SS Brake Hose... Racing vs DOT Options

[Slick914]

What's the difference between the racing SS brake hoses and the street ones?

My car has the racing ones on right now, but I do have the street versions on standby.

[DBCooper]

Both types of hose are TUV certified.

If you want to fix the problem call (888) 327-4236 the next time you see a failure. If you don't give a shit then don't call. No one ever HAS called, so I guess it's not really that much of a problem anyway.

[SirAndy]

Both types of hose are TUV certified.

I've seen plenty of braided lines sold here in the US that aren't ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy

[DBCooper]

Both types of hose are TUV certified.

I've seen plenty of braided lines sold here in the US that aren't ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy

That's not surprising, since TUV certification isn't required for products sold here in the U.S.. But to rephrase that, braided stainless teflon brake hose have passed TUV tests and are sold in Germany, just as the rubber hose sold there. That of course raises the question of whether they're also seeing these failures in braided lines.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears to me that the ONLY difference between the currently available "racing" SS brake lines and the "DOT" lines is the sticker, certifying that the product so labeled has been tested in accordance with the DOT's specs and procedures. Costs money to do that, and the end user is gonna pick that up. If they can sell 'em to racers, that not-inconsiderable cost can be avoided, and their per-piece profit will be higher.

There is a difference. The DOT 'whip' test described earlier stresses the joint between the hose and the swaged fitting, so hoses that are built to pass the DOT tests have a plastic collar extending a couple of inches up the hose from the fitting. This gives the hose a little support in the whip testing so it doesn't kink the hose where it goes into the swage. Non DOT hoses typically won't have that support collar, so they should certainly be a bit cheaper, and not only because they haven't gone through the expense of testing. If you're paying the same or more for non-DOT "racing" hoses then you're getting... uh... hosed.

[ztbell]

Both types of hose are TUV certified.

I've seen plenty of braided lines sold here in the US that aren't ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy

That's not surprising, since TUV certification isn't required for products sold here in the U.S.. But to rephrase that, braided stainless teflon brake hose have passed TUV tests and are sold in Germany, just as the rubber hose sold there. That of course raises the question of whether they're also seeing these failures in braided lines.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears to me that the ONLY difference between the currently available "racing" SS brake lines and the "DOT" lines is the sticker, certifying that the product so labeled has been tested in accordance with the DOT's specs and procedures. Costs money to do that, and the end user is gonna pick that up. If they can sell 'em to racers, that not-inconsiderable cost can be avoided, and their per-piece profit will be higher.

There is a difference. The DOT 'whip' test described earlier stresses the joint between the hose and the swaged fitting, so hoses that are built to pass the DOT tests have a plastic collar extending a couple of inches up the hose from the fitting. This gives the hose a little support in the whip testing so it doesn't kink the hose where it goes into the swage. Non DOT hoses typically won't have that support collar, so they should certainly be a bit cheaper, and not only because they haven't gone through the expense of testing. If you're paying the same or more for non-DOT "racing" hoses then you're getting... uh... hosed.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) with D B Cooper, The non-DOT version failed on my 914 at the crimp swedge end. now I carry an anchor to deploy as needed... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) Z B