As Alvin says, there may be nothing wrong with other rubber suppliers. The issues don't seem to be if they seal. The issue, over the years, seems to be good fit/installation in some areas, in some years. I'm sure that the actual rubber compound used by Steele is the best. However, Steele now imports some of their products. They built their reputation on USA made. I guess competition and profit have prevailed. Possibly just wanting to provide more SKUs without creating tooling. Too bad. Maybe our new America will change that.
The crush durometer that bztguy is testing will be interesting. It would also be very interesting if bztguy could do us all a big favor. That is: to carefully compare the cross section of 1. an original, 2. an LMC and 3. a Steele door rubber. To see that not only the durometer is different, but the cross section is a little different also.
