# Duro Tires & Dryrot



## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Somehow, I feel like I've lived this nightmare before......nah, it couldn't happen 2x, could it????

Yeah, it could...and it is...only this time it's Duro tires, and last time it was Nancos. Kathy checked the tires again on Thursday before we were leaving for the 1st time out on Friday night. She found both back tires to be separating at the tread, with one also cracking on the sidewalls (TT bought last fall, camped in twice). After hunting around for someplace with the right sized tires and with a Service truck/equipment who could come to the house to mount, balance, & install, we now have 5 new Radial paws. There was no point in fighting with anyone that day about the Duros 'cuz we sure didn't want more of them and we knew we wanted Radials this summer anyway...we just weren't planning on it THAT morning!.

btw, the old tire set included a Nanco spare. (You can bet our dealer got an earful about that at the time) Ironically, that's the only good one of the batch







so it will be remounted and become a spare Spare.

The battle for some kind of reimbursement will now begin. Does anyone have a direct contact number for Duro? Has anyone had enough of a tire issue with them to have any replaced/reimbursed? Yeah, unfortunately, we know well how to do this having been the 1st with the bad Nancos.....just can't believe we're here again!


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Wolfie,

I just found their website with contact info....Duro Tire

Keystone also gave me another number for them....800-966-8473

Sorry to hear you're going through this nightmare again!








I can't wait to watch this one unfold. We have the Duros, but no problems as of yet.....knock on wood


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

Ive got duro's on mine & no problems yet. But hearing all the bad stuff makes me want to just change them out for peace of mind. --MIke


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## MikeN (May 25, 2007)

I have 5000 miles plus on my Duro tires with no signs of wear. I do keep mine covered when camper is parked.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

MikeN said:


> I have 5000 miles plus on my Duro tires with no signs of wear. I do keep mine covered when camper is parked.


X2. I have 6-7K miles on my Duros with no problems. Our trailer will be two years old in August. We keep the tires covered year round and I always put wooden boards beneath the tires during winter storage. (Don't know if that helps anything, but my Grandfather always said that gravel and concrete will "suck the oil" out of tires that sit too long on those surfaces - thus getting brittle and dry rot cracks.)

I also had (2) Duros on our Coleman pop-up (which weighed about 3000#, with gear). The first set lasted five seasons and about 20K miles, and the second set were on their third season and about 9K miles when we sold the trailer (prior to buying the Outback).

I have no complaints with Duros, but there have been several on this forum who have had problems.

Sorry to hear about your problems with them, Wolfie. There's nothing more disturbing than pulling your trailer down the road, having to worry whether the rubber beneath your trailer is going to give out!

Mike


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## Eagleeyes (Aug 1, 2007)

wolfwood said:


> Somehow, I feel like I've lived this nightmare before......nah, it couldn't happen 2x, could it????
> 
> Yeah, it could...and it is...only this time it's Duro tires, and last time it was Nancos. Kathy checked the tires again on Thursday before we were leaving for the 1st time out on Friday night. She found both back tires to be separating at the tread, with one also cracking on the sidewalls (TT bought last fall, camped in twice). After hunting around for someplace with the right sized tires and with a Service truck/equipment who could come to the house to mount, balance, & install, we now have 5 new Radial paws. There was no point in fighting with anyone that day about the Duros 'cuz we sure didn't want more of them and we knew we wanted Radials this summer anyway...we just weren't planning on it THAT morning!.
> 
> ...


Does this mean you expect to get no satisfaction from Keystone or from the Dealer?
Bob


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

I have Duros on the 32BHDS. no issues yet but ill be giving them a good look again tomorrow.

Good Luck ! What did you end up replacing them with?


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## BirdLadyLisa (Aug 6, 2006)

We had Duros which were original to the camper. Last year, we had to replace all 4 due to dryrot. They were still under warranty and we got a discount on the new ones. One year later ... 2 had dry rot. Duro would not honor the warranty for a second time. So Steve bought another brand whose name escapes me at the moment. I am sure he will chime in on this thread. Good luck, Judy!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

skippershe said:


> Wolfie,
> 
> I just found their website with contact info....Duro Tire
> 
> ...


Thanks Dawn. Just send me the Research bill, ok?

Now I just have to get up the gumption for the call....


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Eagleeyes said:


> Does this mean you expect to get no satisfaction from Keystone or from the Dealer?
> Bob


Neither the Dealer or Keystone really has anything to do with this. I did call the Dealer on Friday and they were very helpful (as usual) but we needed resolution FAST and they could only have gone the normal route and that would have resulted in new Duros being delivered in a week or 2.

