SS brake lines....
 

Hey ppl...i'd like to know which brand of SS brake lines fit the best. And when i say best i mean that they kinda just go on with little to no modification or "correction". My car's an 87 base...so its probably got the single piston calipers up front and the non-vented rotor in the rear.

Also...does anybody know if SS brake lines are DOT certified?

Any and all help is appreciated...thanks!

i bought them from mazdatrix. Super easy install once i got the old lines off. I noticed a caliper was leaking today though :( Went and tightented up the line. Seems fine now though
They are a near perfect fit considering they are aftermarket

well im sure whether u get them racing beat, mazdatrix, k2rd, or whatever. there pretty much going to be the same thing if not the same manufacturer

I'd have to agree with that. Doesn't goodyear or somethng like that make a set too?

Ya thats probably true.

Anybody know if these SS lines are DOT certified though?

according to mazdatrix they are
http://www.mazdatrix.com/j-sslines.htm

BAH!! Shoulda read the top of the page :p:

Thanks for the info guys!!

what is the actual size of the fitting's ?? by the way.. anyone know off the top of you head..

Use a flare wrench! That is the best advice I can give you on that install.

James

flare wrench... ahh... crap :P i don't know what a flare wrench is :( lol I'm sure i have one though

EDIT:

ahh that is wicket!!! Heh, I have to buy me a 14mm for the brakes tomorrow! I definately don't have any of those... Actually... can i buzz open a 14mm closed end? Well... nm, looks like flared wrenches are 6 sided? I like that better.
http://www.redhummer.com/myhummer/to...s/flarenut.jpg

mine are from racing beat. they were the cheapest at the time, and very easy to install. as for being dot certified, i believe i read somewhere that they weren't. a friend of mine went through 2 sets of goodridge because they leaked. i don't know if anyone else has had any problems with them or just his dumb luck.

Some are DOT some are not, you just have to ask whoever you're getting them from.

i just used a normal open end wrench for the install. althoguh your gonna need something else to get your factorys off. all i did was round off the edges.

It is not a 14mm. It is either a 10 or 12.


James

for brake line get russel they are dot legal, regarding undoing the old line it is 10 mm but you will have better luck with liquid wrench 1 hr soak time and two vise grips..and you can undo it with out rounding off teh head out lil antisieze on it befor eyou tighten it back up with a proper wrench

Remember on street driven vehicles, make sure you cover the SS braid with conformal coating, or shrink tube, or something if they are not already covered.

Otherwise they will last only a year or two, until the grit works it's way through the braid and into the rubber/teflon/etc inside.

I guess I've been fortunate Icemark...3 yrs on my RB Brake Lines - naked on the street - and no tears yet. It's been awhile since I've given a thorough look at them. You got me kinda thinking now.

As for longivity, the best piece of advice Is to Install them kink-free. Meaning, to allow It to run with the least amount of bends so It joins from one end to another smoothly. The use of a flare wrench Is good to have too.

Just as a note if you do not use a flare wrench. I was helping a friend with his SS install. We did not use a flare wrench. We used vice grips.

What the vice grips did was bad. They deformed the fittings at the hard lines. The result was fluid leakage. I would stay away from vice grips on your brake lines. Unless, it is on the soft line you are throwing away. Just keep vice grips off of the hard line because you might find you have to replace them.

These fittings are made of brass I believe. Whatever it is made of is SOFT. So, treat it as such.

James

I think the DOT legal sets all have a rubber coating.

You won't see any tears, as the sand, grit, etc gets under the braid.

Thats the problem. Under the braid and you can't tell until the piece of sand or what ever rubs/works its way through rubber on the inside of the line.

Of course people that don't drive in poor weather, or have much dust and dirt on the roads, will have the line last longer than say someone living in Vegas.

But just about every serious racer I know, replaces thier SS lines at the begining of every season, just for that reason.

Wow thanks for the info Icemark...i'll definetly cover them up. I just wanted to know if they were dot certified because i was wondering if my car would pass a safety inspection with SS brake lines on instead of the usual rubber lines.

i'm pretty sure the set my buddy got from Mazdatrix were not rubber coated. my racing beat ones aren't, however they aren't dot legal >.<

Where would u get the lines rubber coated anyways?

Just buy some conformal coating at radio shack, or shrink tubing and shrink it over the lines.

Or the other thing I have heard of people using is tool dip. That liquid plastic stuff for tool handles found at home depot.

i got mine at corksport.com ... they were less than 89 dollars ... great quality ..fit perfect


they are DOT legal...and come wrapped in a plastic tube


http://corksport.com/main.php3?primN...3Fcat%3D214915

"The ‘Cork Sport’ signature brake lines feature all the benefits of other brake lines on the market. All of our lines are made to MVSS-1006 specifications (DOT Certified). The CS lines are plastic coated to protect the steel braiding and reduce premature wear. These lines are a specific fit for each application. We have a range of coatings we can use upon request: smoke, yellow, blue, red, clear, and black for when you want to keep brake upgrades inconspicuous. (Default color: clear)"

dont know who makes them .. dont care..tehy work great