OK...this question came up in a completely unrelated thread and I thought it deserved its own thread to discuss.....From my research it seems that steel braided brake lines flex less than the rubber brake lines so they have a more solid pedal feel (not that my car needs that, the 996 brakes are excellent), but these brake lines seem to have a much shorter life and can fail without notice. Race cars use them, BUT replace them far more often than people usually do with street cars. I found this article explaining some of this...thoughts? experiences?

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Performance/brakelines.htm

 

I have run SS brakelines on other cars. They really won't make much of a differnce on the porsche because they start out so good to begin with.

The Pro's are better pedal feel due to less expansion in the lines (factory are steel reinforced rubber) and possibly better pedal modulation due to again less expansion in the lines.

The Con's can be rapid wear and failure. This can happen due to the fact that typically the lines are teflon tubes covered in a braided stainless steel sheeth. What happens is that road dirt gets between the steel and the tubes and the moving of the braid errodes the tube, eventually causing a hole and failure.

99% of stainless lines are NOT DOT approved for street use because of this problem.

HOWEVER, there are some lines available that have the Teflon tube wrapped in the stainless steel braid and then they are covered in a vinyl covering (like shrink wrap) to protect the line from the introduction of road dirt. These lines are DOT approved and will not have the failures associated with SS brakelines. Typically these lines cost twice as much or more than typical SS brakelines. First for the added materials, manufacturing, and market, and second for having to pass DOT approval.

One manufacturer that makes these covered SS brakelines is Goodridge. I have used them before and they are very good and bulletproof.

With all that said however, I believe that the factory brakes in the Porsche need little improvement. If I were to work on them, I would start with a different brake pad. Brake Pads can also drastically change pedal feel.
http://www.goodridge.net/
Hope this helps.
Andy

 

thats the info i got...thanks....

 

You WILL feel a difference if you add these.

 

i felt a noticable improvement when I added StopTech SSL to my E39 as that mushy feeling was gone.. make sure you use good brake fluid too like Motul or ATE Super Blue or Gold

 

been running the non-dot style ones for quite some time now. no problems yet and i love the rock solid pedal feel i get.

If/when these ever corrode or need replacing i'll go with agency power lines because they have the superior stainless steel wrapped in teflon style and are cost effective.

 

I asked the same questions to a few racing gurus on the topic and the answer was "the cup cars use the factory ones." Enough said for me at least.

 

I put in StopTech SS braid lines 2 years ago. No noticeable difference in pedal feel. One thing I've noticed, perhaps due to the engine heat, the coating is turning yellow and hard. They are DOT approved, but the fitment was kind of a hack IMHO. I got a set of Goodridge lines from TRG waiting in the lines for when the plastic coating starts to crack or get brittle. The Goodridge seem to be of higher quality than StopTech, but I would agree with UCrazyKid. This is a low priority mod. I would only consider it if you've got your brakes off/apart for some other reason.