How do stainless steel brake lines help a car brake better assuming everything else stays the same (including fluid, pads, rotors etc.)? Also do they have to be bent or are they molded? I know very little about them..

 

Under normal braking, SS brake line are just cosmetic.
Under extreme braking, all components heat up causing the stock rubber lines to expand causing the brake pressure to be inconsistent. This can cause the pedal pressure and height to vary considerably. With SS brake lines, they are often reinsforced with SS braided lines and/or silocon preventing the brake lines from expanding/contracting...thus consistent and dependable brakes.

 

Thank you for that detailed reply! How flexible are the SS lines? Are they easy to install? Are stock lines molded?

 

I'm not sure exactly how they work, but all I know is that they don't expand as much as rubber brake lines.

I got my lines changed on my 4th gen. Everything else was the same.

It doesn't exactly help with the braking distance and the brakes don't necessarily bite any harder, but it does improve pedal feel. I didn't have to press my pedal down further and the braking feels a little more solid.

 

Did you guys change your brake fluid as well? To something like the Motul 600? What is the difference between the Motul and stock fluid?

 

SS brake lines are not molded. They are pretty flexible and are pretty giving...stiffer than stock, but giving.
DOT 3 brake fluid is what the stock rating is for most cars. DOT 4 or DOT 5 fluid is more adapted for higher temperature ratings without failing...basically they have a higher boiling point than DOT 3. The downfall for the higher rated DOT 4 or DOT 5 fluids is that they absorb more moisture... and as you know, water does not give. More water in your brake lines = brake lock up = spin outs...Not a good thing!

 

Yeah, I had the lines off, might as well bleed the system. I bought some Motul 600, but at the time, was unsure if it DOT4 would damage like DOT5, so I didn't put it in. But afterwards, found out that DOT4 would be ok.

Difference is a higher boiling point.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=47281

Try DOT4 in the search and lots of info should pop up.

 

There is talk that DOT5 is not good for the brakes at all.... let me search and get back on this.

 

DO NOT USE DOT 5 BRAKE FLUID. NUFF SAID!

 

DOT5 info:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=47281

 

Awesome info! Thanks! So can dot4 be used to top up exisiting dot3 in the system? ie. can they be mixed?

 

So under normal braking it is mainly cosmetic? Can you even see them?

SuDZ

 

I've heard that you can mix DOT3 & 4, but I wouldn't recommend it.
...but since you're replacing/bleeding the lines, you might as well purge all the DOT3 and replace it with DOT4. (IMHO)

 

Some SS brake lines come coated with colored silicon which makes them stand out just like painted calipers...so YES, you can see them if you look hard enough.

 

You can mix them.. not a problem.

 

Mine are nice and silvery.

But you can only see them if you're looking for them... or have the rims off.

 

I have a writeup with pictures and explanation on my site at http://www.greghome.com

They are not hard to install, it just takes a while because it can be tedious. Installing SpeedBleeders ahead of time makes the line install/bleed much easier.

Greg

 

So called stainless steel brake lines use ss braid in place of the rubber and cloth of conventional flexible lines to contain line pressure. Because they do not expand they give superior pedal feel in all conditions, but do not actually improve performance. They are a little stiffer than conventional flex lines, but not enough to be a problem. They do not have fluid compatibility problems.
Re fluids - Dot ratings are based mostly on wet boiling point, not dry - i.e. the boiling temperature when the fluid has absorbed as much moisture as it can. This is how some very high performance fluids - such as AP550 for example, are still DOT 3 - they absorb moisture like crazy. Moisture also rots the insides of the brake system in addition to lowering the boiling point of the fluid. DOT 4 fluid generally absorbs less moisture and so has a higher wet boiling point, and usually a higher dry boiling point as well. Castrol GT LMA DOT 4 is a very good choice for normal street use, having long life and high enough boiling point for serious use. Silicon fluid is a disaster - even though it is rated DOT 5 - it doesn't absorb moisture but the rubber lube additive has a very low boiling point (lower than DOT 3). There are some other fluids out there - Motul Synthetic (not silicon) seems very good,though outrageously expensive, Ford heavy duty has a very good rep there are others.

wdave