Is This True?! [re: Brake Lines]

[CanadaCraig]

According to the turboimport.com website...

".....stainless steel brake lines.....will get rid of that mushy feel when you press on your brake pedal. The spongy pedal feel is caused by older factory rubber lines that tend to expand under load. After installing the stainless steel lines, you can expect nice firm pedal pressure."

IF that's true - wouldn't replacing our OEM rubber brake lines with stainless steel one's be the 'thing' to do?!

Craig!! :)

[SKperformance]

To me the first upgrade to a car should be the brake lines. I would have done tehm first butat the time it was extremly hard to find .For about $100 you will get an amazing pedal feel and response. They definatly are no snake oil. To me it should be the normal for all manufacturers but it isn;t.As it is so simple but such a drasctic change in response.

[jzz30]

i think the LS was designed to have that unusual mushy feel. it just feels like lots of brake assist. i wouldnt be too sure that just buying those lines will make a difference in this car.

[mickg]

Craig:

The only flexible portion of the brake system is from the body to the wheels art each corner, the balance of all other lines are steel. You should not get much expansion of any of the flexible hoses, unless one or more are delaminating, and allowing a pplace for fluid to creep into.

This nasty situation can happen with high pressure hydraulic lines, and is a precursor to blowout.

I presume that you have had the full system pressure bled, and are sure that there is no air in the system?

My '94 has very responsive brakes that grab well, and have good feel. They are also factory linings, It may make a difference if you have harder pads installed.

Mick

[wwest]

Boosted brakes isolate you so much from the actual brake application pressure that you will likely never notice the difference.

Take a look at what you are buying with stainless steel brake lines some time. They are simply the very same, OEM, brake lines but wrapped with a flexible braided stainless steel PROTECTIVE sleeve, a sleeve that will allow just as much expansion of the inner hose as without.

The Stainless steel sleeve was designed to protect the brake lines on race cars from roadbed, flying, debris, and they serve that purpose very well.

[tansupplyman]

Most SS brake hoses I have seen have teflon inside--no 'rubber' at all. At least most ALL the ads say that; haven't cut one to check that out;

They are only about 1/2 (slightly more) the size of originals so don't believe there is room for much 'rubber' to be inside.

[SRK]

Boosted brakes isolate you so much from the actual brake application pressure that you will likely never notice the difference.

Take a look at what you are buying with stainless steel brake lines some time. They are simply the very same, OEM, brake lines but wrapped with a flexible braided stainless steel PROTECTIVE sleeve, a sleeve that will allow just as much expansion of the inner hose as without.

The Stainless steel sleeve was designed to protect the brake lines on race cars from roadbed, flying, debris, and they serve that purpose very well.

This is exactly it - an excellent description.

In addition, the type of caliper will also determine the "give" in the pedal. Lexus, like many other manufacturers uses a floating caliper, which generates quite a bit of pedal travel as the caliper itself distorts under increasing pressure, even after the normal free play is taken up. Fixed multi-piston calipers do this much less. Drive a Porsche 911, with normal rubber hoses and fixed calipers. It is like stepping on a concrete floor compared to our cars.

A teflon liner may be used, but it is not the material that prevents distortion - that duty falls to the synthetic rubber casing, which is then protected by the stainless sheath.

The firewall which mounts the booster unit and master cylinder can also distort, as can the pedal assembly itself.

Save your money for other things.