I finally got the chance to install the stainless braided brake hoses on all four wheels of my car, and now I have brakes! The old rubber hoses were weak, so they were bulging a little, and there was just a bit of leaking. Braking was slow, and probably took double the distance at highway speeds.

After the install, I tried the brakes in an open place, and I'm glad I had on my shoulder belt, because I almost hit my head on the steering wheel!. Hopefully, I'll never have to use the improved brakes on the road, but at least I know I can stop MUCH more quickly if I need to.

I put on a new PCV valve too, and the engine & transmission ar much happier now too.

Did you keep the stock brake setup? I have the stainless brake lines as well and I'm trying to decide if I want to radically change the brake setup or keep it stock.

I have to change out my lines when the car gets back from getting painted...if you took any pics could you post them?

Zak

Sorry, I don't take pictures of my car. You couldn't see the new hoses anyway.

Besides the new brake hoses, everything is stock. I just haven't had an opportunity to check the rear brakes. How ould you do that when it's not snowing or raining?

thxZ

Before I took the new brake hoses to the brake shop. I examined them carefully. Each one had on it a short black plastic sleeve with "EARLS" printed on it in white ink. I think that most of these braided hoses were from Earl's, but were they ever approved for use in cars? I think that when I bough my hoses they weren't yet "approved" but people were using them anyway.

thxZ

I have Goodridge G-Stop stainless brake hoses on my car (I bought these through Nissan Motorsports). They give you a firmer brake pedal. My brakes are stock otherwise, with Hawk pads, Powerslot rotors, and new Brembo drums. The car stops faster after swapping all of that stuff in, because the rest of the brake hardware is better (and so is the new fluid).

The stainless lines, by themselves, won't make your car stop faster or make you hit your head on the steering wheel, unless there is something very wrong with your brakes to start with. But they do take the 'mush' out of your brake pedal.

I have similar hoses on my Frontier pickup, for the same reason. You have a much better feel for the brake pedal with the stainless hoses installed.

If I remember correctly, the stainless brake lines I purchased had a sticker stating they were not approved for street use. That might have changed by now, but, at least they had a warning on them.

The stainless lines, by themselves, won't make your car stop faster or make you hit your head on the steering wheel, unless there is something very wrong with your brakes to start with.

The old rubber hoses were weak, so they were bulging a little, and there was just a bit of leaking.

I was going to comment on that when I first saw this thread. The first thing I did when I bought my Z was the brakes including replacing the lines although with stock ones. The original lines would be nearly 30 years old now (20 when I bought my car).

Another note about Earl's stainless steel brake lines. They make two types Hyperfirm, which are D.O.T. approved, and Speed-Flex which are not. I had considered them (Hyperfirm) but I didn't feel that they were necessary for a seldom driven street car.

I was told that the braided stainless brake hoses were not approved for the street because they had not passed the "whip test."

I agree the stainless hoses are a nice upgrade. They tend to make other cars feel like they have mushy brakes. I got goodridge ones that said they were DOT approved.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?&make=Goodridge&model=G-Stop+Brakeline+Kit&group=G-Stop+Brakeline+Kit&autoMake=Nissan&autoModel=240Z&autoYear=1973&autoModClar=&perfCode=S

I was told that the braided stainless brake hoses were not approved for the street because they had not passed the "whip test."

Re-read post #9. If you have Earl's hoses, you obviously have the non DOT Earl's Speed-Flex hoses.