Citroen Traction Avant Tire Pressures

To find tires for your Citroen Traction Avant see our Citroen Traction Avant Tires page.

1934 Citroen Traction Avant 7a

Tire pressure for a Citroen Traction Avant ranges from 17-29 PSI depending on the specific model, the type of tires that you decide to fit, and pressure differences for front and rear tires.
To find the ideal tire pressures for your car's year, model, and chosen tires follow the link to our Tire Pressure Guide.

Most Citroen Traction Avant models can fit the 165 SR 400 Michelin X or the 130/140 x 40 Michelin SCSS. The Citroen Traction Avant 'Big 6' and other large models can fit 185 R 400 Michelin X or the The Michelin SCSS 150/160x40.
To find out more information on Citroen Traction Avant tires follow the link to our Citroen Traction Avant Tire Section.

Citroen Traction Avant Tire Recommendations

Citroen Traction Avant Tires Explained

Depending on the model, the Citroen Traction Avant accepts a variety of Michelin tires. For Citroen Traction Avant 7A, 7B, 7 Sport, and 7C, we suggest the 165 SR 400 Michelin X or the 130/140 x 40 Michelin SCSS. These tires should be fitted with Michelin 16E innertubes.

Citroen Traction Avant 11B, 11BC, 11D, 11 Légère, 11BL, 11 Normale, & Light 15 should fit the 165R400 Michelin or the 150/160x40 Michelin SCSS. For the Traction Avant, we can now provide a 165SR400 Michelin X Whitewall tire. Sets of these white wall Michelins, such as this Set of 5 165R400 Michelin X White Wall, are also available.

Longstone recommends the Michelin X 185 R 400 for a Citroen Traction Avant 15/6 (known as a Big 6 in the UK), Big 15 & 22 H P. Later hydraulic 6-cylinder automobiles can fit 185 R 400 Michelin X tires. The Michelin SCSS 150/160x40 and X 185 R 400 are ideally suited to a Michelin 16F innertube.

Crossply Citroen Traction Avant Tires

The Citroen Traction (Light 15) 7C with 36 horsepower was introduced in 1935, replacing the Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15) 7B. This year, the 7 Sport was replaced by the 11 Légère (light). The Light 15 11CV, which was broader and longer than the Light 15 7C and with a 1.9-litre engine, was also introduced in 1935. The Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15) 7 series was available with either 130/140x40 or 150/160x40 Michelin SCSS tires.

The introduction of the 15 Six or Big 15 in 1938 was the most significant upgrade to the Traction Avant series. This automobile had a 2.8 litre 6 cylinder engine, which required a larger bonnet with cooling grilles. This year also saw the introduction of the Michelin Pilote wheels, which were paired with 165 SR 400 Michelin X tires. This required a 5cm increase in the width of the wheel arches.

Radial Traction Avant Tires

Citroen Traction Avant 11b

Citroen Traction Avant Cabriolet

Citroen began offering the new Michelin X tires in the sizes 165 SR 400 in 1949, and 185 R 400 for the large 15 in 1953. The Citroen Traction Avant was offered as a four-door saloon, faux cabriolet, roadster, commerciale (perhaps the first production hatchback), coupe, and familiale (with eight seats!) during its lifespan. The enormous development expenditures of the Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15) were directly responsible for André Citroen's death and the subsequent acquisition of Citroen by Michelin, who owned Citroen until 1974. The classic Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15), which amazed the world with its tenacious handling, wonderful comfort, and revolutionary style (so brilliant that even W.O.Bentley owned one! ), was phased out in 1957.

History of the Citroen Traction Avant

Traction Avant Tire Change

On April 18, 1934, the Citroen Traction Avant, also commonly known as the Light 15, was first shown to the public. This revolutionary vehicle had a monocoque frame, front-wheel drive, all-around torsion bar suspension, and hydraulic brakes. The Citroen Traction Avant 7A, which had 32 horsepower, was quickly followed by the 7B, which had 35 horsepower, and the 7 Sport, which had 46 horsepower.

The Traction Avant was the first example of a carmaker mass-producing a crash-resistant, unitary, monocoque body. Furthermore, the automobile was an early user of rack and pinion steering. Although the vehicle's name highlighted its front-wheel drive power supply ("Traction Avant" literally means "front traction"), the automobile distinguished apart aesthetically from its contemporaries due to its substantially lower profile and stance, made possible by the absence of a separate chassis under the car's unitary body. By the end of the Avant's production life, around 760,000 units had been built, and it had cemented itself as one of the most iconic and important cars of the 20th century.

Citroen Traction Avant Tire Pressure

Finding record of tire pressure suggestions for pre-war cars can be tricky. We only have one period pressure guide from Michelin that mentions pressure for Avant models. As such we have included some more modern pressure guides for the Citroen ID 19, which was developed using much of the Avant's technology.

Citroen Traction Avant Tire Pressure Tables

Vintage Tire Pressures by Michelin

Model	Tire	Tire Pressure (F/R) PSI
Light 15	165 - 400 165 - 400 X 155 - 400 X	17/20 18/21 19/21
Big 15	185 - 400 165 - 400 X	18/22 22/24
Six (22 H P)	185 - 400 185 - 400 X 165 - 400 X	20/22 21/23 22/24