# Tyre query.



## Obanboy666 (Aug 16, 2017)

The tyres on my Renault Master base vehicle pvc will need changing before winter and I'm curious to know should I buy motorhome specific tyres or van type.
At present the rear tyres are Conti 215/65/R16C 109/107 type which i understand are motorhome specific tyres, the front are some obscure type I've never heard of.
Vehicle Max weight is 3300 kg. Fully loaded i run at 2950 kg which is basically 90% of the time. I believe motorhome tyres have strengthened side walls etc due to motorhomes running at max weight most of the time so that tells me I should get the motorhome specific tyres but any advise is most appreciated.
Not looking to save money as I'm a firm believer in buying the best most suitable type of tyre be it for my car or pvc.


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## runnach (Aug 16, 2017)

There was a stage lots of people fitting continental vancos with a degree of success.... I drove for DHL and on the sprinters were standard. Never had any hassle with them albeit MHomers I sure I read thought they were a bit noisier.

On the basis the only contact between me and the road I would probably go dedicated camping tyres, Also a thought , in the event of an accident would an insurer drag their heels that vancos are inappropriate ? no idea tbh but worth thinking about 

Channa


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## Canalsman (Aug 16, 2017)

channa said:


> Also a thought , in the event of an accident would an insurer drag their heels that vancos are inappropriate ?



Unlikely. In my view, provided the size and load rating are correct the vehicle will comply with the relevant legislation.


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## molly 2 (Aug 16, 2017)

My van came with Michelin agilis tyres ,but not camping  .


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## mark61 (Aug 16, 2017)

Nothing against MH specific tyres, but I've never really believed the strengthened side walls bit. There are plenty of commercials that run loaded pretty much all the time, builders vans etc. What about ambulances? 

If you currently have Conto MH tyres, I'm sure they will have " VancoCamper"  in big letters on the side. Vanco and Vanco2  or ContiVanContact are the commercial Continental tyres.

If you use the van a lot in winter, the Vanco Winter 2 may be worth looking at. M+S & 3 peaks rated. 

If going the Michelin Agilis route, their MH tyre does have the advantage over their standard van range being M+S. There is also the Agilis Alpin range for all season.


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## oppy (Aug 16, 2017)

I just fit the cheapest available. Noise is not a problem with all the rattles etc in our van and as most of the budget tyres are made by subsidiaries of the major manufacturers ( and they must conform to EU reg.s) it seems a bit daft to pay twice as much just to have a recognised 'Brand' name. There will always be application specific tyres, but as a general rule a generic commercial tyre, albeit a tad noisier, will do for this tight owd codger.


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## IanH (Aug 16, 2017)

As the only contact your truck has with the road is 4 small footprint sized pieces, I'd go for proper motorhome tyres, more or less irrespective of cost.

Various reasons:-

They are designed for a 3.5 tonne vehicle actually weighing that or near it, 3 tonnes in your case
Their design will take account of the fact that most of the time the thing is stationary
At your age, and I'm sure you must be about the same as me, the very last thing you need on a holiday, or, indeed, on any other trip is to be trying to change a tyre on a French motorway, in rain, in the the dark!
Motorhomes are not cheap so any tendency to fit the cheapest, as someone else said should be ignored, get the best, they'll last you, perhaps, 10yrs or so?:fun:


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## bobj808 (Aug 16, 2017)

Any 109/107 tyre is fine. If you go less than that loadbearing rate, may cause insurance problems. You can tell the age of your tyres by looking for the 4 digit code on the sidewall, eg 4514 is week 45 in 2014. You do see new branded tyres going cheap, mainly due to their age. Always worth asking the age if you buy them over the internet. My son's (private) Transit Custom van came standard with 107s but he has stuck on new alloys (20"!) and we could only get 103's. We've notified insurance and they are quite happy. Bob.


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## colinm (Aug 16, 2017)

Here's how I choose tyres.
Go to a website such as Blackcircles, enter size and load index, choose the tyres with best wet grip rating.


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## Obanboy666 (Aug 16, 2017)

Thanks to all.
Decision made, when the time comes I'm going for either Continental or Michelin motorhome/camper tyres and will look to get all season if possible as i probably travel more in winter than any other time of year.
No rush but will do the deed before winter.


