# Braided Brake Lines



## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

Ive been looking around and havent found any for my car. I have always replaced the stock rubber lines with braided when possible. Makes for a better pedal feel.

I have a company I go through for brake lines. I have been using them for a while now for use with a rear disc conversion a buddy and I offer.

would there be any interest in setting up a group buy for them? Fronts for sure, possibly rears as well.


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

I would be depending on the cost.


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## Psychomidgit (Jun 9, 2013)

I'm interested


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

I'm interested depending on cost, same as Dragonsys.

First off, if you do intend to sell anything on the forum you will have to PM XtremeRevolution about the details of your group buy, as forum rules dictate that unless you purchase a Vendor account, you cannot advertise any product for sale. As I said just send him a Private Message here on the forum and he will help you further.

In the meantime I will keep this thread open to continue to gauge interest, as braided brake lines would be a really nice buy.


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## Peter Wollen (Apr 3, 2014)

Braided lines consist of an inner hose wrapped in stainless steel braiding and coated with PVC which keeps the lines safe from the elements. They have been designed to remedy the performance issues found with stock rubber brake lines by pretty much eliminating the swelling characteristic of rubber hoses.


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

Smurfenstein said:


> I'm interested depending on cost, same as Dragonsys.
> 
> First off, if you do intend to sell anything on the forum you will have to PM XtremeRevolution about the details of your group buy, as forum rules dictate that unless you purchase a Vendor account, you cannot advertise any product for sale. As I said just send him a Private Message here on the forum and he will help you further.
> 
> In the meantime I will keep this thread open to continue to gauge interest, as braided brake lines would be a really nice buy.


This is just a gauge of interest right now. I will definitely follow the proper channels if this becomes anything more. 

I will look into a vendor account as I will definitely have more items available in the future.


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

Seems like overkill for these cars......kinda like putting Brembo calipers on it.


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

Vetterin said:


> Seems like overkill for these cars......kinda like putting Brembo calipers on it.


I have experienced issues from line swelling already, and I have less than 30k miles on the car. Also heat fade is horrible on these little brakes.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Dragonsys said:


> I have experienced issues from line swelling already, and I have less than 30k miles on the car. Also heat fade is horrible on these little brakes.


30k miles merits a brake fluid flush, especially if you are fading the brakes regularly. 

I assume your rear drums are adjusted well?

Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> 30k miles merits a brake fluid flush, especially if you are fading the brakes regularly.
> 
> I assume your rear drums are adjusted well?
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com App


Yeah, I am getting the fluid from you very soon for the flush. I only get heat fade when I am in bad traffic, which luckily is not a lot, as I tend to get on the roads during non-peak times.
Yes, I have adjusted my drums, and it made a HUGE difference. This was one of the first things I did when I got the car.


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## TurboRS (Mar 25, 2014)

I would absolutely be interested in a set!


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

To me brakes and suspension are the 2 most important parts of the car.

I try to explain to people they are definitely the first 2 upgrades I recommend when starting to make above stock power. It doesnt matter how fast you can go or how powerful your car is if you cant control it safely. 

I believe you should be able to stop as fast as you can accelerate. Spongy brakes do not help with that at all.


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

I also wanted to note that I got Andrei's blessing to move forward with this. 

I will be double checking the lines specs tonight and ordering a set to test fit. I dont have to chck quality as I have had a set of these lines on both my previous cars plus there are about 50 other people that I have sold lines to for rear disc conversions on another platform.

I will post pricing in the next couple days once I get word from the manufacturer. 

I am focusing mainly on the fronts right now. Once I get those worked out I will look into the rears for the cars equipped with rear discs. The cars with the drum rears will come after as they will be a little more of a pain.

I am bummed about that as my personal car has drum rears. Fortunately that opens the doors for the possibility of a rear disc conversion kit. That would be a while though.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

The rears will only do 15-20% of the braking, so it won't be a huge deal. Also, we might have drums but they are very big drums. 

Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

I would just like to leave this here.


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## Invierno (Nov 23, 2012)

I'm interested. I've also always done this mod for all my previous cars. If nothing else, it adds more peace of mind and they look pretty and last longer 

You can always make your own kit/set too via Earls or Russell Performance Russell Performance - Brake Hose Introduction


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## 30 Ounce (Nov 18, 2012)

Dragonsys said:


> Yeah, I am getting the fluid from you very soon for the flush. I only get heat fade when I am in bad traffic, which luckily is not a lot, as I tend to get on the roads during non-peak times.
> Yes, I have adjusted my drums, and it made a HUGE difference. This was one of the first things I did when I got the car.


