Peugeot 208 Tyre Pressures

Tyre pressures are crucial to check on a regular basis. Having incorrect tyre pressures can cause a number of problems, including increased and uneven tyre wear, increased braking distance and poorer fuel economy. This article will show you which tyre pressures are correct for your Peugeot 208, as well as how you can check them and if they are low, how to pump them up.

It’s worth mentioning that this information is a guide only. On your specific Peugeot 208, there will be a little information card in the passenger door shut which will give you the exact tyre pressures for your vehicle. While we’ve made every effort to ensure this information is correct, you should check this tyre pressure card before checking your tyre pressures. If the information is different, the information card in your car is correct. 

How to find your tyre size

Depending on the trim level, your Peugeot 208 may be fitted with either 15”, 16”, 17” or 18” wheels. The size of the wheels fitted to your car will dictate the tyres you will need to put on your car.

However, the size of the wheels are not the only thing that needs to be considered – the tyre’s width and sidewall height also dictate which tyres you’ll need to buy.

Here is how to find out the tyre size for your Peugeot 208.

On each of your tyres you will have a number like this:

So for example, on a standard Peugeot 208 Allure that came with 16” rims, you will have a figure very similar to 195/55/R16.

195 = The tyre width.

55 = The tyre height.

R16 = The tyre’s diameter (the same size as your wheel.)

Occasionally you may find different sized tyres on the front and back. However the tyres either side of the axle will always be the same. Make sure you pick the correct tyre size from the table below as different sizes of tyres will run different pressures.

Peugeot 208 Tyre Pressures

As mentioned, the information card in the front passenger side door shut should take precedence over the information below.

If we have missed your size of tyre, please let us know and we will update this table with the relevant information. 

How to check the tyre pressures on your Peugeot 208

Checking tyre pressures is easy. Make sure you have a reliable tyre pressure gauge – they are available very cheaply online from places like Amazon or from motor factors such as Euro Car Parts. I would recommend a digital one, but analogue ones are likely to be a bit cheaper.

Open the tyre valve for the tyre you want to check by unscrewing the cap. Don’t lose the cap – it’s very important, so put it somewhere safe. Make sure your gauge is set up if necessary – on some digital tyre pressure gauges you will need to specify if you want the readout in bar, PSI or kPa. Push your tyre pressure gauge onto the valve and make a note of the reading.

If the reading is too low, inflate your tyre. If the reading is too high, let some air out of the tyre by pushing the gauge onto the valve until you hear a hissing sound and then do another read to ensure you haven’t let too much air out.

Common questions about Peugeot 208 tyres

Is it better to overinflate or underinflate tyres?

Either under or overinflated tyres can cause problems, reducing the performance of your tyres and making them wear out prematurely.

Underinflation will cause poor handling and reduced fuel consumption, as well as affecting braking performance. Overinflation can cause an uncomfortable ride, poor handling and uneven wear.

A common mistake people make is that they look at the recommended pressure on the sidewall of the tyre. This is the tyre’s maximum pressure and is NOT the recommended pressure for your Peugeot 208.

Ensure you only inflate your tyres to the recommended pressure level in the table above, and check your tyre pressures regularly – at least once per month and before a long journey.

Should all four tyres have the same PSI?

Not necessarily. Tyres across an axle should always have the same PSI – so both rear tyres should have matching PSI and both front tyres should have matching PSI.

However, there are some cases where all four tyres must have the same pressure and instances where the rear pressure is lower than the front pressure. Again – you must make sure you check the recommended tyre pressures for the tyres fitted to your Peugeot 208 before inflating or deflating your tyres to ensure they are correct.

How often should tyres be replaced?

This really depends on the type of driving you do, how aggressive a driver you are, how old your tyres are and the quality of tyres you have fitted to your vehicle. For example, you may get 30,000 miles out of a set of tyres if you put a premium brand on the car such as Pirelli or Dunlop, you rotate your tyres regularly and you mainly do motorway driving.

You may get much less if you have poor quality tyres fitted to your vehicle and you don’t check the pressures regularly meaning your tyres are wearing unevenly.

The only sure way to know if your tyres are due for replacement is by checking the tread. The legal limit for tyres in the UK is 1.6mm of tread, but I would recommend that you think about replacing your tyres at 3mm of tread. You can do this with a reliable tyre tread depth gauge, which you can pick up online or from your motor factors.

Another determining factor of whether your tyres need replacing is how old they are – tyres, like any rubber product, tend to crack and perish after a period of time. You should inspect your tyres regularly for any signs of wear, and in my opinion, if your tyres are more than five years old it’s time to look at replacing them. 

What brand of tyre do Peugeot recommend?

New Peugeot cars are fitted with Michelin tyres in my experience. The spare tyre fitted to the first generation Peugeot 208 is a Michelin tyre. However, there are many different tyre manufacturers, most of whom make a good product, so fitting any premium tyre, such as Bridgestone, Pirelli, Dunlop or Goodyear to your Peugeot 208 is likely to give very similar road performance to that of the original Michelin tyres. 

Generally your choice of tyres for a vehicle like the Peugeot 208 should be dictated by whether the tyre is premium, mid-range or budget, or whether the tyre is all-season, summer or winter, rather than the individual brand.

Yes – different brands and models of tyres will all have slightly different performance, specifically their performance in the wet, the fuel economy they deliver and the noise they generate, but generally a premium brand will offer you better performance over a mid-range brand such as Avon or Davanti, and a mid-range brand will offer you better performance over a budget tyre such as Runway.

I will say that as someone who’s been driving for many years, I can tell whether a car is fitted with decent tyres or not. Grip and traction, especially in the wet, is significantly improved with a premium tyre compared to a budget tyre.

Considering that your tyres are the only thing that separate you from the ground, I would urge you to purchase the best tyres you can afford – tyres are not a thing to cheap out on.

We've written extensively about the Peugeot 208 - so if you're experiencing problems or need some advice, check out some of our other content.