Citroen Traction Avant
Citroen Traction Tyres
- 165R400 Michelin or 130/140x40 Michelin SCSS for a Citroen Traction Avant 7A, 7B, 7 Sport & 7C.
- 165R400 Michelin or 150/160x40 Michelin SCSS for a Citroen Traction Avant 11B, 11BC, 11D, 11 Légère, 11BL, 11 Normale, Light 15 & Big 15.
- 185R400 Michelin X for a Citroen Traction Avant 15/6 & Big 6.
- The later hydraulic 6 cylinder cars fitted 185R400 X on the front and 165R400 X on the rear.
Cross Ply Citroen Traction Avant Tyres
1938 saw the biggest change to the Traction Avant family with the introduction of the 15 Six or Big 15. This car came with a 2.8 litre 6 cylinder engine which necessitated a longer bonnet with cooling grilles fitted. This year also saw the fitment of the Michelin Pilote wheels with 165x400 Michelin X tyres. This entailed widening the wheelarches by 5cm.
Radial Traction Avant Tyres
From about 1949 Citroen offered the new Michelin X tyres in the size 165R400, and the 185R400 Michelin X for the big 15 from 1953.
During its lifetime the Citroen Traction Avant was available as a 4 door saloon, faux cabriolet, roadster, commerciale (with possibly the first production hatch back), coupe and familiale (with 8 seats!). The high development costs of the Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15) were directly responsible for the death of André Citroën and its consequent takeover by Michelin who owned Citroën until 1974. The iconic Citroen Traction Avant (Light 15) which wowed the world with its tenacious handling, magnificent comfort and advanced styling (so good even W.O.Bentley owned one!) ceased production in 1957.