Wow! If you are getting fade in bad traffic then either you have an automatic and drive with 2 feet (dragging the brakes constantly) or really do not know how to use brakes properly. I've taken my cruze on the race track and was fairly impressed with the stock pads & rotors. I had very little fade and was able to manage the heat as well as my track car.


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

Got the pricing lined up. 

There will be 2 ways to purchase these. Direct buy or group buy.

Direct buy will get you a front pair with new crush washers for $60 shipped in the us.

Group buy will have 2 options. 5-9 people $55 shipped 10+ people $50 shipped.


direct buy will allow you to get the lines when you want without having to wait to get enough people for the group buy. Once ordered there is about a week turn around time before I ship out to you. Shipping will be via usps priority mail with tracking information.


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## AlcoholicPolak (Dec 28, 2013)

Sounds like a pretty good price. I'll definitely be interested later, down the road...working on suspension currently. Will probably do a direct buy.

Russell lines for front and rear on my Cobalt were about $80 shipped a few years ago.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

I will most likely direct buy. First I need to number crunch as I need a new set of tires before my tires go bald. Good thing I live in CA Lol.


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

30 Ounce said:


> Wow! If you are getting fade in bad traffic then either you have an automatic and drive with 2 feet (dragging the brakes constantly) or really do not know how to use brakes properly. I've taken my cruze on the race track and was fairly impressed with the stock pads & rotors. I had very little fade and was able to manage the heat as well as my track car.


I have a manual, and I know how to use the brakes properly.
You have obviously never seen Atlanta Traffic, and I drive on 2 of the worst highways here, my 30 mile commute can take between 2 and 4 hours on any given day. The brakes on this car heat up, in stop-n-go traffic with 90+ degree ambient air temps, quickly. More quickly than they would at the track, since you don't use the brakes as much at the track, even during Autocross, as you do in this kind of traffic. At the track you have periods in which the brakes cool down, even when hot lapping. Plus these cars are not fast enough to get to speeds in a drag where the brakes would get really hot during braking.

Plus with the humidity (coupled with the heat) here, the rubber lines swell, which gives the brakes less "biting" power. Which these brake lines would help with.


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

I also have 30 mile commute that is usually 75-90 minutes long. Its basically on and off the brake the entire time. I can feel the brake pedal getting softer toward the end of the drive. Was like this in my last 2 cars as well. That is why I changed to braided lines. Once that was done all was well.

I am also looking into bigger rotors and 2+ piston calipers for the front. I have a near bolt on idea that would require just drilling the rotors to our bolt pattern.


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## Dragonsys (May 27, 2013)

dsmskyline said:


> I also have 30 mile commute that is usually 75-90 minutes long. Its basically on and off the brake the entire time. I can feel the brake pedal getting softer toward the end of the drive. Was like this in my last 2 cars as well. That is why I changed to braided lines. Once that was done all was well.
> 
> I am also looking into bigger rotors and 2+ piston calipers for the front. I have a near bolt on idea that would require just drilling the rotors to our bolt pattern.


Cool, I look forward to reading about it.
So I am interested in the lines, but it will be a bit before I can buy. I have all my money tied up in a new business right now. I'm thinking around June or July. They look good.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I have a unique situation where I live in an extremely hilly area with rolling 200-400ft hills with some very steep grades. This is the first car I have owned that has no compression braking what so ever and even shifting down two gears will gain speed downhill if you don't ride the brakes more than I like. Add in city driving or any of the many curvy twisty roads and the brakes definitely start to feel hot. 

Since I have a 1LT with 16in rims upgrading the brakes is probably out of the question unless I want new rims as well. Interested in this upgrade, probably would do this & at the same time upgrade the brake fluid as well.


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## Invierno (Nov 23, 2012)

AlcoholicPolak said:


> Sounds like a pretty good price. I'll definitely be interested later, down the road...working on suspension currently. Will probably do a direct buy.
> 
> Russell lines for front and rear on my Cobalt were about $80 shipped a few years ago.


Did your Cobalt have all four discs though?


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## AlcoholicPolak (Dec 28, 2013)

No, I have an LS with rear drums.


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## smorey78 (Apr 8, 2012)

I am very interested as well. But i have the zzp big brake kit which basically use the caliper of the late 90's camaro and the stock hose is square...so is the picture you left the hoses we would get??


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

Correct. The lines will work with those calipers as well. The factory lines are square to help reduce the chance of the fitting spinning while tightening the banjo bolt.