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## skippy (Aug 16, 2017)

Myself I will never buy budget tyres:
 Driving trucks for a living as a driver I had no say what was fitted ,on two occasions have had front tyres blow terrifying experience + probably in excess of 30 blowouts rest of vehicle this was low loader work.
 Worked for myself hauling logs only fitted michelin front +michelin retreads rest of vehicle purely from damage point of view nill blowouts never fitted budgets on anything since.
 Friend fitted chinese budgets onto Autotrail for trip to cornwall told him he was mad informed me 8 ply is 8 ply blow out on way home no I did not rub salt on his wound he decided to changed them .
 Myself I would fit quality make maybe increase load rating 111- 113 index?


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## Byronic (Aug 16, 2017)

If I was running near maximum on my present tyres, I'd just go a load
rating up on new bog standard van tyres. If you buy specialised tyres
and have to replace one, it may be a problem getting an exact replacement
in say Euroland, or even in the UK having to wait days, weeks, mo.....for a 
delivery may be a PIA.
And not good practise to mix tyre types on an axle.


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## petermotorhome (Aug 16, 2017)

*tyre query*

Hi  had new Tyres fitted to the Hymer back in march size 215/75/R16. 116/114R B-FUEL B WET 70DB.Up to 75PSI 10 PLY TYRES,Spot on price £76.74p FITTED.
peter.GT radial maxmiler pro check reviews you will not be disappointed.


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## vwalan (Aug 16, 2017)

petermotorhome said:


> Hi  had new Tyres fitted to the Hymer back in march size 215/75/R16. 116/114R B-FUEL B WET 70DB.Up to 75PSI 10 PLY TYRES,Spot on price £76.74p FITTED.
> peter.GT radial maxmiler pro check reviews you will not be disappointed.



hi, got the same tyres on my truck. good grip on and off road ,quiet and seem to be lasting well. 
have other chinese tyre on my trailer federal ecovan again seem to be lasting wqell had the fedrals fitted in 2008 . 
if you want quality these days buy chinese . 
forget any eu things just paying alot for less . 
oh i only payed 75 quid fitted for mine but it was 2 years ago. 
and balanced all in .
nice looking tyre as well.


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## Fazerloz (Aug 16, 2017)

IanH said:


> As the only contact your truck has with the road is 4 small footprint sized pieces, I'd go for proper motorhome tyres, more or less irrespective of cost.
> 
> Various reasons:-
> 
> ...



Tyres now have a simple rating system for comparisons to be made and all have to be made to a minimum safety standard. A grip rating of B is the same for both dear and cheap tyres. The economy rating isn't worth talking about in the amount of fuel saved over the life of a tyre.   I personally over a 10 year period would rather pay for 3 sets of new cheap tyres than 1 set of expensive tyres in the belief new tyres are better than old and tyres get better every year. Even cheap ones.  What was the best compound and build 10 years ago could well be lacking now compared to the compound and build on a modern cheap tyre.
One thing is for sure the major tyre manufacturers like to play on peoples fears.


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## rockape (Aug 16, 2017)

I had a slow puncture which couldn't be repaired for reasons which are too involved to discuss now. ATS  quoted me a like for like on a Michelin camping tyre which came  out  at £185. Considering that ATS is owned by Michelin I thought that the price was excessive. 
I then got an Avon Cooper tyre which is rated for MH,s for £95 , no contest.
I was a bit put out as the original had only done 9500 miles.


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## Byronic (Aug 16, 2017)

Merely qualifying my previous post, the why's.

Call me a cynic if you like. But I've a suspicion that Camping Tyres 
are just in themselves a cynical marketing ploy. No proof. Just that 
I've never seen anything over the years that convinces me that they are 
markedly better than the quality bog standard van tyre made by the 
same manufacturer. Certainly not so that the average driver in a moderately 
driven motorhome would notice. Does anyone drive them ten/tenths or 
anywhere near? A white van man is much more likely to drive his van in anger, 
and frankly what's good enough for him is ok for me with a load rating upgrade
as appropriate.
Some might say Camping Tyres are a bit quieter, or grip a bit better but
no really convincing evidence, I suspect it might be wishful thinking
to justify the premium price.


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## mark61 (Aug 16, 2017)

I'll be sticking with getting news ones for the time being. If I ever find a budget tyre, thats good for 110MPH + strong enough to be aired down to 15 psi when needed, has a 3 peaks rating and I can sell them for £15/£20 a piece when they're around 3/4 years old with 65000 mile on the, I may then consider budget ones.


