Upgrading brake lines to stainless braided hoses?

Z

Zeeffer

New member
Hello has anybody upgraded their brake lines to braided stainless?
Under extreme conditions (track days), the heat generated in the brakes can cause the brake lines to soften and this can result in brake fade.
I have been told that the best performance upgrade to the brake system is to swap in braided stainless lines and was wondering if any users had recommendations for a good brand.
 
More for spongey brakes than brake fade. Not usually worth the time and effort unless a serious track car.
 
Definatly worth it for the price OP. Easy to do and with decent fluid makes for a nice upgrade. Pedal feels sharper too :)

Hel and goodridge are decent brands.
 
My Z4M has had stainless steel braided hoses fitted where there was the standard rubber hoses,

The rear flexible section is horrible by design

As I have my rear trailing arms off the car and being powder coated, I intend making up my own brake lines so that they go from the solid pipe to the rear calliper in one piece not three bits as is the standard set up.

Back to the original question SS brake hose will not improve brake fade that is caused by heat too much of it so you would need to reduce the heat build up, more cooling, less braking (don’t trail the brakes they are ON or OFF when on track) higher boiling point brake fluid, different pads (these come with there own compromises) bigger brakes, less weigh in the car, the list goes on....
 
I've always been pretty sceptical about braided stainless hoses TBH, the only fully independent tests out there show an expansion difference of about 1% between rubber and braided at normal service pressures and I'd defy anybody to feel that difference. The issue is more of perception (and hype). Rubber hoses actually have a composite and braided interior to restrict expansion, but it's hidden so some people assume they are soft. Braided stainless are really a teflon tube loosely surrounded by a protective layer, then the stainless braid which is there to protect, rather than prevent expansion.

IMHO most people report improved brake feel with braided stainless because they are new, with fresh fluid and have just been bled (frequently with other new braking components as well), but it has to be admitted that braided do look good 8)
 
drummachine said:
What sort of time frame is involved to replace the brake hoses?
Click to expand...

I've only done them as part of a full brake and caliper overhaul, but hoses alone would only involve jacking and removing each wheel, unscrewing the hose ends (rigid pipe end first) replace with new pipes then refill and bleed the system. Allowing for jacking, sticky bolts and time for penetrating fluid to work I would allow myself 3 - 4 hours for the whole process on four corners, but the workshop allowance would probably be half that :lol:
Here's a reasonable video of the process https://youtu.be/2V8Fjlltfls

The TIS manual recommends activating the ABS during bleeding (using INPA or similar software) to clear the abs unit of bubbles, but unless you are changing a full brake line back to the unit and fluid drains right out it should not be necessary. I pop a bit of clingfilm under the brake fluid cap which helps to slow drain-down, and stick a bung on the end of the solid pipe once disconnected so have never needed to do the abs trigger.
 
Same question cropped up here https://zroadster.org/threads/replacement-brake-lines.41373/#post-624797
Will be doing this on my 2.5 when the weather allows, following an advisory on the nearside rear at MOT this year. Must have a look which section is showing corrossion before I order the new lines. I suspect its the intermediate solid pipe between the inner and outer hoses. Fitting replacement Stainless hoses will do away with that intermediate section.
 
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