I was going to post this in the after market products forum, but from reading the forum it's now more of a question and answer forum than one that tells you good or bad about parts. So I put my post in this forum because it directly relates to braking.

Anyway I put a set of the Earl's hyperfirm brake lines on my car on saturday. (disk/drum car) The difference was truly amazing. I noticed a huge difference when I backed the car out of the shop. Before the pedal got firm, then you could push a little and make the pedal go down about 1/2" more. The last 1/2" was kind of like stepping on a rubber ball and compressing it. But that last 1/2" is gone now. The pedal goes down and stays rock hard, and the braking difference is very noticeable.

For $70 from summit, they are a real bargain.

 

yeah, they are definately worth the money. If you are doing the brakes anyway, good idea to do these too!

 

hell yea those brake lines are bad ***...sadly now i only have three of them... the brake line on my passenger side is stock because some old lady flew out of a driveway and cliped my whole right side a few months back. And you can seriously tell the difference between each wheel slowing down...its doesnt feel right.

 

Well maybe you can take the one good rear line to a hydraulic shop and get one line made up. Sounds like it's worth a try.

We were discussing this subject on the cascasde crew site last night, and just for grins, I went to autozone's web site and priced out stock lines. For the 3 stock lines it's $78.97 without tax. For the earl's lines from summit they are $69.95, plus $8.95 handing charge. So that a difference of $.07 less for the earl's lines with shipping.

So if you are replacing your lines, there is absolutely no reason not to go with the earl's hoses. They are a better product for the same price.

And, according to earl's, for every mph in speed you need to panic brake down from, these lines on the average reduce your braking distance by .225 feet per mph. At 55 mph that's 12.375 feet less stopping distance. How many accidents could be avoided if you could stop 12 feet shorter? Considering how under "braked" our cars are, it kind of makes you think doesn't it.

 

that's why i'm going with braided lines too.....car's being modded now...lol

 

make sure you get the 5 piece kit not the three as some kits only include the 1 rear flex line where they connect to the rear not the actual rear caliper lines
pete

 

i was going to say i had to get the 5 piece and it was 98 dollars.....well worth it though.

 

I've got this kit sitting at home waiting to be installed and am really impressed with the results you guys have had. I can't wait now!

How long did the install take? Can a relative novice do it providing they have the correct equipment?

Has anyone actually noticed a difference in stopping distance or just in pedal feel?

Gordon

 

Since I haven't panic braked with the new lines yet, I can't say I've seen a difference in stopping distance. But you do have to re-learn how to use the brakes. They are much more touchy now with the new lines. I can easily see how hte car would stop in less distance with all the fluid force being applied to the brakes, and not being wasted in expanding the stock brake lines.

I've got a disk/drum car, and the hardest thing was getting the hard lines loose. Luckily I have a set of metric flare nut wrenches to use on the lines. It's a pain, but that's not the fault of the new lines, it's just the way the car is. Took about 1 hour with removing the front tires to install the front lines, bleeding the brakes, etc. Those little clips that hold the front lines on are a real pain to get off. I drove them off with a screwdriver wedged into them. Worked good and I didn't destroy them and was able to re-use them. The back didn't use the clip, but the fronts did.

 

I haven't changed the lines on my Formula (yet -- they are sitting in the garage along with a few other things ), but it should be about as easy as bleeding the brakes ... only a little more messy. Seriously, if you can bleed your brakes, the only thing you probably have to worry about are crusty brake line connections.

I've changed to stainless steel lines on two other cars while sitting in the driveway using hand tools.

The pedal may feel firmer, but I doubt it will improve braking distance. Unless your car has ragged OE lines and/or old fluid, I don't see how the braking distance will be improved just by changing brake lines. The thing about stainless steel brake lines is that they don't expand like rubber lines when brake fluid starts heating up. Just for one hard stop on the street, I don't think the lines make much of a difference (again, if your rubber lines aren't shot and you have "good" brake fluid). But they will enable the brakes to perform better if you're stopping or slowing down multiple times.

 

Thanks guys. I had thought that bleeding them would be the only hard part - I suppose there's no excuse for me not to change them this week now!

 

which is the proper kit for the disk/drum cars

Is this is the proper kit with the 5 pieces you guys are talking about?

 

The disc/drum kit only has 3 lines.
Two for the front and the one flex line between body and axle in the back.
Rears are hard lines right into the wheel cylinder.
S-D

 

Yes.

 

great, i'm gonna pick up a set this weekend, can't wait to throw them on

 

Note that these are for 84 to 92 only. Don;t know the year of the your car....
S-D

 

yea i have an 88 iroc so i'm fine with that kit

 

I been wanting to get them lines but i havnt got my rear pbr calipers yet so i was gonna wait. That way i can really take effect of the 1le setup up. The question i have is tho do they make a kit for the 1LE cause i know the front lines i use to have were shorter.But the original z28 lines may be longer i dunno. CAn some1 help me clear this up cause i thought i had to specialy order the hoses for the performance pakage at auto zone when i bought the rubber ones.

 

The part numbers you need are (from Jeg's):


361-28A180: 3 pc set for disc/drum cars $69.99

361-28A190: 5 pc set for disc/disc cars including 1LE brake systems. $95.99

The 5 piece set is NOT for disc/drum cars, only the disc/disc cars.

Ed

 

yeh i have 4 wheel disc just havnt got the rear pbr calipers yet got the cast iron ones.