Milestar vs Michelin Tires
Buying tires can be a frustrating time. Though there are many different aspects to buying a tire, for the most part it comes down to three things: price, quality (performance), and durability. All three of these aspects are important, but which is most important?
Today we will be comparing the cheaper Milestar brand to the more expensive, higher quality Michelin brand. On pure price tag alone Milestar is cheaper, but what happens when we take durability and quality into account, is Michelin worth it in the long run? Or are you just wasting your money?
Milestar’s History
Milestar is quite a young company as it was founded in 2006. At first glance, this means that Milestar has very little experience in the tire world and thus, would probably going to underperform. Fortunately, Milestar is actually a subsidiary of Tireco, inc. which has all the experience you would look for in a tire company.
In the beginning, the company was named K.H.H. Enterprises and was first established in 1972 and was located in Torrance, California. The company started out by producing bicycle tires and after only seven-years of business, it became the OES for HUFFY Bicycle tires.
It was only in the year of 2000 that the company’s name was changed to Tireco, inc. With our forty years of experience, that company has done much in its time. Their primary success was thanks to their Nankang USA tire brand.
Milestar has benefited from Tireco’s experiences and is able to provide a relatively cheap yet reliable tire.
Milestar’s Tire Families
With the many years of experience, that Tireco, inc brings to the table, Milestar delivers a durable tire for a good price. Though traction and grip reviews are somewhat mixed, many people swear by Milestar’s ride comfort and silence.
If you are looking for excellent performance then Milestar is probably not going to be your best bet, however, if it is affordability you are looking for, then you can definitely save a buck at Milestar.
MS932
The MS932 line is all about performance, both in wet and dry weather. These two tires will however perform best in the dry.
Weatherguard
Like the MS932, the Weatherguard also has only two tires in its line which are also all-season/weather tires. The main difference to the MS932 line is that these tires will hold up better when conditions get worse. The Weatherguard AW365 has the official 3PMS rating which means it can handle full out winter driving.
Patagonia
The Patagonia is Milestar’s largest line at 8 tires. Two of these tires are however, for side by sides where the other six tires are made predominantly for light trucks. All of these tires are built for off-roading with the exception of the PATAGONIA H/T.
MS775
As the sole tire in the MS775 line, the MS775 TOURING SLE comes with an S speed rating and is designated as an all-season touring tire. It is quite cheap and is designed to last.
Streetsteel
The streetsteel tire line also has all but one tire, however, it is quite unique as it is a classic performance tire built for classic American muscle cars and trucks.
Steelpro
With three tires in this line, the steelpro covers the basic fitments for most commercial purposes. Two of the three tires are built for light trucks and commercial vans, which the third is designed for trailers.
Michelin’s History
Michelin is formidable, as it is world’s second-largest tire company. Founded on May 28th, 1889, by brothers Édouard and André Michelin. Thanks to many years of experience, Michelin has achieved many key milestones which have put them on the map.
The birth of the company is thanks to the first of these milestones because it is the reason the brothers founded Michelin tires. Before the brother’s intervention into the tire industry, if a tire was punctured and need repair, many hours would be lost.
This was because tires were glued to the rim, which lead to extremely long repair and wait times for tire repairs. The brothers had a firsthand experience of this when they took on a client that need a bicycle tire repaired.
They agreed to repair the tire and set to work. It took them three hours to remove the tire because of the glue. Once it was removed and repaired, they glued it back on and then had to wait many hours for the glue to dry.
Finally, the glue was dry and one of the brothers tested it out, to which the tire promptly failed. Two years later in 1891, the Michelin patent for the removable pneumatic tire was published. That same year Charles Terront won the world’s first long-distance cycle race with the removable pneumatic tire.
By 1934 Michelin introduced the run-flat-tire. Though this was an early version and not much like anything we see today, it was still an important innovation. The tire sported a special internal foam that would take the load of the vehicle if the air pressure of the tire was lost.
Today not many people use run-flat tires, nor do they see the use for them. A combination of modern-day tires and roads means that punctures are not that common. In those days, however, punctures were far more common due to road conditions and the fact that all tires were non-radial.
This was just the beginning of Michelins climb to power. In 1946 Michelin invented the radial tire. Since its inception, the radial tire has changed the tire world. The radial tire is much stronger than a non-radial tire. This is due to two design features.
First, a radial tire has a steel belt running under the tread in parallel to the direction of tire rotation. The main job of this steel belt is to provide strength and support to the treaded area, which vastly improves puncture resistance.
The second feature is the nylon fibers that run from bead assembly to bead assembly (the parts that touch the rim). These nylon fibers are sometimes called the body plies and are aligned perpendicularly to the rotation of the wheel.
