[s-cars] SS line failures yet again

[john at westcoastgarage.net]

You wrote:  "Filter through the chaff of generalization Brett....

What are the facts behind the  failures?

Plenty of oem brake lines fail too...

Oh btw, if you didn't already know, "speed kills"

-Peter

Now who's generalizing.  I find your statement to be absurd.  I recently 
participated in a conversation of this nature on the 914 Club.  In nearly 35 
years of German car repair as my sole and full time employment, maybe 1/10 
of 1% of the cars I've serviced (or were serviced by other techs in my shop) 
were equipped with SS braided brake lines.  Of the other 99.9%, all equipped 
with the OE or OE replacement rubber brake hoses, I've seen ONE catastrophic 
failure, and that was because the guy who installed it screwed up.  I've 
personally repaired 4 or 5 cars with catastrophic failures of SS braided 
brake hoses.  Do the math.  I can personally refer you to numerous other 
techs who can tell you the same thing.  Most failures of OE style brake 
hoses are of the internal swelling type, and are caused by owner neglect and 
old age.  I see 20-25 year old (and often more) cars all the time with their 
original hoses still quite functional and safe.  The performance improvement 
of SS braided hose for the track is questionable, and for the street is 
nonexistent.  I cannot address the bling factor here, because it is 
meaningless to me.  John