Sorry to break up the love affair for the "red" diaphragms.
After reading this thread, I called the manufacturer (one of our suppliers) to try to get more information.
Customer service informed me the red material is the same as the blue material, but with a different dye (color), and the red was discontinued.
Engineering was out this morning, so have a call in to them to see if they have a blue diaphragm (I have not seen one).
Just for the record, we have had no trouble with the black diaphragms IF the engine is started on a fairly regular basis. On daily drivers, there is no problem.
As to those who swear by the red: we have found that local blends create havoc with some materials. Using the modern poly-nitrite closed-cellular foam floats works in most locations, but locally good for 3~4 weeks. So some of these products may not be failing because of the local blend, and other diaphragms in the same local blend may also not fail.
Will report back when I have more information.
Jon
