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Posted by: jimkelly Apr 28 2010, 06:34 AM

are braided that are DOT ok for street?

i know some tires are DOT but are for race only.

jim

attached is a sample of a brake line cross section that isn't gunked up.


Attached image(s)

Posted by: 6freak Apr 28 2010, 07:01 AM

I would say yes ...

Posted by: Root_Werks Apr 28 2010, 08:58 AM

I have yet to see any braided SS brake line installed correctly in my life. This includes the ones installed on my current 914. I will replace them with factory rubber lines soon.

If you don't pre-load the braided lines, the metal fibers will fatigue and break. That's the only source of the lines not busting through.

SS braided lines IMO are for track cars where they get replaced and checked often. Rubber lines are install and forget.

Posted by: tat2dphreak Apr 28 2010, 09:11 AM

I had the front brakes lock up on my first teener because I thought the braided lines the DAPO installed were good... they were the DOT approved braided lines, but they locked up on me... go rubber.

Posted by: jimkelly Apr 28 2010, 09:30 AM

ok - i will use rubber

thanks

Posted by: dwillouby Apr 28 2010, 10:17 AM

I have had braided lines on my car for almost 10 years. No problems.(Yet)
David

Posted by: Tom_T Apr 29 2010, 09:57 AM

Jim & FYI All -

Whenever an auto part/product is marked as DOT Approved, then it's legal & okay for street legal use in the USA, whether brake lines, tires, headlights, etc.

It means it's met the US Dept of Transportation's standards & regulations in effect at the time the part was produced, but doesn't speak to their reliability nor "freshness" since they could be older NOS parts & degraded by age &/or superceded by newer & more stringent standards/regs.

Posted by: Smitty911 Apr 29 2010, 10:16 AM

One thing to be careful about with the braided lines is - Torsion. They don't like to be twisted at all.

I tested the Front Landing Gear Wiring Harness of the new Composit Airliner and the clocking of the connectors played a signifcant role how many cycles the landing gear could cycle without frayed S/S.

Smitty

Posted by: 9146986 Apr 29 2010, 11:56 AM

Rubber brake lines are the only way to go. They've worked on our cars for years. Advertising hype and bling factor may make the stainless braid lines seem more apealing, but the stock rubber lines will last you a long time without problems.

Posted by: Root_Werks Apr 29 2010, 12:35 PM

That's why you pre-load them when installed and why they belong on track cars only that are inspected often.

As I've said before, never in my 20+ years wrenching on VW's and Porsche's have I ever seen a properly installed set of SS brake lines including the 914 I recently purchased.

Installed properly and inspected 4 times I year, sure, you could get away with running them on a driver. But the benny of a slightly stiffer pedal isn't worth all that extra worry and work.