BRAKE PAD POLL:::::Vote Here

[Brett Dikeman]

At 5:15 PM -0600 1/2/05, Jeff Babcock wrote:
>Hi everybody,
>With the new year its time to start thinking about front pads for 
>the 865KTQ the G60's have SS brakelines

Okay, this is a pet peeve of mine, so forgive me for a lengthy rant, 
which isn't really directed at you...it's more a result of my 
frustration with the continued practice of selling these lines to 
people who should never use them; it's beyond irresponsible on the 
part of all the "tuners" and "aftermarket performance" companies.

People claim there's a huge different in pedal feel- there isn't, 
compared to new stock lines.  They people who do the raving are 
usually coming from 10+ year old stock lines, and YES, there will be 
a dramatic difference from those.

   SS lines were designed for racing- and the SS part is mostly to 
keep impacts from debris from damaging the line while on track.  The 
teflon plastic tube was a further enhancement that YES, does resist 
flexing and can give a SLIGHTLY stiffer pedal...but when scored, 
pinched, bent, etc the tube becomes VERY weak and WILL burst. 
They're not appropriate for street use because debris gets between 
the SS braid and the plastic line and scores the plastic.  Racers are 
told to change the lines EVERY SEASON, and they run far fewer miles 
under much cleaner conditions.  Like race harnesses and other race 
components, longevity and maintenance-free qualities are sacrificed 
for performance or safety.  When was the last time you inspected your 
lines, and how would you tell if the plastic tube is damaged, since 
it's completely covered by the SS braid?  Answer- you can't inspect 
them.

Case and point, one of the people in the NE chapter of the ACNA has a 
used Audi dealership.  He has a regular stream of customers who burst 
SS lines.  He's yet to see a single customer with stock lines burst 
one.  Why?  Because the stock lines are more durable (they last 5-10x 
longer), and they also show very clear warning signs when they're 
past due (bulging, dry/cracked surface = replace IMMEDIATELY).  They 
also don't fail as violently as SS lines do; they usually start 
leaking if you've ignored all the previous signs.  SS lines just 
explode open with no warning, leaving your pedal to drop to the floor.

SS lines are often not a proper fit for the vehicle they've been 
recommended for.  The sizing is done by the "tuner" you bought from, 
and who knows they even put the right size in the box?  They may look 
like they fit- until you throw the car up on the lift, and a foot up, 
you suddenly notice a nice drip of fluid up front because the lines 
weren't sized to be long enough to handle having the car jacked up 
AND the wheel turned...oops!

Stock lines are built to something resembling standards, by suppliers 
who can't just disappear and start turning out product within a week 
under a new name and logo.  Audi for example uses ATE for many of its 
brake lines; a company that has been making brake components for 
decades, and does so for a large number of other car companies.  No 
doubt the EU gets their fingers into aspects of construction and 
quality control processes.

   SS lines are usually in some factory in China or Taiwan, to wildly 
varying degrees of quality in materials and crimps with god knows 
what kind of quality control, and sold by Joe's Performance Parts 
LLC, whose idea of the "best line" is the one that had the greatest 
profit margin or the nicest booth at SEMA.  Do you think any of the 
tuners have staff capable of determining if a line is constructed 
properly, with appropriate materials?

DOT certification?  Hah.  Good lines will sometimes fail the DOT 
tests for one small reason, but outperform lines which pass the 
tests.  The DOT tests do not test lines for tolerance to abrasion 
from dirt; mostly, they just tug on them and whip them around to see 
they don't fall apart that way.

Jacketing has improved things, but if the jacket (which is just 
plastic) is damaged, in goes water, dirt etc, and you're right back 
to square one.

>  But with those panic stops that sometimes happen on the expressway 
>I feel its important to have the shortest stopping pads avaliable, 
>incase you have to really hit the binders hard.

Brake pad design is a balance between wear (both pad and rotor), 
temperature range (lots of track pads are HORRIBLE for the street 
because they need to be at a high temperature to work properly), wet 
performance, dust levels, noise, etc.

Panic stop levels of brake application often easily overwhelm the 
amount of traction available, causing ABS to kick in, which means 
much longer stopping distances.  Pads won't help you as much as 
better tires and threshold braking will.

Brett
-- 
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin
http://www.users.cloud9.net/~brett/