Braided brake lines - yay or nay?
 

So how about a poll.

Who's got them?, Who likes them? Worthwhile upgrade or could have gone without? Who thinks its not a necessity for a street driven car?

I have a theory that it may improve brake feel with some, old brake lines.

I installed Goodridge SS lines in the wife's Focus with 30k miles, and they didn't do squat.

:( I cant edit the polls options? I made a small error want to change it.

I have them. Always have been one of the first upgrades to any car I've had. Definitely worthwhile and no reason not to have them. The change in brake feel isn't OMG WOW!, but you can tell the difference.

Thing is that people change the lines and change other things as well, which may have what caused the improvement.

In my wife's Focus, I changed no other things, except the fluid, which was still fresh. No improvement.

I put them on my car at 40k miles, didn't make a difference.

Side note: I changed just the fluid. Made a noticeable difference. That said I could see changing the lines AND the fluid making a noticeable difference, but the difference coming from changing fluid not the lines. Might be something to consider. Like if you're thinking of getting lines, try flushing and bleeding the system first. Might be the improvement you were looking for at less cost.

I have them, cant say I noticed a difference. Id assume there more of a safety thing for tracking the car.
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i can tell the difference. pedal is much firmer, more direct responce.

Firmer where?

Weird question but bear with me. My brake pedal is soft at the beginning of its travel and then firms a lot towards the bottom.

Is yours the same yet even firmer toward the end or is it now firmer throughout the travel?

change your pads :)


ps: i had those on my red miata and they did all the difference at braking on the track. waiting for 1.8 brakes for this car to install new brake lines.

Don't have them, but plan on 'em soon.
Have heard from many that just the lines themselves will get you a firmer pedal feel. Don't know until I experience for myself.
What I do know is that they keep the lines from ballooning and will be a pure benefit in a performance standpoint.
Whether you feel 'em doing squat or not, they are better.

yes, mine feel firm throughout the entire range, very noticeable if I DD my altima for a week...if you have ABS it's hard to get away from the initial soft feel.

No ABS here.

But now you got me thinking. I guess ill think about it. Its only 100 bucks.

i have them it may help when you break fluid gets hot from the turbo near the lines causing the break fluid to heat up and cause poor pressure. maybe the metal lines help because maybe the hot rubber lines would expand more with the heat.

yep, the whole idea is that the brake lines don't expand when you press the pedal.

I need to dig up the picture of the guy who used about 50 zip ties on each line and did it the ghetto way....


edit:

http://www.teamunemployment.com/gavin/car/DSC01936.JPG

http://www.mx6.com/forums/1g-mx6-oth...avin-nuts.html

Now that is PURE ghetto! :giggle:

Hahahaha. That's great. Zip ties... I'm gonna do that to my old 86' Trooper II one day. Pedal in that truck SUCKS. I know it's the rubber brake lines cause that's the only piece of the damn brake system that isn't < 1yr. old. The pedal sucks forever then it finally gets good and once it's firm you can lock up those 33x12.50's. But who would have thought zip ties.

Someone put zip ties for an option in the pole. :)

have them and love them...i noticed a difference especially auto-x'ing


oh yeah, and i can hook you up on some as well for about $95 shipped...i actually plan on having a groupbuy on some once the blankets are finished lol.

I bought them as well as a braided clutch line(what do you guys think about those?), but have yet to install them. Was waiting for 1.8 brakes, but since one of my current lines developed a leak im going to have to put them on asap.

Ill post up my opinions on them once i do install them.

FWIW: i have seen a TON of goodrich SS lines blow.

Loved them in my Mk1 VWs.

I couldn't tell. But I swapped to slotted rotors and hawk pads at the same time, so every thing feels and sounds different. I better not vote.

I notice a difference big just putting in new brake fluid and I moved up to the bigger 1.8 brakes. I could not go for the cost of the braided lines

I've got the Advanced Autosports lines and they are very nice, and not too expensive. Probably overkill for a street-only car, but my factory original rubber lines were not looking up to snuff for HPDEs so out they went.

I had ATE fluid in the stock lines and ATE in the SS lines, so I can say that the lines themselves do contribute a bit to pedal feel. It's not as noticeable for normal street driving, but you'll feel a difference in modulation under hard braking. Stainless lines or not, my pedal always has been soft for the first ~1/3 of travel with OE pads that don't have much bite. That doesn't happen with Carbotechs.

One thing to be careful with is that you get the lines "clocked" in the right direction on the caliper end when you install them. The way they flex/bend is different than the rubber lines and if you get the line's curve oriented wrong, it can rub on your tire or wheel when turning. I wore a bit of the plastic sheathing from my passenger front line that way and was fortunate that I noticed it before it became a serious problem. Although I haven't seen any blown SS lines in person, I suspect that this could be a significant cause. Don't just slap on your shiny new brake lines and head to the track without verifying fit & clearance.

How old were the lines and more importantly how hard were you using the brakes on the Focus?

For daily driving, the OEM lines are fine. Even if you push things a little. However, if you are performing sustained hard driving or racing, it's well worth the added insurance.

- L

+1

If the brake lines are old and need replacing.. why not upgrade? That is why I also bought a braided clutch line at the same time.

Absolutely, man. This is very important. I just put my new lines on Thursday and had a line with the wrong angle that would have been an issue.
Another critical point is to make sure the bolts going into the caliper are very tight. I've done two sets of SS lines on miatas and I had the bolt in the left rear caliper loosen on the test drive. I adjusted the line on my car and tightened the bolt down and everything was fine.

just ordered a set, just to complement my brake overhaul/upgrade after failing (read fading) on a trackday

I have always used them on my bikes. It never seemed like a bad idea to upgrade the brakes before you out run them.

I should note that some kit's fittings don't fit right on rear sport brakes. I had to grind on a caliper for clearance.