Improving Braking
#1
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#8
I keep hearing people suggest stainless lines, and I gotta disagree....
They have an awesome rep because "they're race car parts so they gotta be good". Having run a bunch of amateur teams and a couple of pro teams, let me assure you, just because they use it on race cars DOESN'T mean that you want to use it on your street car. Every part on a race car has a service life, and the book on the car notes just when it went in, and before it hits it's life, it's taken out and replaced.
For 911s the stainless lines had a service life of 60 hours. The problem is that the teflon tubing chafes on the stainless braid, and you just can't inspect that. So it's go-no go based on time only, just to be safe. With "factory rubber lines" you can look at the line and tell if you have cracks, leaks, the fitting coming loose, all the failure modes are readily discernable by visual inspection.
Besides, the real reason that they give firmer pedal is they don't expand. If your hoses are in good shape, that won't be a problem anyway. It's only an issue with older hoses which are starting to lose their elastomers and develop bulges. Time to replace those bad boys anyway.
My money is NEVER on using "stainless" lines. Even on race cars.
They have an awesome rep because "they're race car parts so they gotta be good". Having run a bunch of amateur teams and a couple of pro teams, let me assure you, just because they use it on race cars DOESN'T mean that you want to use it on your street car. Every part on a race car has a service life, and the book on the car notes just when it went in, and before it hits it's life, it's taken out and replaced.
For 911s the stainless lines had a service life of 60 hours. The problem is that the teflon tubing chafes on the stainless braid, and you just can't inspect that. So it's go-no go based on time only, just to be safe. With "factory rubber lines" you can look at the line and tell if you have cracks, leaks, the fitting coming loose, all the failure modes are readily discernable by visual inspection.
Besides, the real reason that they give firmer pedal is they don't expand. If your hoses are in good shape, that won't be a problem anyway. It's only an issue with older hoses which are starting to lose their elastomers and develop bulges. Time to replace those bad boys anyway.
My money is NEVER on using "stainless" lines. Even on race cars.
#10