jdk541

So next up on the list of upgrades for my car is to replace the rubber brake lines with stainless steel.

I just wanted to ask to any of you have done this previously if there is anything I should know? Any tips or recommendations? Also, what should I expect to feel from a brake-peddle perspective once the job is done?

Thank you in advance for your input.

johnodrake

Be SURE you get new crush washers!

not08crmanymore

I do believe GM put out a bulletin on stainless brake lines that effectively said if there's any issues they won't warranty it...and that was way back in C5 days.So they may void some part of your warranty.Just an fyi.

Keppler

I put SS lines on a C5 thinking they would make the brakes feel more crisp. Did this one other time on a much older car and they made a big difference.

With the C5 I did not notice any change in brake feel.

cclive

Bob, BEZ06 has put them on at least one of his cars and as I remember, he said he would not do it again as it made no difference...hopefully he will chime in. He runs his cars hard at Daytona so he is not the typical street driver. I have also heard of the banjo bolts stripping out which makes the whole process much more complicated.

BEZ06

I've got SS lines on my Z06 that sees a lot of track time. Absolutely no difference from the stock hoses.

I went out to Spring Mountain for 3 days on the track in their cars that are all factory stock. Their cars with OE brake hoses felt no different from my Z06 with SS lines.

Do a search and you'll find that there are MANY threads where many forum members have had problems with threading SS lines onto the car's hard line from the master cylinder.

I think this is waaaaayyyyy overrated mod.

Just MHO, YMMV.

Edited: Dang - I was typing while Chris was posting!! Like Chris says, there have been problems with stripping the threads on both ends. My SS lines have the banjo bolt fittings, and I used the factory banjo bolts with new crush washers, so no problem with them. Some lines have AN fittings on the end that goes into the caliper, and those can be very difficult to thread into the hard line or the caliper end.

Bob

cclive

My post would have looked strange if I had not hit the submit button before you, Bob...

BC427

I just changed out my brake lines last week. I have an 08 Z51 with low mileage. I changed them out because the lines where about $100 and I was going to flush the brake fluid anyway with Motul.
I have used steel lines on other vehicles. If you have low mileage on a newer vehicle then you most likely will not feel a pedal difference. Time, mileage and weather are the factors with brake lines.
A couple observations when the lines were changed. The rear lines were just a bit shorter which took away some slack. Also there is a clip on the body that fits the square OE brake line fitting. The new lines where round so the clip was not reused. No big deal.
The front lines where also a bit shorter. Turning the wheels full did not produce any rubbing or pulling of the lines.
Banjo fittings require the correct wrench. Regular wrenches could round off the fittings causing real problems.
Change the brake fluid at the same time.

Bill Dearborn

The inside of the brake lines is the same. Both the rubber lines and the stainless lines have a Teflon tube for the brake fluid. That is why you don't feel any difference between stainless and rubber lines. Stainless lines have more protection from outside damage that might cut a rubber line. Biggest issue installing them can be fastening to the hard lines on the car. It isn't easy to reach the connection point, there isn't much room for your hands and the two wrenches required and it is difficult to see if you have the hard line female end lined up correctly with the new brake hose male end. I had so much trouble getting two of the lines connected that I actually drained too much fluid out of the master cylinder reservoir. That is what happens when you are frustrated, PO'd as hell and not paying proper attention to what is going on around you. Learned a lesson from that.

Bill

victorf

Precisely with new vehicle brake lines. New Corvette oem brake lines are great, but with age and use, they will not remain unchanged.

Most people don't realize the mechanical aspect between flex line and fixed brake line joint - it is a metal to metal mechanical joint - tighten to the threshold of distortion in order to provide a seal. But often times the tightening process will distort both fitting to a certain degree. That is when most people not familiar with the distortion aspect panic - in this forum or any other forums we can read people comes up with all manners of "fixes" and "finger pointing" as for who to blame.

FWIW, personally, stainless brake line is the first thing to install on all my cars and motorcycles. I used Stoptech on the Corvette.

Always use flare nut wrench while working with tubing and flex lines. When running into engagement problems, first thing is to take as found measurement on the fittings then take it from there. Most instance is a simple file job with jeweler's file set to restore distorted fittings back to spec.

Or simply avoid the procedure by taking the car to a mechanic, they are there in business for a price.