We changed the game a bit by opting for the Radials. I'm not expecting them to be paid for but will be looking for at least reimbursement of an amount equal to the value of 2 Duros (install, etc. would just be icing). At this point, I'm not sure its all worth the aggravation anyway....we've got healthy tires and we upgraded to the Radials....so they're even better than they would have been (tho' maybe not the brand we would have opted for if we'd had the time to shop & compare)

I'll keep ya' posted...


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Sayonara said:


> Good Luck ! What did you end up replacing them with?


Although there really was no option, we now have 5 Load Master Radials (+ the 'old' Nanco BiasPly.) I think we got them for a decent price and, other than the 'At-Home" Service cost of $75/hr, there wasn't any up-charge for last minute/same day/crazy-woman-on-the-phone service. When all was said & done, the cost was ~$700 for 5 Radials to be delivered, mounted, balanced, changed, & the old hauled away & never to be seen again. Rolling to our 1st of the season camping trip with healthy paws = PRICELESS!

We have an excellent tire place just down the road and I knew that whatever they'd have would be good....but I was really in a position of taking what was available. I have since searched the LoadMasters on THIS site and found that they are among the top choices. Thanks Outbackers! That was definitely some good news!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

BirdLadyLisa said:


> We had Duros which were original to the camper. Last year, we had to replace all 4 due to dryrot. They were still under warranty and we got a discount on the new ones. One year later ... 2 had dry rot. Duro would not honor the warranty for a second time. So Steve bought another brand whose name escapes me at the moment. I am sure he will chime in on this thread. Good luck, Judy!


Thanks, Lisa. Did you deal with Duro, Keystone, or the dealer?


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

wolfwood said:


> Thanks Dawn. Just send me the Research bill, ok?


sigh......ok wolfie, give me all your info









Sick 'em to the rescue!


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## Tyvekcat (Aug 28, 2007)

wolfwood said:


> Although there really was no option, we now have 5 Load Master Radials (+ the 'old' Nanco BiasPly.) I think we got them for a decent price and, other than the 'At-Home" Service cost of $75/hr, there wasn't any up-charge for last minute/same day/crazy-woman-on-the-phone service. When all was said & done, the cost was ~$700 for 5 Radials to be delivered, mounted, balanced, changed, & the old hauled away & never to be seen again. Rolling to our 1st of the season camping trip with healthy paws = PRICELESS!


Yes I agree. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get-r-done. No matter what the cost. Interesting, 'at home service'.
We don't have that here in rural Virginia. They may have it in NOVA, or over in the TideWater, but not in SWVA.
Let us know if you tell a difference in how the radials tow. I'd be interested in knowing.
enjoy !


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Judi sorry to hear about you Duros
Mine just wore out and I did the same thing and put Radials on ours too

Don


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## CrazyDan (May 13, 2006)

We're getting ready for our 3rd season with the OB. Last weekend we took it out of storage and noticed all four tires had cracked during the winter









I'm thinking of replacing them with Maxxis or Carlisle radials.

Any comments about those brands are welcome.


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## jetjane (Feb 8, 2007)

We have Maxxis tires on our 5er and so far, so good. We don't have a whole lot of miles on them but this is our 2nd camping season on them and they still look good. I have seen nothing but good reviews about them as well and this is why we chose them. Carlisles, on the other hand, nothing but bad reviews. People used to like them, but ever since they started making them in China, the quality has gone downhill. This is what I read anyway as I don't have any personal experience with them.


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## FZ1dave (Jul 10, 2007)

2 of our less-than-1-year-old duro's developed sidewall dryrot over the winter. Tires were covered and on leveling blocks.

Time for me to call as well...


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

FZ1dave said:


> 2 of our less-than-1-year-old duro's developed sidewall dryrot over the winter. Tires were covered and on leveling blocks.
> 
> Time for me to call as well...


