Braided brake lines

[cellaway]

Has any one recent a recommendation.. 7 I guess PNM would be good. They normally are.

[MPx]

No recent personal exprience of brake lines, but I've used HEL Performance in Exeter to help sort the suspension on my bike and they were excellent. Apparently they made their name in brake lines and do this kit for the M100 here. Otherwise I'd just check out BF Goodridge.

[dapinky]

I used a seller on ebay (also from Devon, actually, but unrelated to HEL, AFAIK)...... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274589017362 ... xyVLNSwuEt

They do a full set of 6, or just the front pair, or rear 4 depending on what you want/need. All fitted fine, no issues with them.

[Saltire]

I spoke to Merlin (qv hoses), and went with their recommended make. ISTR it was Goodridge, but I could be wrong . . .

[Tuga2112]

is close to 3 figures the ballpark figure for a set front and rear ?
i would not expect them to be that pricy, but cant say i ever looked into that in detail.

I trust Pinky to always get a good deal, i was surprised by the price when i saw the ebay listing.

[dapinky]

Joao,

There are various things to keep in mind with these things - the foremost (to me!) is that the item has to be capable of performing it's job 100% of the time, for a 'reasonable' timespan....

.... I would expect any brake hose to have an expected lifespan of 30+ years (as many Elans are still on the originals, but my VW needed 2 new ones at 12 years, and I have the originals on the Landrover at 20 years).

Having replaced many over the years, I am aware that it is often a bit of a struggle to undo the joint between the flexible hose and the hard pipes - so I get Stainless Steel fittings wherever I can - many brake hoses use plated mild steel. Now, this is (as always) a bit of a technical compromise, as plated mild steel will cope with higher pressures before failure than Stainless - so it is also down to the actual 'bulk' of the fitting as much as the material.

Obviously, the hose itself also has to be of a suitable quality......

..... and I tend to rely on people using/supplying stuff which has been tested to the appropriate CE/TUV standards.

For example, it is possible to buy a length of braided hose and the end fittings from Aliexpress, and make up your own hoses - but I wouldn't! For a start. the crimped ferrules need special kit and skill to operate correctly. It is possible to buy compression fittings with brass olives (like plumbing fixings) - but they are not road legal in the UK/EU.

So, we are at the mercy of someone who sources the right kit, and has the skill to provide them - personally, I think £100 for 6 is very reasonable (bearing in mind that when LEC did a group buy 15 years ago it was £71 for a set with stainless fittings (requiring 10 sets, so it didn't happen)..... I did partake of the one a year or so previous to that though, at £65 for a full set. (IIRC).

[Hector2021]

Well as a coincidence i had been looking at replacing my original hoses and thought "why not use braided"
I doubt i will feel any effeciency benefit for my driving needs, but they will be new and look a bit smarter. Ive only seen them at around the £200 mark for the set of 6, so Daves ebay link (and recommendation) was a bit of a godsend. Just ordered a set

[dapinky]

Just a bit of a 'heads up' for ANY replacement flexible hoses - the end fittings *may* be slightly longer or shorter then the OE ones, which means that the solid pipes don't fit exactly.....

..... there is sufficient 'flex' in the front solid pipes to move up/down more than enough to fit the new flexi hoses....

.... at the rear, the bracket where the solid/flex join is bolted to the chassis has oval holes, so it is moveable to better position fore/aft.....

.... the joins to the solid pipe along the wishbone is the only one where there may be an issue (but I can't remember, as I made and fitted all new solid pipes when I fitted mine!).

As the OE solid pipes are a coated steel, they may be a little past their best by now anyway, and pulling them to a new position/radius may well hasten their demise. as they are not intended to be bent by hand pressure.

[Rusty Wishbone]

I have braided brake lines - I can't remember the make, but I only buy brake components from trusted sources. If you want to remove a caliper, can you clamp a braided hose like you can with a rubber one? I have always erred on the side of caution and let the brake fluid run out, but I then need to do a complete system bleed, which is a pain.

[dapinky]

I've never tried to clamp a braided line, but I suppose it can be done.......

...... however, I have a set of fittings which simply attach to the end to prevent the fluid coming through (either a male plug, a female plug or an M10 bolt/nut with copper washers for a banjo.)

[lotusflasherman]

I've fitted Goodridge stainless steel brake lines to all the M100's I've had.
Give a firmer brake pedal but you can't clamp them, just have to lose a bit of fluid removing a hose to fit a plastic cap.
Standard kit for "Elan SE Turbo" is SLS0250-6. Contains all 6 stainless steel braided holes of OE lengths.
I'd just Google "Goodridge SLS0250-6" to find who is doing the best deal today...

[lotusflasherman]

I've never tried to clamp a braided line, but I suppose it can be done.......

...... however, I have a set of fittings which simply attach to the end to prevent the fluid coming through (either a male plug, a female plug or an M10 bolt/nut with copper washers for a banjo.)

Clamping can be done but it will bugger them up Dave. I know somebody who did and he was round borrowing one of my spare sets..

[cellaway]

Lotus bits.com. are listing a full 6 piece set at £85 ex vat

[cellaway]

Dave
Do you heat to ease the separation of the flexible and fixed pipes ? I’ll be changing to braided lines when I get back to France.
Chriso

[dapinky]

Chriso,

I've never bothered to use heat - if the connections don't want to come undone, I simply move 'upstream' to the next one, then replace whatever pipes are necessary. It isn't often that I even bother on an Elan, as the original 'hard' pipes are coated steel, so I can't re-flare them, and if the fittings get deformed, it is likely to wreck the pipe anyway..... so I just run new lines.

It is simply far quicker and easier to replace pipes than to try to salvage ones that don't come apart easily (but if they come apart, and the joint face is undamaged, then no problem to re-use the originals).