SS brake lines on a DD? Significant upgrade from stock?

[bchaney]

Doing pads, rotors, and brake fluid soon... thinking about doing SS brake lines too. Is the main advantage of these a more stiff/responsive pedal? Do they improve brake performance? Trying to figure out if they're worth the 100 bucks.

[Popeye]

I dont have them, yet. But from what Ive heard from people that DO have them, they ARE worth the $100. Not to mention your stock lines get screwed over time. Good maintenance I guess...

[mitchlikesbikes]

i have also heard good things about them. if you're doing fluid anyway i'd say go for it.

[SkareKrow]

They are a huge difference. One of my best upgrades I have ever done.

-SK

[Jukka]

^^ this....I run a set or russel brake lines and Wilwood fluid and my brakes are solid as can be. There is a big difference in the feeling of the pedal/amount of pressure needed.

[Lucid Moments]

They are a significant improvement in brake feel. Won't make you stop any quicker, but does add confidence.

[tinman5]

I will not praise them as much as others however considering the cost, i agree that they are a worthwhile investment. You will gain more benefit from the fresh brake fluid more so than the lines. Your brake system must be pretty crappy, with watered down fluid and stock lines fixing to burst for them to make a noticeable improvement.
And in the name of science and credibility I will ask you to do this: order steel braided lines of your choice. (I went with the Russell lines myself, great price outstanding quality)
Replace pads/rotors and completely bleed the system with fresh fluid of your choice (I run the Castrol LM GTA myself)
Drive around for a bit.
Replace the stock lines with your new steel braided lines and bleed the system. Drive around again. The difference will be negligeable. Its extra work, but I have done this on all three of my cars. Thats why I consider the steel braided lines more so an investment. You will not notice the improvement in daily driving.
All that being said, I do run braided lines, only as an upgrade over stock more so than any true performance benefit. The key comes from the pads, the fluid and tires. Good maintenance habits are your friend.

[epcivicboy08]

Completely agree with tinman. The only way you'll feel a difference as to whether you've gotten better performance is if you do a "before and after" test.

I recently changed my pads and lines a few weeks ago. I went with the Corsport ones. Seeing as how I changed everything at once it's impossible to say wether I gained any performance so I just believe that I did.

Besides, being that my car is an '02, I figured it would be a good idea to change the lines as 10 years would surely be a long time to wear down the oem lines.

[Cheep3]

I have to agree with Tinman and Civicboy. There is an improvement in pedal feel but it is minor. I found a new Corsport set for $35 that a guy never got around to putting on his car. I think I would have been bummed with the results had I paid full price. The best performance upgrade you can really notice is better pads, followed by slotted disks, and then ss brake lines. I think a lot of the "better feel" people talk about is just having a properly bled brake system as a result of the line change.

[ep3k20]

i also run the russell ss brake lines and it is a VAST improvement over high pressure rubber. The reason you get sloppy brake feel with rubber is because it expands and bulges out so it leaves "pockets" within the line and gives a shity feel especially when the brakes get hot. The SS lines are a zero flex design so they never give off that sloppy feel. worth every penny. If you are running stock brake pads and/or rotors then it really will just feel more stout more then anything but worth the money nonetheless

[modu03]

i also run the russell ss brake lines and it is a VAST improvement over high pressure rubber. The reason you get sloppy brake feel with rubber is because it expands and bulges out so it leaves "pockets" within the line and gives a shity feel especially when the brakes get hot. The SS lines are a zero flex design so they never give off that sloppy feel. worth every penny. If you are running stock brake pads and/or rotors then it really will just feel more stout more then anything but worth the money nonetheless

the brake lines on our cars are not just rubber, there is an inner core that is stiffer than the rubber outer layer, therefore there is only bulging of the line and "sloppy" feeling if the inner core has broken down. so, stainless steel lines themselves are not going to give you any performance improvement unless your lines are broken down. on an older car, since your replacing everything else, you might as well replace those lines. just don't expect a noticeable difference from the brake lines themselves. the biggest actual performance difference is gonna come from the new rotor and pads. i am running the summit racing slotted rotors with their performance pads. still using the original brake lines. my peddle feels solid, never sloppy or soft, and my friends have mentioned that they are impressed with how quickly that car will come to a stop.


in short, you will be very happy with upgrading the rotors and pads and replacing the brake lines may give you piece of mind. i would go for the stainless steel lines if you can afford them.