Sounds familiar. Don't know how old the tires actually were, but we'd had them less than 6 mths old. They were not covered but were on blocks (in 6mths, neither of those shoudl make the difference, tho')


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## 4xys (Mar 18, 2007)

We are going though the same situation. We picked up our 23RS in Sept. by the time we got home all 4 Milestar tires were cracked. The dealer replaced them with Duros. When we got the trailer out of storage much to our surprise all 5 tires are dryrotted! Those Duros only have about 300 miles on them! Keystone & the dealer will have nothing to do with it & sent us to Duro to file a claim. They are evaluating the problem & will let us know their decision in a week or so..... Duro said that they would only replace them, not issue a credit so we can get some reliable tires. We are not pleased at all needless to say. Basically a real pain!! As a new trailer should not have tire issues from the start.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

4xys said:


> We are going though the same situation. We picked up our 23RS in Sept. by the time we got home all 4 Milestar tires were cracked. The dealer replaced them with Duros. When we got the trailer out of storage much to our surprise all 5 tires are dryrotted! Those Duros only have about 300 miles on them! Keystone & the dealer will have nothing to do with it & sent us to Duro to file a claim. They are evaluating the problem & will let us know their decision in a week or so..... Duro said that they would only replace them, not issue a credit so we can get some reliable tires. We are not pleased at all needless to say. Basically a real pain!! As a new trailer should not have tire issues from the start.


I haven't stated my battle yet. Can you tell me who you spoke with?


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

I was checking our Duros yesterday and noticed some cracking on the side of only one of the tires. It's right next to the tread on the edge of the sidewall.

Is this even worth pursuing with them??


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

skippershe said:


> I was checking our Duros yesterday and noticed some cracking on the side of only one of the tires. It's right next to the tread on the edge of the sidewall.
> 
> Is this even worth pursuing with them??


Frankly Daw, that's exactly what I haven't decided yet. I have heard from several sources that they will only replace, not reimburse. And replacements was certainly not what I wanted nor did I have time. (btw, this was NANACO's response too). Keystne authoriized the SOB-replacements for the NANCOs and that was also a time-pressure thing....so I may go that route. and see if I can accomplish anything. The good news is that we were gonna invest in the Radials this year anyway so we've really lost nothing (except for time). And then again, ANY $$ towards reimbursement would be something gained and, IF I need to, I've been known to be able to make alot of noise









Anyone have a reasonably educated estimate on what a new Duro would have cost them to send ??


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Did you happen to check the code on your Duros to see when they were manufactured??

Ours say 2305 meaning that they were made in the 23rd week of 2005. Ours are now almost 3 years old with about 2,500 miles on them.

Is this considered a remarkably long life for these tires? How long should they last anyway?


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## BirdLadyLisa (Aug 6, 2006)

wolfwood said:


> We had Duros which were original to the camper. Last year, we had to replace all 4 due to dryrot. They were still under warranty and we got a discount on the new ones. One year later ... 2 had dry rot. Duro would not honor the warranty for a second time. So Steve bought another brand whose name escapes me at the moment. I am sure he will chime in on this thread. Good luck, Judy!


Thanks, Lisa. Did you deal with Duro, Keystone, or the dealer?
[/quote]

I think Steve dealt directly with Duro.


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## CrazyDan (May 13, 2006)

skippershe said:


> Did you happen to check the code on your Duros to see when they were manufactured??
> 
> Ours say 2305 meaning that they were made in the 23rd week of 2005. Ours are now almost 3 years old with about 2,500 miles on them.
> 
> Is this considered a remarkably long life for these tires? How long should they last anyway?


Ours are coded 0106 with about 5,500 miles on them. My brother and a colleague of mine changed theirs in the second year...


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

My Maxxis tires are holding up well after two years. While in storage it's parked in an asphalt lot and I cover the tires and use 3M 303 aerospace UV protectant. I think the key is covering the tires plus some type of protective chemical to help keep the tires from drying out.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

Add me to the LONG list of dissatisified Duro owners. DW noticed a few cracks and upon closer inspection we found that the tread is actually seperating from the tire.

We just ordered 5 new Maxxis Radials from tires-easy.com for $455 shipped. We'll have to get them mounted locally, but that shouldn't be a problem.


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## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

Judi, that is really a sad thing to hear!
Our Duro tires are 5yrs old.They have worn the outer treads excessively from the outset but just now are starting to show any cracking in the tread. Lst week I pulled the rims off the trailer to sanndblast and paint them. While I had them off I saw just how badly the tires were scalloped and the beginning of rot so I am replacing them. I got 4 Carlisle radials for $295.00 and have the equipment mount and balance them myself. 
I blasted the rims and treated them with extend yeterday. I'll paint them tomorrow.
On the tire wear, they have always been run at 50psi but the bushings in the suspension wore out quickly so I feel that contributed. Balancing will help, too. Shocks may be in the offing, too.
Bob


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