Stainless steel brake lines

OK, so: do they make a difference? Specifically, those of you who track/push your 996's - is there any change in brake feel with the stainless brake lines? Or is this a "because I have the money to waste" kind of mod? The factory lines are certainly adequate, since applying enough brake to fire ABS isn't a problem. Is there really a discernible difference when SS lines are installed?

day to day commute... negative on the difference. on the track they do but not as much as running proper fluid in those lines. boiled fluid feels the same whether they are rubber or ss.

This is sorta like one of those strut brace/bar type questions. It may make a difference to some that are sensitive or in a situation where being able to better modulate the brakes during threshold braking could give them more confidence around the track and hence improve their track times. But if you're just cruising the blvd, then at least pick a good coordinating color to go with your paint job or your calipers. FWIW, I've had SS brake lines on the past 5 cars I've owned. Cheap upgrade and offsets the feel of the more linear brake pads I tend to go with.

If you track your car regularly, they are worth it for the increased brake pedal feel. There is no benefit for street use that I have found. I use them along with SuperBlue fluid. They to have to be watched however as I had a name brand pair tear apart at the connection. Some say you should buy a model with a plastic sleeve over the SS weave to prevent objects from getting stuck and damaging the line. I can't speak to that though.

So, I've got: One "nah, not really" One "maybe, but probably not really" PORCAR, can you tell me more about "increased brake pedal feel?" I'm a decent driver, so I can dive into the ABS, or I can tiptoe around ABS; I can modulate the brakes enough that they'll chirp when the car gets light but not be locked up once the suspension loads up again. So, I'm no F1 driver, but I also recognize that there are more than two settings (0% and 100%) for brakes. What does the difference feel like? If it decreases the amount of play between threshold and ABS (since the lines theoretically expand less when you're hard on the brakes), I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing. So...

In my experience in the hairdresser world, stainless steel lines are just regular lines wrapped with stainless steel to prevent them from being cut. I don't believe the stainless steel has any performance benefit other than not being severed which has a significant performance detriment.

It's the consistent feel that people appreciate after repeated heavy breaking. If you are just running a few laps you won't notice much, but after repeated hard stops you start to lose a bit of that firmness in the pedal with rubber lines. It isn't anything to ruin the experience as I believe even the GT3 has rubber lines, and there are plenty of drivers who can break better than I with rubber lines. I just look at as a confidence thing, personally. If a set of brake lines can make me feel like I can chase that 9/10 a bit more, I'm okay with that. Again it's really the consistency that I have come to appreciate. I know how the brakes are going to feel after 10, 20, or 30 minutes of abuse on that same turn.

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It's more than appearance. The ss layer reduces expansion of the hose.

New rubber hoses are just as good as any SS braided line. Same inside Teflon liner, rubber hose also has braided mesh surrounding said liner, covered in rubber, very durable and will easily last 15+ years ( mine have). I have a set of spiffy looking ss lines for my M3 sitting in a box from previous owner. I may change them out if I ever do a full brake job and swap lines just for kicks. Had SS lines on race car 914 and street car 928. Biggest difference was from fluid changes and new pads etc.

I would expect a more marked difference for lines in cars that weren't necessarily designed as performance vehicles, or from cars built with off-the-shelf components - like my Corvette, for example. I would expect that Porsche brake lines would be adequate for the job - and if that's the case, I'll pass. I've already purchased, installed, uninstalled, and sold my K&N warm-air intake, so I'm all good with masturbatory upgrades.

Good info.

I remember a post about brake lines and the Porsche factory ones are stainless steel between rubber IIRC Might have been referring to Goodridge ones, don't remember exactly

Basically, when going with SS, you're preventing the brake line from expanding once it's hot (which rubber does). You'll likely notice a slight difference in pedal feel during normal driving, but unless you're really getting the brakes hot, there won't be a big difference. I usually upgrade to SS on my cars when the car is 10+ years old as a maintenance item.

Yeah - I think at 10+ years rubber will degrade , so replacing the component is not a bad idea. New oem lines would be fine - maybe stainless has marginal difference - hard to say - but if they look better and make you feel better why not . I have a set in the box waiting for my next fluid change to do the update ....

From an engineering point of view braided stainless lines do a couple of things 1. They don't expand under pressure like a rubber line , so all the hydraulic force is applied to the brake caliper Pistons , this will give some improved braking feel and performance . Rubber lines expand more as they age 2. The ss lines performance will stay the same in high temp, high demand conditions ( racing or emergency stops for example) 3. SS lines don't degrade over time like a standard brake line does , brake lines are exposed to some pretty harsh conditions , temperature ( especialy cold) salt , grit etc. so lines that last longer and cost the same are a worth while investment . If you ride a motorcycle especially an older one , ss lines will be a dramatic improvement . In a porsche the standard lines are as good as rubber ones get . So comparing new for new , less dramatic but ss is a worthwhile upgrade if you are changing the lines out anyway.

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See a pattern Schnell?

As a somewhat related note, installing the stainless lines can be a bit of PITA. The problem is the brass nuts that have to be removed are quite soft. I stripped two of mine even using the proper flare nut wrench and soaking with penetrating oil first. I'll be ordering the small brake lines connecting from the flex line to the caliper from Porsche on my next part order. The brake lines themselves are relatively inexpensive though. I figured it was worth the upgrade simply to replace the 13 year old original lines.