BrickBoard Archives
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Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Wednesday, 25 February 1998, at 10:45 p.m.
Word of warning; Please, REMOVE those shiny SS brake lines if you sell your car! They are illegal, non DOT. If some ambulance chaser attorney finds out, after an accident, you can be liable. To install ANY non DOT stuff is illegal. Non SS brake line has passed DOT test, they brake too easy if bend back-'n-forth.(They brake next to the fitting. There's a hard teflon pipe inside) SS lines are used on race cars and race car suspension doesn't move much, no jerking movement to the lines. I had SS lines on my rally car some 15 years ago and after 6 rallies one side broke! I went back to rubber lines, no problems. SS lines give a little better feel, harder pedal, no other benifit. And don't even try to make them by yourself. You need to know how and have some fancy tools, too. Bigger AN hoses are OK to make at home, but not size # 3 and 4. Brake line makers also test them up to 2000PSI. So why are they sold to the street cars? MONEY!
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Paul S. on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 11:25 a.m.
Topi,
I'm calling you on this one!! The IPD Stainless steel brake line ARE DOT street legal!! That's why I bought them from IPD. To make a statement that all SS lines are illegal is not very responsible. I don't know about the Group 6 (or other company's)lines.
Now if someone was to make the SS lines themselves, that would not be DOT street legal.
As far as reliability goes: Insuficient data, but so far so good.
As far as money goes, my original lines were shot and the Volvo lines priced out higher, at the time, than the IPD DOT legal lines so I saved MONEY and got a really nice brake pedal feel!!
Paul S.
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Jim McDonald on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 1:03 p.m.
DOT legal or not, I'll have to agree with Topi that the SS/Teflon brake lines aren't reliable enough for street use. I use them extensively in industrial applications; his warnings are right on!
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Paul S. on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 1:43 p.m.
So how many folks have experienced failures with the IPD brake lines?
Paul S.
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out!/ipd lines are different[ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 1:05 p.m.
Paul, I think the ipd ss brake lines are actually Braided SS over a HD Rubber brake line as opposed to a SS tubing that will crack under load.
Just my $.02...
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out!/ipd lines are different[ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 1:38 p.m.
ipd DOT? If so, I apology! They must be the only one in the US to go through the DOT test. I talked to "EARLS", the biggest hose manufacturer in the US and they don't have DOT certification! EARLS is the only one who has spring mounted next to the fitting to support and help jerking movement. Their hose has passed in-house DOT test but they feel not comfortable to claim " DOT legal"... Everybody can claim "it fills DOT specs" but actually to have DOT certification is an other thing...I'm not putting down ipd, they're good, but I've worked on race cars and aircraft ( I was "Power Plant Certified") and know these hoses are fragile. On aircraft they're changed quite often, according to hourly use. My warning was to HELP you, not to harm....
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out!/ipd lines are different[ALL/1988] posted by Paul S. on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 2:00 p.m.
IPD says DOT certified. I didn't request documentation.
I must ask again. Does anyone in Brickland know of IPD SS hose failures? Does anyone else have SS brake lines currently?
I know you didn't post the info. to harm. I wonder what IPD has done to make the hoses "unfragile"?
The hoses do have a pretty hefty sheave around the ss braid where the tube meets the connector. I wonder if this helps prevent excessive flexing at the connector?
Paul S
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out!/ipd lines are different[ALL/1988] posted by Stoney on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 2:03 p.m.
I'd like to know as well about failure rates for these SS Brake lines-also ipd doesn't list them for th 90 240dl and can't tell me why...anybody know if they can be fitted to the 90-240dl?
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out!/ipd lines are different[ALL/1988] posted by Paul S. on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 1:49 p.m.
That's exactly what they are. They are not "flex SS tubing", is this what people think they are? I'm not sure what variety the rubber is for the "inner" tubing but I don't remember thinking "hmmm, some flouro-polymer".
Paul S.
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Peter on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 3:26 p.m.
I've used SS lines for years on my street cars. The knock on SS lines has always been that they'll kink and break if you try to stretch them - like if the suspension is at full droop or if you have the wheel cranked over when you are parking. I would think twice about using them on a street car with a stock suspension.
However, I've used them on lowered FWD street cars (less travel than stock and little turning angle) and have had no problems. You need to be very careful about how and where they're routed - make sure that they move freely regardless of wheel position.
To my mind er.. foot, they make a big difference in how the pedal feels and make heel and toe-ing (heel-ing and toe-ing?) easier 'cause the pedal level doesn't change much.
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Paul S. on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 4:49 p.m.
This is a fun one to beat to death.
I was just reading the Group 6 web page on SS brake lines and they don't say a peep about DOT approval. But they do say the SS ines LAST FOREVER!
I guess that's a nice thing about the 240/260, if one brake line pops the car should still have stopping ability. The chances of two going at once should be fairly remote......
Paul S.
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Topi on
Thursday, 26 February 1998, at 7:39 p.m.
Paul, I've bad news for you: If you loose one line pedal WILL go to the floor...Try it: Press the pedal and open ONE bleeder screw, pedal WILL go down...So much for Volvo hype!
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Paul S. on
Friday, 27 February 1998, at 10:32 a.m.
Check the obits for my ss line failure!!!
Hey - I was looking at the Group sex..I mean Group six catalog last night and they also claim DOT approval for their SS brake lines...
Paul S.
Re:SS Brake Lines - watch out![ALL/1988] posted by Randy on
Friday, 27 February 1998, at 2:34 p.m.
>I've bad news for you: If you loose one line pedal WILL go to the floor...Try it: >Press the pedal and open ONE bleeder screw, pedal WILL go down...So much >for Volvo hype!
Topi, I would suggest that if you open one bleeder valve and apply the brakes on your Volvo (or any vehicle with a dual master cylinder) and experience the pedal going all the way to the floor that you have a bad master cylinder. With a master cylinder in good condition you may experience some loss of pedal when one line is broken (or open) but you still have half a braking system on your car. I believe that's why the industry went to dual master cylinders to begin with- to try to eliminate catastrophic brake failure.