for the price. Also, Milestar will replace your tires if they’re worn-down to 2/32nds of an inch of tread remaining within five years of purchasing. That said, this is only if the tires are properly rotated every 5,000-miles. As for real-life durability, owners report that with proper maintenance, the MS932’s can really last for 50,000-miles. However, there are a lot of people that were disappointed with the treadwear when the tires were driven more aggressively.

Is it good for off-road driving?

Absolutely not. If you own a crossover and want a set of tires that will work in off-road conditions, you should look elsewhere. The Milestar MS932 doesn’t have nearly enough tread depth for serious off-road driving like is the case with most tires in its category. That said, it should work on gravel, as long as you don’t go too fast, then again, like most of its competitors. Still, we recommend using it only on the street for maximum safety.

How does it behave on the dry tarmac?

One of the reasons buyers look into this tire is handling. I mean, Milestar markets the MS932 as a sporty tire, which means that it must be good in the handling department, right? Not so fast. Sure, the MS932 looks sporty on the outside, but the performance it offers is far from what you’ll get from a set of high-performance tires. And I mean, FAR.

With that out of the water, for the price, I think that it is pretty good. Forget the “sporty” part for a bit and only look at it as a touring tire. In that case, the Milestar is pretty responsive, especially on models with smaller sidewalls. Traction is also pretty good, and grip can be very good in warm weather.

However, everything I say here is relative to the price. Premium touring and grand-touring tires from manufacturers such as Bridgestone, Michelin and Continental will offer at least the same responsiveness as the Milestar MS932, but also more reliable traction and even better grip. They will consistently brake better than the MS932, too.

Suffice to say, if you care about maximum performance, buy a premium tire. Vice versa, if you don’t drive very fast and just want a reliable and safe set of tires, then the Milestar MS932 might be a great budget option for you.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

The comprehensive tread design with sipes and grooves for water evacuation really helps in wet conditions. This is especially true for heavy rain, where the MS932 holds itself pretty well. Traction is good, and braking performance is better than the price suggests. However, like with dry handling, don’t expect performance on the same level as premium tires, but that’s okay given the price. What really surprised me was that the MS932 is also good in damp conditions, where most cheap tires often fall apart.

With that being said, how is it in snowy roads?

Here, the MS932 completely falls apart. Sure, it is M+S rated all-season tire and has additional sipes for better traction in snow, but in reality, it doesn’t hold a candle to the best all-season tires. Of course, we don’t mean to be rude to Milestar – it is probably not feasible to design a tire that will work in all conditions for this price. On top of that, if you live in areas where it snows frequently, you should replace your all-season tires with winter tires anyway. Most importantly, the advanced silica tread compound of the MS932 at least works in dry and cold conditions, which should be enough for people that live in warmer places.

Is it comfortable and refined?

Given the fact that Milestar markets the MS932 as a performance-touring tire, high levels of comfort are expected. I mean, that’s the reason why people buy touring and grand-touring tires in the first place. Well, the Milestar is a mixed bag in this regard. I find it to be very comfortable for a sporty tire, even over larger potholes, which is a positive surprise. However, despite the attempts of Milestar to make it quiet, it can still be heard on the highway. Of course, it’s not as noisy as high-performance tire, but far from the quietness a proper set of touring or grand-touring tires will give you.

You can see more Milestar MS932 Review here: videos created by John Daniels

Should I buy the Milestar MS932?

It greatly depends on what is it that you seek for in a set of tires. But before answering that, let me remind you that there’s no magic in designing tires. You pay what you get here. There’s a reason why Michelin and Bridgestone tires cost a lot – they are made from super-high-quality tread compound and designed with decades-worth of R&D and experience. If you expect the Milestar MS932 to behave like one of those tires, you’d be wrong.

However, if you set your expectations right, then the MS932 might be a great tire for you. For the price, which is one of the lowest on the market, you still get a safe and reliable tire in dry and wet conditions and one that’s comfortable over bumps as well. This is especially true if you own an older vehicle and don’t plan on investing too much in a set of new tires. On top of that, the MS932 has shown to be pretty durable, which is another big plus for the price.