Do Steel Braided Brake Lines Make Your Car Stop Better? That’s what I was looking to find out when I made this video. I’ve said in other videos that using steel braided brake lines are a good performance upgrade for your vehicle and I stand by that. In fact, the Nissan Sentra in the Fixing it Forward series had steel braided brake lines and it’s brake pedal felt awesome.
Well, things didn’t quite turn out as I expected when I did this job, but it’s still a nice tutorial about installing steel braided brake lines on your vehicle.
Special thanks to http://www.buybrakes.com
Link to the kit I used: http://www.buybrakes.com/c-79-stainless-brake-lines.aspx
Camera: Brian Kast
Eric Cook
Thanks for watching!
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Snap-on Line Wrench Set: https://store.snapon.com/Open-End-and-Flare-Nut-mm-5pc-6-Point-Open-End-Flare-Nut-Metric-Wrench-Set-10-mm-14-mm–P630777.aspx
Zep Penetrating Oil: http://www.zepautomotive.com/product/Super-Rust-Breaker
Telescopic Support: https://www.jbtoolsales.com/otc-4705-telescopic-support#oid=1002_1
Related Videos
Modified Vehicles a Technicians Point of View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECjMbkRjVzE
Technician Sanctioned Modifications: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpN4EO8RihY
Bleeding Brakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5O_pbC8R2E
How To Solve a Spongy Brake Pedal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIQIBLGoZJ4
ETCG Gets an Acura Vigor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgKqLr353VY
Why I Love My Acura Vigor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Abqr7AFT_c
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how is your rolling stool ? i am looking for a new one mines falling apart just wondering if yours is comfortable and doesnt tip over easy and such?
Can you explain resetting the master cylinder?
Which one is your first video
God Bless you sor for this video. Have a great Christmas. Ty again.
How'd you like changing the rotors on the front of that Vigor? lol. I owned a 93 Vigor back when they were relevant. The front hub/brake rotor design is stupid.
At least they are new and you changed your old lines. But for the best CHEAP improvement – new piston rubber set, clean the calipers and the better pads. From my experience, only real improvement is the change of the brake calipers with the better ones.
I used to use my crowbar to push the brake pedal down. It's a psychogenic response that they do anything.
What seems silly to me is that the original brake lines have steal braiding too. Its just part of an inside layer instead of on the outside. The only way this would help is if the original lines were actually made of only rubber, and actually sretched out when pressure was applied. The only thing these would do is look fancy I think.
You just used copper washers fucker…
expands microns man … this is just another myht like premium gas or 9/11 was an inside job, or CIA killed JFK …. myths man, just myths
2:10 ….jesus for a moment there i thought you said something else ….
I love it , mechanic checking his work !!
Is it legal to replace the solid brake lines from the engine compartment to the wheels?
Hey Eric, how does bleeding the brakes while the engine is running change anything vs bleeding with the engine off?
Braided line flexes, just less than rubber ones. Especially old rubber ones.
Though having had a braided line fail be very carefull with the routing, where rubber will flex and bend braided may fail. In my case 120mph backwards into a tyre wall.
As for brake fluid change it every 12 months, recomended 2 years the fluid gets spongy. Unless you are racing standard premium brake fluid is more than adequate.
I had steel lines put in many year ago. Not much difference. The one mod that did help my braking more was fitting poly suspension bushes. Reduced dip from the car when braking hard. The one thing with steel lines is as you mention, making sure there are no stress points from the wheel and suspension movement.
faster lap times without brakes cause you can't slow down
I challenge anyone to see if they can tell the difference in braking between standard rubber reinforced brake hose and braided hoses. Pedal height doesn't prove anything. Any difference noticed will be psychological in my opinion.
😒🤆are people willing to do the extra maintenance checks related to steel braided lines plus the fact that the service life of it is lower than regular rubber/ nylon type
I LOL'd at
"I want this connection back."
* ziptie *
"I think that looks freaking excellent."
I have that identical work light. Love it. Great video
I didn't know Eric was a practitioner of grease monkey style Gung Fu
to improve your brake feel adjust your master brake cyl for a tighter clearance on the adjustment rod and then , build a brace and install it in front of the master cyl and bolt it ridgedly to the frame or fender inner covers, leave about an 1/8 inch or less gap between the bracket and the front of the master cyl..then go test your brakes.. most firewalls that your brake pedal is attached to will move when depressed fully..try it yourself get a friend to watch your master brake cyl when you fully jam on your brakes and hold them…it's an old race car trick.enjoy..
have you ever cut open any of those rubber lines? and they are not rubber they are seel as well just upper layer is plastic
The steel braided brakes only help peddle feel if the brake fluid is hot enough to cause the rubber lines to expand. You shouldn't be able to feel the difference between steel and rubber under standard driving conditions. Only under extreme competition conditions. What I have found that really changes peddle feel is the pads you're running. Get quality pads, like EBC's green stuff or yellow stuff, and you'll absolutely feel a difference!
Good to know, I needed lines for a lifted jeep and went braided lines.
Can you replace the entire brake line system with steel braided line? I have an old van that I cant find a prebent steel hard line kit for the entire brake system. Also, when replacing every brake line in a car, do you have to drain the master cylinder dry?
I've changed mine and couldn't spot the difference. Except car insurance went up £6 a year. Also whilst doing it I was worried if I damage the fixed pipe or connector it would cost alot more time and money.
Do you feel as if you wasted your money ?
if you want a hard brake feel. get ceramic pads, refresh your calipers (its really cheap), refresh your brake cylinders, and do a full brake flush( including the master cylinder). i just did a big brake upgrade on my 98 civic with all fresh seals and fluid. its never felt better. big calipers aside.. fresh parts work better than old rusty ones. old brake fluid will rot your lines out and doesnt compress the same as new fluid will.
looks easy when you have a lift rack pain in the ass when using a reg jack.
Eric, doing a complete rust belt brake line replacement now, the ends of the rubber brake lines are rusty, replace them all? Rubber seems ok, brakes work well, 2007 classic duramax, makes it so worthwhile to fix being a 6.6. lbz haha
Excellent video Eric!
13:58 lol
You replaced all but the main factor that contributes to that – the booster. The vacuum boosters leak a little air over time.
On your final pedal measurement you gain a half an inch but you're sliding the roller up the floorboard somewhat changing the angle of the ruler that's where you gain that half inch I don't see any Improvement at all
The camera shot and lighting at 16:36 made it look exactly like an episode of cops 😀 lol
Great close-up real-world videography – really helpful for average amateur guys like me who'll be doing this once in a blue moon. Excellent work.
What is the best way to change out the brake lines with painted calipers? Brake fluid can eat through the paint.
A better description is that stainless Braided lines improve the connection between car and driver. A manual transmission allows you to become one with the car. Stainless brake lines improve the connection between driver and brake pads.
One of the best places to overtake someone is going in to a corner and outbraking the guy in front. Cause you're usually racing other cars with the same power levels, so out-accelerating them isn't going to always work out for you.
Twenty-five years ago a friend of mine was approaching a slightly raised rail crossing in a hurry, but when he applied the brakes, a rubber brake line burst causing total brake failure. The truck hit the crossing, flipped and crushed him to death. He was a veteran volunteer fireman, and a professional mechanic in his day job, transporting 3,000 gallons of water to a fire. The moral: any brake system failure can be sudden and catastrophic. Upgrade your brake lines; keep your entire brake system in good condition; you’ll be glad you did.
Link to brake lines doesn't work, Eric…
Driving and slamming the brakes on does nothing,nor going in reverse. You can just stomp the brakes sitting still,it does the same thing