Stainless Steel Brake Lines...Worth it?
 

So I went to Firestone because I was hearing a squeak on bumps (which I think is the rubber fitting thingy on my springs is probably out). The only sound the found was a rotational squeak and said I needed new rotors, specifically the rear. I walked to my car to see and yeah, I do lol. So instead of them charging me 520 odd something bucks for rotors, I decided why not just upgrade the whole brake system and letting my buddy install them. So I'm going with EBC Drilled and Slotted and their Yellowstuff pads. I was looking at the brake lines and found some from Agency Power. Question is, are the lines worth it? I've heard that you're actually better off with OEM brake lines than the stainless steel. I know what they do and all but are they worth the 130 extra bucks? :question:

I'd say dont do it if you have other plans to use that 130 for or to save for. I got them installed a while back, and i drive a little spiritly every now and then around the mountain pass, and honestly i havent felt much of a difference. And about drilled and slotted, how hard do you drive? cause i know if you get both you do get better stopping power, but the Slotted part really cuts away at your brake pads, and the holes from being drilled reduce the stability of the rotor itself and it could crack if you drive them too hard.

Hmm.. I see, I see. I don't drive very hard, I do drive fast but I don't stomp on my brakes ever. The only other thing I would use the 130 for is for some side skirts that I want. But if it's not worth it then I won't get the brake lines. But you didn't feel much difference? What about with the rotors?
Thanks for your input by the way! I really appreciate some answers!

I just have oem style rotors, the solid ones with no slots or holes drilled in, and they work great for me, I havent ran into any issues with them. Mostly because theyre cheaper, and they wont slice away at my brake pads or accidentally crack (just assuming the worse). I did do a lot of research when it came to me having to replace my rotors as well as a flushing my brake fluid out, and thats when i decided to go with the SS lines, they do say that it helps prevents air bubbles from forming when your fluid gets to a high temperature. Rotors are going to be the one thing that you'll feel the biggest difference with, as well as good brake pads.

I have driven a car that had slotted/drilled rotors for a while before my dad got cheap and switched his rotors back to OEM style rotors since he doesnt drive like i do lol. You'll feel a strong difference in your braking, for me it felt more responsive and more stopping power (then again i was driving a Lexus SC430). But, only downside of those rotors are the accelerated pad wear and the possible cracking under lots of stress (probably doesnt happen always).

Heres a thread that i looked into when i was debating what to do with my brake system:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...ight=stop+tech
theres good info there, and plenty of user input!

Damn there's some good stuff on that thread...now definitely got me thinking more... My friend has EBC Drilled And Slotted with some Yellowstuff brake pads on his Land Rover and they do a great ___ job, that's why I was gonna go with pretty much the same thing. He's had his on for a while now and he's had no problem. Do you know why they're saying slotted is ok but drilled isn't in that thread? I'm probably still gonna get the Drilled and Slotted lol...just so beautiful!!! I have the money for it too so it wouldn't hurt me spending more.

Yeah they do look amazing, and because slotted all it does is really chop away at your brake pads, where drilled has the issue of cracking because of the holes that are on the rotors. Because with slotted they're a lines in pattern along the rotor, where if its drilled theres more holes and in more spots so, i guess in way its just that the rotor itself is slightly less structurally sound and more prone to cracking.

PS sorry for the weird ___ reply, its like 12 am and i got 2 papers i gotta do as well as more ____ i gotta get done soon lol!

I had a question I knw a guy selling drill an slotted rotor but when I asked what kind he said he didn't knw an my question was how do I knw if there good rotors or cheap ones

i think on the rotor the company should be stamped onto it, definitely check out the thread i linked above, I'd personally stick with stoptech, theyre affordable and work great, i have a set of stoptech oem style rotors and theyre a definite improvement over the original OEM ones, they just feel nicer, EBC makes good rotors too. If he doesnt know what brand they are, you'd probably want to stay away from them, they could be cheap rotors, but thats just me, i feel that your brakes are the one piece of equipment you dont want to go cheap on since they help save your life (in addition to good tires!)

Are you talking about the EBC dimpled drilled and slotted rotors (pictured below)? If you are, they are dimpled drilled to greatly reduce or eliminate cracks from happening. I had them on my car for well over 60,000 spirited miles before I removed them and install a BBK.

If you're going with these and there Yellowstuff pads for DD, I think that might be too much. Save some money on the pads for some SS lines (non-name brand), and they do make a difference in my opinion. Sharper pedal response is what I notice after the install of SS lines and a proper bleed.


Attachment 32580

Ohhh cool rotors! Lol I'd love a BBK but I can't justify me spending almost 1.2k on it when ill barely be able to put it to good use. Those rotors definitely looks better than some of the slotted/drilled rotors I've seen out there. Looks like EBC designed them with structural strenght in mind. And mayb e here is a difference with SS lines, but I had gotten new rotors and pads at the same time as well as a.full bleed so maybe I just the SS upgrade for the rotors being new.

Thanks. Loved those rotors while they were in use, and worth the extra cost in my opinion. As for the BBK, I also couldn't justify spending upwards of $1k. So I did a custom kit piecing pieces together for ~$500

Here's some pictures:

Attachment 32559

Attachment 32560

and stock: Attachment 32561

Yeah I've read about that stuff but they're not drilled all the way through, and personally I wouldn't mind spending money if they did crack lol but I trust EBC! & it's cool! I see you're like me lol getting off track!

Yeah those! Wow you had them on for a looonngg time! What kind of pads did you have on them while you had them? And what kind of SS lines? I'm not very fond of no-name stuff. Only good stuff for my baby!!

Oh my.. that BBK is sooo hoooooooottttt! I'm super freakin jealous :bow:

Thanks. I used some "Power Stop Evolution" ceramic pads that a few friends and family members recommend. They work great cold and resist fade pretty well under continuous braking, as well as low brake dust. Like I said in my previous post, I had these pads with the EBC rotors for over 60k miles, and I provided a picture to show you how much pad material is still left on the pads (right/smaller pad in the picture). As for the lines, name brand or not. They perform the same task, I bought the cheapest ones I could find on eBay. After 5+ years and over 75k miles, and I'm still reusing them on my BBK to this day. Also check on eBay for cheaper prices on Stop Tech SS lines.

link for SS brake lines: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-St...868335&vxp=mtr

link for pads: http://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com...amic-Brake-Pad

Attachment 32555

SS lines add a significant amount of brake "feel" and bite. Definitely one of my favorite upgrades for any car.

"drilled" rotors are actually cast with the holes in them. That way the structural integrity is preserved. The holes are mainly for lightening the overall weight of the rotors.


I have ebc rotors on now.

Thanks a lot!

Looking forward to them!

What parts did you use? it looks great and id love doing this for my car, 500 seems a bit more reasonable than over 1k for a brake kit, though i probably wont do a project like this for a while....i gotta save more money first ahahah