My brake plan is similar to the zzp kit except for less than half the price. The rotor is just under 12" in diameter compared to the 10.9" stock on the cruze. Should still fit under the stock 16" lt rims. I have seen the zzp kit on a sonic with 15" steelies.

I will also look into the possibility of a rear disc swap for those of us with factory drum brakes.


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## Daryl (Nov 10, 2013)

spacedout said:


> I have a unique situation where I live in an extremely hilly area with rolling 200-400ft hills with some very steep grades. This is the first car I have owned that has no compression braking what so ever and even shifting down two gears will gain speed downhill if you don't ride the brakes more than I like. Add in city driving or any of the many curvy twisty roads and the brakes definitely start to feel hot.


I agree 100%. I really wish it had some compression braking. I find myself using the brakes way more than I like on a mountain because the car just will not hold back at all.

Sent from my Droid Ultra


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Daryl said:


> I agree 100%. I really wish it had some compression braking. I find myself using the brakes way more than I like on a mountain because the car just will not hold back at all.


I actually decided to test it one day on an 8% grade, 45mph at the top, 75mph and climbing at the bottom with no brakes downshifting from 6th to 4th gear at the top. That 30 mph gain was only over 0.4 miles, so with no brakes the car really is a run away train. 

The Car should come equipped with some sort of added engine/exhaust braking system if this is how a heavy car/little engine combo preforms. 

Here's a question for anyone, if I have to ride my brakes with light/moderate pressure for 25-45 seconds and heat them up down a hill, how much of the easy flat roads with no braking does it take to cool the brakes back down?


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

I think cooling time would depend on a few factors including ambient air temp, driving speeds, and air flow.


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## ArmedCitizen (Apr 22, 2014)

Just to clarify, are the front brake lines available for purchase now? If so, what is generally the turnaround time to get them shipped out? I'll be putting new pads on my cruze and changing the brake fluid soon, I would like to swap these out at the same time. I've been looking everywhere for some braided lines, I'm glad someone was finally able to locate some for us!


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## dsmskyline (Mar 21, 2014)

They are available now. There is about a week turn around time from when you pay to when I ship. It depends on how busy the manufacturer is when I order them.


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## smorey78 (Apr 8, 2012)

ok where do i order??


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## lilredjet (Sep 1, 2013)

I will order to. Just fronts.. My car isn't being written off. They screwed up... Its being fixed for 8K. Im ok with that. Except I jumped the gun and sold my v tuner and zzp pipes... uggg oh well get new ones this summer... have my car back in 2-3 weeks.


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## lilredjet (Sep 1, 2013)

Let Us guys know where how to order SS brake lines. Fronts only please.. Gonna add HAWK HPS street pads ( non ceramic) great bite. Prestone dot 3 syn. fluid. Great budget system and twice the brake power of the stockers which are pretty good.


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## lilredjet (Sep 1, 2013)

prices and whats happening with the ss brake lines????


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## Kruise (Sep 28, 2011)

I am also interested in SS lines for the fronts. Don't need em right away so if there is a group buy I'm game


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## 30 Ounce (Nov 18, 2012)

Dragonsys said:


> I have a manual, and I know how to use the brakes properly.
> You have obviously never seen Atlanta Traffic, and I drive on 2 of the worst highways here, my 30 mile commute can take between 2 and 4 hours on any given day. The brakes on this car heat up, in stop-n-go traffic with 90+ degree ambient air temps, quickly. More quickly than they would at the track, since you don't use the brakes as much at the track, even during Autocross, as you do in this kind of traffic. At the track you have periods in which the brakes cool down, even when hot lapping. Plus these cars are not fast enough to get to speeds in a drag where the brakes would get really hot during braking.
> 
> Plus with the humidity (coupled with the heat) here, the rubber lines swell, which gives the brakes less "biting" power. Which these brake lines would help with.


I have driven in Atlanta traffic and it does suck! I moved to Denver from San Francisco where my commute was 2 hours or more with a 2-3000lb load on my truck. The reality is that you never get up to enough speed to develop much heat in the brakes. You are correct that the Cruze doesn't get to the speeds that my track car does but the track (High Plains Raceway) is famous for destroying brakes. 15 corners 5 of which are entered at speeds above 85, 1 above 110. I have been racing and doing track days for 20 years. I can tell you that most people do not use their brakes properly. At least on the track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiNGjx-H-9U


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## Daryl (Nov 10, 2013)

Any news on this? I would like to do a direct buy for a set for on my Wife's Cruze.


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