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## Fazerloz (Aug 16, 2017)

Obanboy666 said:


> Thanks to all.
> Decision made, when the time comes I'm going for either Continental or Michelin motorhome/camper tyres and will look to get all season if possible as i probably travel more in winter than any other time of year.
> No rush but will do the deed before winter.



Just remember all winter tyres carry M+S markings but not all tyres that carry M+S markings are winter tyres.

Winter tyres ? don?t rely on the M+S mark! » Oponeo.co.uk


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## korky (Aug 16, 2017)

Started off with Continental Vanco Campers on my PVC,but ride was harsh and grip not great but they did last well.

When these wore out I had Michelin Camping, better ride, better grip but not so long lived as Contis.,softer compound I suppose.

Now running Hankook Vantras and will not change for anything else. Much nicer ride and grip and much cheaper but not a budget tyre.

I think Camping tyres are the invention of snake oil salesmen. I've bought them once in ignorance but not again. 

Korky.


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## kito (Aug 17, 2017)

Have a look at this page it may help you to decide

https://www.tyremen.co.uk/blog/do-i-need-specialist-camping-tyres-my-motorhome


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## exwindsurfer (Aug 17, 2017)

I've ran GT radial for the last three years no probs at all .the next set when I wear theses one out will be the same .I use my van nearly all the time so only stands the od day or so .


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## Byronic (Aug 17, 2017)

kito said:


> Have a look at this page it may help you to decide
> 
> https://www.tyremen.co.uk/blog/do-i-need-specialist-camping-tyres-my-motorhome



First paragraph second sentence "they (meaning camping tyres) have a much higher
carrying capacity than normal tyrse and van tyres" what's that supposed to mean?
A so called van tyre rated @118 can carry much the same load as a camping tyre
rated 118 to the best of my knowledge, a hint that it should indicate the manner in 
which the rest of the info should be viewed. To me it's slanted a little towards sellers
of tyres informing the rest of the fraternity on a few tips on tyre selling spiel.

Anyway the best they can come up with is stiffer side walls which motorhomers
demand, but not that with having stiffer walls + increased psi generally comes a harsher ride
I note they don't say that m/homers demand that particular aspect though! Better grip on 
campsites, which could mean softer tyre compounds, but perhaps increased tyre wear as a 
consequence. A lot of m/homers don't cover much mileage so that could be a trade off worth 
considering.


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## kito (Aug 17, 2017)

The difference in a lot of motorhome tyres is the weight and the pressure that they run at a typical van/pickup tyre will have a Max of 65Psi a motorhome could be any thing up to 5.5Bar/82Psi thats why most motorhomes comes with steel valves because the max that a rubber can cope with is 65Psi and a lot of the new vans are over the 3.5 Ton so they have to have a tyre that van cope with the higher weight + pressure.

Another page to look at.

TyreSafe unveils new tyre guidance for motorhome drivers and a unique pressure calculator - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness


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## mark61 (Aug 17, 2017)

*Reads article on a website that says MH tyres have a higher weight carrying capacity, immediately checks data on the tyre manufactures own web site to see that isn't always the case.

Who do you think I'm going to believe?


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## colinm (Aug 17, 2017)

mark61 said:


> *Reads article on a website that says MH tyres have a higher weight carrying capacity, immediately checks data on the tyre manufactures own web site to see that isn't always the case.
> 
> Who do you think I'm going to believe?



My van has 215/75-16 tyres, it comes as standard with C van tyres which are 116/114 rated, with this size of tyre CP's can only be built to 113 which is not up to the plated max for rear axle.


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## st3v3 (Aug 17, 2017)

The only thing I would say is that I will always use M+S tyres on mine.

We were in a *lot* of mud on Monday and I got out while many others were getting stuck. It is of course plenty to do with the fact that I have quite a bit of off-road driving experience, but I'm absolutely convinced the tyres made all of the difference.