The nylon fibers give both support and flexibility to the sidewalls of the tire. Because the tread and sidewalls are supported by different systems, the radial tire can make the most of both material’s properties where it is most needed.
Michelin has been such a successful company over the years, they even had their stint in the pinacol of motorsports, Formula One. The constructor’s championship was won four times with Michelin, an accomplishment most drivers don’t even achieve.
Their successes, however, were not without hardship. In 2005 Michelin tires were experiencing catastrophic failures and over half the grid protested, refusing to race on the dangerous tires. This all happened at the US Grand Prix and is now known as the US Grand Prix debacle.
After further disagreements with F1’s governing body, the FIA, Michelin decided to withdraw from F1 for good at the end of the 2006 season. Today Michelin is only second to Bridgestone. The company is extremely reputable and is advertised as using technology and innovation to make its products and services stand out.
Michelin Tire Families
With Michelin having been so much more impactful throughout the tire world, they have many more tire options to pick from. Though this can be overwhelming as you might feel as though you have too many choices, it actually means that you can pick that tire that meets your exact needs.
Michelin CrossClimate
The four CrossClimate tires are all-season tires that are more capable in the snow than most all-season tires as they have the three peaks symbol. With their unique tread pattern, they will not only turn heads but all last a long time, especially compared to other tires that have the same winter ratings.
Michelin Defender
The Defender is Michelin’s long lasting tire that can go anywhere. Design to operate in just about any condition, these three tires all come with a warranty up to 80,000 miles. Many claim that the defender is the best long-lasting tire on the market.
Michelin Energy
These three tires are designed to improve your fuel efficiency, whether it be on the family car or a small sports car. The tires can be used all-season round and they save fuel by keeping the tire cool due to a unique silica-based rubber.
Michelin Latitude
Consisting of six tires, the latitude line will provide winter, summer, and all-season tire requirements to SUV, CUV, and light truck owners. There are three basic areas which these tires cover: touring, sport, and winter.
Michelin Primacy
The Primacy tire line is the all-day everyday tire from Michelin. With seven tires in the line, you can customize your pick to best fit your needs. The main goal Michelin has with this tire line is to provide safety and comfort to the user in all conditions.
Michelin Pilot
The Pilot is one of Michelin’s biggest attractions. With a whopping eighteen tires in this line, you can truly optimize your vehicle’s boots in order to maximize all of its potential. Most of these are summer tires with a small amount of grooving, however, if you want some wet and wild fun or a bit of fun in the snow, the pilot line has it all.
Michelin Premier
As you can probably tell from the name, these are Michelin’s most luxurious tires. There are only two tires in the line, one for passenger cars and luxury performance cars, and the other tire is for SUVs and Crossovers. Both tires will substantially reduce road noise and provide a smooth ride.
Michelin LTX
The LTX tires are all about “bigger is better” as both tires in the line are made for light trucks and SUVs. One tire is aimed at the all-terrain experience while the other tire leans more toward commercial usage.
X Ice
Finally, the X Ice is all about winter. All three tires are winter only tires. All of these tires use studless winter tire technology where the main difference is the vehicle they can be fitted to.
Differences Between Milestar and Michelin
The main differences between Michelin and Milestar are going to come down to price and quality. Quality-wise Michelin takes the cake. Due to their years of experience and sheer size, they simply have the resources to produce better tires.
On pure price tag alone, Milestar wins. That being said affordability doesn’t always equal value. For the most part, you will not get a tread life warranty of more than 40,000 miles for a Milestar tire.
Michelin on the other hand offers tires which have double that, sometimes for more than double the price yes, however, wear isn’t everything.
Advantages of Milestar
- Affordability
- Relatively good reliability for the price.
Advantages of Michelin
- Cost saving due to Innovative fuel efficiency technology
- Extensive testing for consumer models
- Wide variety for tire types
- Some of the longest treadwear warranties in the industry
Which Brand to Choose?
All in all, Michelin is going to be the best choice here. Though Milestar has a lower upfront cost, Michelin will actually save you money in the long run. This can be tested by comparing both companies’ long-lasting tires, the DEFENDER T + H for Michelin and the MS775 for Milestar.
The Milestar tire will cost you about $90, which is pretty good and comes with a 40,000-mile warranty.The Michelin tire on the other hand will set you back around $160 per tire, which would cost an extra $120 for all four tires compared to Milestar.
However, the Michelin tires come with an 80,000-mile warranty. When you do the math, you get about 500 warrantied miles per dollar with the Michelin tire, whereas with the Milestar tire you get about 444 warrantied miles per dollar.
When you take the mileage per dollar plus the superior performance of the Michelin tire into account, the Michelin tire is the way to go.
Now, this might change depending on your situation and which tire you want to buy, so I suggest comparing the tires you are considering before buying, and in addition it is always a good idea to look up some reviews.