Brakes & Clutch - braided hoses

There is no doubt that fitting PTFE (teflon) brake hoses (braided hoses, the ones where instead of rubber you see steel braiding on the outside) can greatly improve the feel of the brake pedal and the performance of the braking/clutch BUT you must be aware of a few things....

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST SAFETY CRITICAL AREAS you may work in:

You can buy the lines you need for brake or clutch, standard or custom READY MADE from most tuning shops: please think long and hard to satisfy yourself that you are able to make your own brake lines up... why not cost the components versus the pre-assembled items (especially if your car is stock, the pre manufactured stuff will be the right length!)

SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP when designing replacement brake components (including lines!!!!) GET ANYTHING REALLY WRONG and it could be your last project!

PTFE brake hoses easily pass the MOT (personal experience) and last for a long long time, I have personally never had one show the classic failures of traditional rubber hoses (external swelling and internal obstruction), long lengths of PTFE hose in place of the rigid brake pipes will require fastening down at regular intervals to stop your brake effort being translated into coiling up of the unrestrained hose.

Why??? PTFE brake lines flex when under pressure, this results in some small increase in the internal volume of the hose, therefore if you do not fasten down line runs every 6" you could fail the MOT on brake pedal travel/softness.

PTFE tips from FB.........

1) For lowered cars, replacing the rigid pipe on top of the radius arm with a length of braided teflon hose ( slave cylinder to subframe, cable tied further down around the arm) is recommended to stop pipe pinching on ground huggers

2) The 2 part clutch connection (the problematic rigid pipe master to bulkhead/ flexi pipe to slave cylinder) can be replaced with one neat run of PTFE hose

3) Metro Turbo Caliper Conversions

Buy a prefabricated set of 4 hoses from a reputable supplier, if you try to make your own you will either be left with over-stretched hoses and/or over long hoses that will touch the front tie rod and fail the MOT. Over wrapping with thick plastic cable wrap removes the contact and then gets you through the M.O.T. BUT you are still left with a risk of abrasion damage of the lines!

4) PTFE brake lines are primarily used for competition (thus the advantages) BUT be aware of any restrictions on warranty a supplier may choose to impose on the on-road use of their products which may be designed for competition use only.

5) If you modify the braking system from standard tell your insurers!

6) The steel PTFE hose over-braid conducts electricity, if your rubber clutch hose is rubbing on a live componant GET IT SORTED before replacing with PTFE!!!!!!

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