i was changing out some old hoses today and thought to myself..."self, you should start replacing these with stainless steel braided hoses". however, i don't have any experience with the stuff.

those of you who have worked with this stuff....what's your take?

most fittings would be a bear to change over to AN fittings, though, that would certainly be ideal in the long run. i saw that aeroquip makes screw clamps that work on standard fittings (but look like AN fittings).

i like the reliability concept, since this is my track car.

anyhow...any input is appreciated.

tia
fabian

 

make sure the rubber hoses are in good condition and it will be fine, or be prepared to drill and tap all metal parts to accept the AN fittings or don't bother. the only items I would change would be the brake and clutch hoses. these can be found with the correct metric ends already installed. the hoses on the engine are fine if in good condition.

 

AN and SS braided stuff looks nice and is reusable, but you don't need it for everything and it weighs and costs more. Unless you have a good reason to convert a certain hose, stay with the plain rubber stuff.

Brake and clutch are exceptions -- SS brake lines stiffen the pedal and the rubber clutch line is a reliability liability. They are definitely worth using SS hose for. You don't have to adapt the fittings and you can buy pre-assembled hoses for those items.

-Max

 

What about the direct-fit oil cooler lines?

 

these look nice but are not a necessity. I raced my car for two years(about 10 events) with a set of stock lines that came with my donor car(over 140K on odo). the SS lines are very good quality and are reusable but the stock rubber hoses in good condition will work fine.

 

What would be the best type of hose to use??

 

They're nice, and if you have a bad stock line they are definitely worth a look. I think the point is just that there is nothing wrong with rubber lines for many of the hoses, so unless you have a reason to switch over, it doesn't make any sense to replace a good rubber hose with SS. It gets expensive, so unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket and you've done everything else, your money might be better spent on something else.

-Max

 

I have SS oil lines = my car doesn't cool any better

I have SS brake lines = my brakes feel the same (they really only make a difference if the rubber lines are worn out)

I have SS clutch line = my clutch pedal feels the same

Conclusion = go SS if your stock lines are shot; if the stockers are OK leave them alone. The only lines worth changing for safety are the oil cooler lines. The SS brake lines have even been rumored to be more dangerous than the rubber lines (unless you get protective sleeves).

 

I would vote SS oil cooler lines (on an FC) due to sheer reliability.&nbsp Debris can shred typical rubber lines that run under the car, and the SS lines will give you added durability in such a case.&nbsp You don't realize the horror unless you've ever seen a 13B dump all it's oil out in *seconds* revving close to redline running an upgrade OPR closer to 100psi!

Personally, I'm against SS clutch lines due to the added stress this puts on the clutch master and slave cylinders, especially with heavier pressure plates.&nbsp TRD (of Toyota fame) used to run stock, rubber clutch lines as SS lines (in their race cars) tended to blow the stock clutch master or slave cylinder (or both).



-Ted

 

what upgraded clutch master/ slave cylinders can be adapted... if any??

i know of a couple brake master cylinder upgrades.

it would be nice to have a littel more travel on the clutch cylinders (especially with heavy duty pressure plates)

Justin

 

Ted, someone asked about SS brake lines being hard on the calipers in the suspension forum recently. I've never heard of this, and I can't imagine any reason why it would be so. Do you know the details of what was different about the SS lines that caused the failure?

-Max

 

hmm... so SS lines didn't come stock on the FC oil cooler? 'cause mine has some... and I thought it was entirely stock....
hmm....

 

Interesting question...brake lines run in the thousands of PSI range, so I don't see how the SS would do anything harmful.&nbsp As a data point, I'm running a set of Goodridge SS brake lines on my FC for the past 6 years - it hasn't seen serious track time, but it does see a lot of spirited street use.&nbsp I check my brakes at least once a year, especially these lines.&nbsp There's been posts about the SS lines pulling out of the ends...

That versus the relatively low PSI the clutch lines sees...



-Ted

 

Take a good look at them - yes, they are braided, but it's not stainless steel.


-Ted

 

Thank you ted,

(see, I'm kinda stuck here at Uni. without my car... So I can't really look at them... and besides, mine are filthy anyway.... )

 

I've heard that some people have had issues with dirt getting inbetween the braid on the brake lines and causing it to burst. There is also the problem of the line rubbing on the tire if not installed properally and cutting the sidewall. Either way I still have them.

 

Where could I find these SS oil cooler lines and do they replace the hard pipe that runs all the way up to the oil filter? (the hard pipe that I always want to get out of my way when doing plug changes)

 

I thought of another place that it makes sense to use SS lines under any circumstances -- fuel lines inside the car. People who run an external reservoir to prevent starvation often have it inside the passenger compartment. If you have such a setup, it seems wise to use SS lines and screw-on fittings for anything that will be inside the car. That should help prevent accidentally cutting the lines or knocking them off.

-Max

 

One of the big problems about running fuel lines inside the vehicle is that most racing sanctions are really restrictive on this sorta thing.&nbsp We're talking min thickness baffles with sealed tunnels - in short, it is highly frown upon.



-Ted