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## Byronic (Aug 17, 2017)

kito said:


> The difference in a lot of motorhome tyres is the weight and the pressure that they run at a typical van/pickup tyre will have a Max of 65Psi a motorhome could be any thing up to 5.5Bar/82Psi thats why most motorhomes comes with steel valves because the max that a rubber can cope with is 65Psi and a lot of the new vans are over the 3.5 Ton so they have to have a tyre that van cope with the higher weight + pressure.
> 
> Another page to look at.
> 
> TyreSafe unveils new tyre guidance for motorhome drivers and a unique pressure calculator - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness



An appropriately sized standard van tyre should be able to manage more load as required
and if the van manufacture finds no tyre will suit the load, they uprate the wheel
rim itself eg instead of say a rim to fit 15" tyres they may make the higher load rated version
sit on 16" maybe even 17.5" instead of 16". And then there may be no need to 
increase tyre pressures.
Maybe camper tyre manufacturers realised that a lot of motorhome drivers were running
around near or over the max. for the tyres fitted, and instead of saying oi you lot
running around on overloaded tyres and blaming us, here's a tyre just for you, but we 
obviously can't say they're great for overload campervans can we? instead we'll tell you how
marvellous they are in other ways. We could say just get a higher load rated standard tyre,
then someone might say well what's wrong with just the tyre the van manufacturer
put on, because it meets the spec. are van tyres not recommended for camper vans? 
Keep going round in circles, like a wheel.!



I have 225/75R16C Light truck tyres (6.6tonne MAM van) the original valves fitted 
by Mercedes were rubber. Recommended pressures as in handbook 4.4 Bar
(64PSI). Nothing special about the valves, but I reckon they were at or near the
limit based on a search which dug up nothing much more than that rating
for rubber valves. Anyway I changed them for so called Transit valves which
are rated @ 6.8 Bar (100PSI) a mix of brass and "rubber" no steel or nuts involved
obtained on eBay.


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## kito (Aug 17, 2017)

Byronic said:


> An appropriately sized standard van tyre should be able to manage more load as required
> and if the van manufacture finds no tyre will suit the load, they uprate the wheel
> rim itself eg instead of say a rim to fit 15" tyres they may make the higher load rated version
> sit on 16" maybe even 17.5" instead of 16". And then there may be no need to
> ...



That could open another can of worms 6.6 Tonnes a lot of drivers don't have a licence for that weight I know when I bought my van I was never asked what licence I had.


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## Fazerloz (Aug 17, 2017)

kito said:


> That could open another can of worms 6.6 Tonnes a lot of drivers don't have a licence for that weight I know when I bought my van I was never asked what licence I had.


That's not the dealers responsibility it's up to the driver to know what he is entitled to drive.


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## kito (Aug 17, 2017)

hairydog said:


> The facts are not on your side, I'm afraid.
> 
> Firstly, just because the tyre has "max inflation pressure 65psi" written on it, that doesn't mean it is the maximum pressure the tyre is good for. It only applies in the USA, where lawyers distort reality. You will be fine inflating a trye above that pressure (apart from getting your teeth rattled out over bumps). However, you may be exceeding the valve's design capacity.
> 
> ...



My van has a 82 Psi for rear and if run it any less it makes the van unstable in the wind and heals in corners


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## kito (Aug 17, 2017)

Fazerloz said:


> That's not the dealers responsibility it's up to the driver to know what he is entitled to drive.



Yes I agree with you totally


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## Byronic (Aug 17, 2017)

kito said:


> That could open another can of worms 6.6 Tonnes a lot of drivers don't have a licence for that weight I know when I bought my van I was never asked what licence I had.



If you possess a standard car licence then you can drive up to 3.5 Tonnes as of right. If you 
passed your car licence test before 1997 then you get the automatic rights including the
all important C1 licence to drive a vehicle up to 7.5tonnes (called grandfather rights) no 
practical test required. One of the few perks in being over the min. of 37 years of age! As Fazerloz says 
it's your responsibility to make sure you are driving in accordance with your licence conditions 
no one else's.
Nothing to stop someone taking the actual C1 test itself to uprate their entitlement of course


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## bobj808 (Aug 17, 2017)

hairydog said:


> The C at the end of the number doesn't refer to Camping, it means Con trick. Every tyre has a load rating. You should never exceed it. Buy a tyre one rating up. Still far cheaper than a camping tyre.
> Cheap is good because you probably won't wear the tyres out (except FWD fronts). You'll replace them through age. Chucking away a good cheap tyre is less painful than a chucking away a good expensive one.



