# are all stainless steel brake lines equal?? want opinions before buying.



## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

hey all

i'm upgrading my mk3 2.0 brakes and goin with stainless steel braided brake lines. i think i'm going with the ones from GAP. they have teflon lines with kevlar and then braided ss. anyone have experience or opinions on different lines? i'd like a coating over the stainless steel but can't find any good brands that have this....maybe i'll get some heat shrink tubing and just do my own? has anyone ever done their own? how?

the ecs tuning ones are teflon and then braided ss and a vinyl sheath and apparently have oem fittings

the techtonics ones say they are from kevlar and have a different fitting in the photos on the website...?

i called ecs tuning and asked if they had kevlar between the teflon on ss (which is what i want) and they guy was like oh its covered in teflon...basically a moron...i even asked to talk to a tech dept and he gave me crap...everytime i deal with ecstuning i'm not very happy sooo i'm thinking i should trust the gut and ignore them. techtonics has always been a great tuning house and has great products....that said i think the ones from GAP are cheaper and provide the mid lines (near axle) as well.

thanks in advance peops :beer:
-V


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## 69bug (Aug 10, 2002)

i have the neuspeed ones on my mk3 2.0T and recently upgraded the rears with mk4 and bought the mk4 braided ones off GAP and banjo bolts. i really like both the neuspeed before the upgrade and after with the upgrade.


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## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

i was confused...you really like both the neuspeed and the GAP? before the upgrade and after? or you prefer the neuspeed overall? can you explain?

the neuspeed ones look similar to the GAP ones...except the GAP ones have kevlar inbetween to protect the teflon...and the neuspeed are twice as much. did you notice much difference in construction? did either of them have a protective coating on the outside?


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## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

bump


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## 69bug (Aug 10, 2002)

neither of them have a coating on them. i could tell the difference once i installed the neuspeed from the OEM rubber hoses. after the neuspeed install, all i changed out were the ones that attach to the mk4 calipers themselves. i still have 4 of the original neuspeed still on the car. once you have braided lines i don't think you will tell the difference between the different brands.


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## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

BUMP

does anyone know a good material to shrink wrap/coat ss brake lines with?? 

i was looking at this site for ideas...
http://cableorganizer.com/heat-shrink/heat-shrink-PTFE.htm


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## BoostedDubVR6T420 (Dec 4, 2009)

It does'nt matter where you get them at they are stainless steel. No matter what they wont rust, they a far superior in looks, feel, and performance over OEM.


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## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

aaah but it does matter. partially because i'm a perfectionist but also because it actually does. some lines are tested before being sent out at high psi and some are just sent out...some lines have coating over them to protect crap from getting between the ss and the teflon and causing damage or from the ss scraping paint and anything it touches. some lines have kevlar between the teflon and ss to protect the teflon from being damaged by the ss. some lines have aftermarket fittings or swivel ends or oem fit...some lines are different lengths. it's super easy to look in my wheel well and visually inspect my current brake lines. i'm getting these as an upgrade....but its a pain to inspect them. i most likely won't change them out for 2 yrs...which is earlier than most would. every motorcyclist i know seems to really get into their brakes but every car enthusiast i know just wants big brake kits or cheap cross drilled rotors. the second most important thing in a car after the tires (the only part of a car connected to the road) are the brakes. that's my opinion. 

i can't seem to find a company that makes a set of ss lines that have every feature i want so it looks like i'll go GAP and try to wrap them myself unless i find some more options in the next week.


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## clarksongli (Nov 4, 2003)

i know your pain....luckily i have a flyid dynamics place near my work

My recommendation....get a place to build you a set of goodrich lines.....they have everything i think your looking for. Solid construction for sure.

outer clear casing, stainless braided with inner strain relief, and a solid extruded teflon core.

I plan on having these for a long time.....

That being said, i did use a set from GAP.....no outer casing, but they were on the car for so long, the hard line side rusted away very nice product....and they still don't leak!

but for 150 bucks i got my goodrich ones made.....any fitting and length i needed( i like banjo bolts so all 4 of mine are banjo'ed)

if you are stuck get the GAP ones....for the price they will last longer than you need them too:laugh:


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## NewUnit16 (Dec 10, 2008)

really wish GAP had the option to omit the rear lines (to caliper). since i upgraded to mk4 calipers, i no longer need the old style lines. about to email them, anyone else had them do this for you?


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## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

clarksongli said:


> i know your pain....luckily i have a flyid dynamics place near my work
> 
> My recommendation....get a place to build you a set of goodrich lines.....they have everything i think your looking for. Solid construction for sure.
> 
> ...


i'm glad someone feels my pain...haha....i might go GAP and see about coating them with teflon or vinyl.



NewUnit16 said:


> really wish GAP had the option to omit the rear lines (to caliper). since i upgraded to mk4 calipers, i no longer need the old style lines. about to email them, anyone else had them do this for you?


GAP guys are reeeeallly friendly...just call them up and i bet they'll customize an order for you no problem! they make things easy on us.


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## blind (Nov 26, 1999)

I have the ecs lines with the clear covering. The covering didn't last any time. It cracked and started peeling off. It's hard to tell how much they helped since I went from mk3 2.0 with drums to vr6 4 wheel disk at the same time.


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## The Big V (Jul 11, 1999)

thanks for the reviews on the ecs lines! i've gotta say i've never been impressed with them as a company and in my past dealings with them...this just further makes me want to avoid them. i'm leaning towards the GAP lines and coating them with a poly/teflon shrink if i can figure it out... 



blind said:


> I have the ecs lines with the clear covering. The covering didn't last any time. It cracked and started peeling off. It's hard to tell how much they helped since I went from mk3 2.0 with drums to vr6 4 wheel disk at the same time.


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