Does anyone have the Russell stainless steel brake lines??

Gravana sells them, and they are pretty affordable...... im just wondering how much a difference i would see with STOCK brake setup?

 

They are for looks. Nothing else. No peformance increase for brakes with these lines.

 

well i was gonna do these on my car until i found out they cause brake line rupture oer a short period of time and need replaced often, the rubber lines are very good for this car anyway

 

seriously?!!?!?
so what woul dyou suggest for performacne brakes?

 

rotorworks drilled slotted rotors with posi quiet pads i can vouch for personally they are awesome and only in the $300 area for all 4 wheels

 

Let me clear up some misconceptions you might have.

First off, stainless steel brake lines DO NOT just rupture and are more durable than the standard rubber flex line that come with the car. Standard rubber lines will expand and contract with heat and cause mushy pedal feel...it's a fact.

Russell Brake lines are the ones that tend to rupture because they are cheap pieces of crap, so I guess you are partly right. Go over to ClubGP and see what I mean...I can think of at least 50 situations where Russell brake lines ruptured without any warning or for any reason-deemed material/design failure. Wait for the Goodridge stainless steel lines to be released...100,000X better quality. They should be released soon, according to them.

Stainless steel brake lines are not just Bling and look pretty for appearance purposes as was eluded to previously. They actually serve a purpose. They will give you a firmer pedal feel, with better pedal modulation under heavy braking. They won't expand and contract with heat and high pressure. Sneaky...please do a little more research before making statements like that, they are very misleading.

 

Sorry but 10 years in the industry here... , Stainless steel or any kind of composite. The feeling of pedal at your feet is simply an illusion at best. They are show mod. He asked if they offer a *performance* feeling for your brakes. They do not. To say they do is simply misinforming someone and lying. A replacement stainless steel brake line doesn't offer any more performance benefit or better stopping distance over OEM Line (unless the OEM line has a problem). To think this is dumbfounded and wasting your money.

If this aftermarket component truely did something won't everyone be driving around with them on there cars?

That is called excess air in the line.

Show me an article that says bolting on a stainless steel line offers better stopping distance, that's what he is asking about. It will not help you stop anymore then you already can with the stock brake system. You want better stopping distance? Get better rotors, pads.


I want him to be informed, not misinformed. BluetoGreyIonDriver, don't buy these. GM put there lines on for a reason, if BlwnGP says the lines have an issue it's best not to bet my life on an aftermarket line that won't hold up to the testiment of time.

 

Sneaky, I agree with you...to a point. I did NOT say they would decrease the stopping distance (see my quote above). So, yes, they would not be an improvement over stock in that category (where I agree with you).

The most dramatic improvement to stopping distance will be from the rotors and pads, as Sneaky said. But, that was not my point. My point is that they DO make a performance improvement and NOT all stainless steel lines are "created equal".


Why do most autocross, road racing, NASCAR, CART, IRL, etc...race cars use stainless steel lines? I don't think it is because "they look pretty".

Stainless steel lines do look pretty, and to some people that is important. However, I feel that they will eliminate a weak link in the braking system. They are more durable, usually come with a lifetime warranty (Goodridge does), and will allow you to better tune your braking system. It will allow you to reach the full potential of your rotors and pads. You will have a consistent pedal feel and you will reduce the "dreaded" pedal fade commonly found in repetitive hard braking.

Brake fluid will expand & contract due to excess air in the line, true-ya got me there. But, you are missing the other point too. When you reach the boiling point of the fluid, simple hydraulics will tell you that the fluid will boil & expand (water content in the fluid taken into account-wet boiling point). Why then would the manufacturer put hard lines up to where the caliper turns on the spindle? Why not run rubber all the way through the system-reservoir back? So, why just at the spindle/wheel well interface? I know that you need to maintain flexibility to account for the travel/turn of the wheel/spindle. Hard lines can be used where they is abrasion, heat (exhaust), and consistent pressure. Rubber is the cheapest solution that meets the design criteria for the parts that need to move. That is where the swapping stainless steel line will have the advantage. Yes, they are more rigid than the OEM rubber lines, but still are flexible enough to allow wheel travel. Remember, if the Manufacturer put all "top of the shelf" components in their vehicles, would they make a profit? Would things wear out as fast, causing someone to pay for repairs or buy a new car? It is the lesser of 2 evils-where will they cut the corners and still remain somewhat reliable? Pads and rotors will wear out long before a rubber hose will, by your third brake job, you will probably need to replace those rubber lines.

That is my argument and where I disagree with your philosophy...there will be an improvement in both performance and durability. In most cases it would be $100+/- well spent.

I have been doing brake jobs and working on cars as long as you have Sneaky (over 10 years). I also have a lot of contacts with experts in the field of suspension and braking. I am not shooting off the cuff here. I have spent as much as 4 hours (on many occasions)on the phone with the product developers from KVR Performance, SSBC, Brembo, & Baer discussing topics like this. I have also experimented on my other car with many braking products (including stainless steel lines, more aggressive pads, different calipers, larger rotors, and many combinations of such), doing all the work myself. Although I am not an authority on all things braking, I do have the resources to talk to people that are.

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one Sneaky. As long as you stay away from the product that Russell sells, you will be OK. For some reason they have had very bad QA/QC on their stainless steel lines. Spend your money how you want. I know what I'll be doing with mine.

 

well the line rupturing how i understand it is due to the stainless being on top of the kevlar or rubber lines but dirt and debris gets trapped under the stainless braiding and starts to rub against the lines and rupturing them over time. this is why i will keep my rubber lines. i checked them out and they seems like they re pretty tough for rubber anyway.

 

I'm glad we are all mutual on this. No hard feelings but I want people to be informed. That is all

 

Yeah, Sneaky, no reason for me to try to be an e-badass. I am too old for that . I think we are saying the same basic things. However, I believe we disagree with the fact that the stainless steel lines do/do not hold any valuable benefit to a braking setup. That's fine, we both have our reasons.

I just wish more of the people on the boards (any message board) could carry out educated discussions without it turning into a pissing match. Maybe people would actually learn from an informed discussion/debate. This is my hope for this thread. Thanks...

 

I use russell on my cav and have for 45k with no problems. They do give you better pedal feel. not likw steping into a hot bag of dog chit!. they you can better modulation of the brakes. so you can brake later and hold a tighter lline while getting the car to hit the apex and not miss it.