That's a very valid point. When I bough my second low mileage motorhome (why do people not use them?) in April it still had the original tyres on the back. Plenty of tread life but were starting to crack at the sides. I got 2 new rears as part of the deal. They are obviously Chinese make - we really have the motorhome for my son's motocross all over the UK - and put on loads of miles (6000 up to mid July) towing a 12' box trailer. Cruise around 60/65mph on the m/ways and go to places no motorhome should reasonably expect to haver to go and the tyres have been fine. No blow outs, no skids, just fine. Been stuck a few times but that's what towing eyes are for which brings me to another point. Both our Citroen base and Fiat base towing eye holes in the bumper wouldn't accept the screw in eye because of rusty threads. Had to get both re-tapped. Pack them real full of grease or you may suffer the same issues and only find out when you need a tow. Bob.


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## Byronic (Aug 17, 2017)

I don't know if the Chinese deserve the bad press they get, I suspect 
some Chinese makes are better than others.
My own van was originally shod with Uniroyals a USA co. but made in 
Germany. Within 4 years those tyres had cracked so badly particularly
the fronts that you could hide a thin biro in them! The van was only
used in the UK Norwich area and garaged at night, used on a regular
basis Needless to say they were not subjected to burning sunlight!

The tyres I have on the same van are 4 Bridgestones made in Japan
the fronts are 10 years old virtually as new the outer rears are 4 years
old virtually as new. The inner rear tyres are Avons made in England 4 years
old bought same time as the rear Bridgestones. I had to buy them due to 
time constraints in sourcing another matching pair of Bridgestones.

These rear tyres have had an easy life never more than half rated load
all at the correct pressures the Avons never even getting direct sunlight.
However the Avons are starting to sidewallcrack, 1mm max. so far. 
No guesses whose tyres I'll be buying. And it won't be Uniroyal
or Avon. They may manufacture perfectly good tyres, just not the
ones I was blessed with.


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## korky (Aug 17, 2017)

Byronic said:


> I don't know if the Chinese deserve the bad press they get, I suspect
> some Chinese makes are better than others.
> My own van was originally shod with Uniroyals a USA co. but made in
> Germany. Within 4 years those tyres had cracked so badly particularly
> ...



Your post just reminded me,when I went to look at Globecars, they had 2 in the showroom fresh from the factory in Germany and they had Bridgestones on, not camper tyres.

I was surprised when mine came with Michelin CP's.

Korky.


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## kito (Aug 17, 2017)

kito said:


> Yes I agree with you totally


Its when you reach 70 and you have to amply for a new licence thats when a lot o people get caught out,  one of my friends got caught that way he thought that he would not  need his HGV licence so gave it up that drooped him down to 3.5tonnes he was ok with his old van but bought a new one 3.8 tonnes had to get medical and Dr report got it all sorted in end but it took weeks


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## Deleted member 5816 (Aug 20, 2017)

You need to get the weight of the van in fully loaded conditions with full fuel and water plus passenger get front axle, rear axle and full van weight.
Then email say Michelin stating tyre size and weights ( don't say that they are not there tyres )
They will normally respond with suggested pressures you can then adjust to suit.

Alf




hairydog said:


> People buy motorhomes, then find they don't have time to make use of them. Daft, but common.
> 
> Two years ago, I decided to change my tyres to the biggest size that will fit. That meant buying six, of course, and the change was forced by a front one wearing out.
> 
> ...


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## skippy (Aug 20, 2017)

Look at you tube (Budget vs premium). It's a no brainer for me when I look at my family travelling with me another £200 on top for 4 years use on premium brands is not an option I would consider . Circumstances can differ  for some and I fully appreciate some peoples dilemma when looking for tyres .


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## Canalsman (Aug 20, 2017)

hairydog said:


> People buy motorhomes, then find they don't have time to make use of them. Daft, but common.
> 
> Two years ago, I decided to change my tyres to the biggest size that will fit. That meant buying six, of course, and the change was forced by a front one wearing out.
> 
> ...



Somebody posted a link to this recently:

Motorhome Tyre Inflation Pressure Advice - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness


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## Wooie1958 (Aug 20, 2017)

POI Admin said:


> Somebody posted a link to this recently:
> 
> Motorhome Tyre Inflation Pressure Advice - TyreSafe - Promoting UK Tyre Safety and Driver Awareness




I`ve just checked my tyres in the link posted and i run them slightly higher than suggested.

Ride is firm but more than acceptable, handling is good and the tyres wear evenly across the tread   :dance:


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