where can I get steel belted brake lines for my Magnum?

[SilverSteelMag06]

can some tell me if there is a steel belted brake line kit for a 06 awd magnum?

[Super T]

braided? www.pfyc.com, or I'm sure some of our vendors have them.

[SilverSteelMag06]

yes, i'm looking for the kit.

[CoolVanilla]

Send Todd of TCE Performance a PM: http://www.lxforums.com/board/member.php?u=3662

He's a supporting vendor and has done right by many of us. Very good price, very good product and very very good service.

[SilverSteelMag06]

thanks Cool Vanilla

[lowriderman3]

Can you get Airline kits from the same place above? /end threadjack

[SilverSteelMag06]

would I see a difference in braking?

[CoolVanilla]

would I see a difference in braking?
That, I'm afraid is a hotly contested question. My opinion, and it is based on having gone thru a very long discussion here on this subject, is the following:

1) you will feel a difference. The pedal will "firm" up significantly. This alone justifies the cost of the upgrade.

2) in an 'oh sh!t' situation, you may see an actual change in braking distance, but IMHO its not enough to justify the cost of the upgrade.

To further clarify point 2, the idea is this: the stock lines, under pressure will expand a bit since they, after all, are rubber. So, when you hammer down on the pedal, some of your force is applied outwardly and taken up by the expansion of the lines.

Now, with every single other thing staying equal, you swap out to steel lines, obviously the steel braid wrap prevents the lines from expanding. So, give the exact same non emergency press on the pedal, in theory, you're applying more force (for the same pedal throw) to the brakes, since none of the force is taken up via expanding lines.

With the above said, however, its my opinion, that for 99% of drivers on a daily basis, you'll subconsciously detune your foot to this new firmer reaction and in practice, you'll effectively work around it to maintain the braking response you're used to and comfortable with.

As for what happens at 'pedal to the floorboard' application... again, this is debatable. But, again IMHO, the power braking system on these cars is stronger than the expansion of the lines, and therefore in this situation you're applying more than enough force anyway, and therefore you'll see no difference between the two setups. Some argue that since the lines don't expand, you apply all the force faster in this situation, and therefore you stop sooner. I'm not totally sold on this idea however, and I've seen no evidence either way.

In summary, IMHO, this is a feel and daily driving based mod, not an actual performance based mod (assuming all other things staying the same in the braking system).

PS: Its interesting to note that steel braids were originally developed for the offroad/baja environment, not as a performance/braking distance enhancer. The idea was/is that the traditional rubber lines were wearing out due to the constant rubbing of stuff on them from the outside world. The steel braid was developed to essentially create a shield around the rubber, making it far more resistant to the rubbing (think rocks, suspension parts, mud ect...)

[Nightshade]

can some tell me if there is a steel belted brake line kit for a 06 awd magnum?

You could also go one step up and get the cross drilled (http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1) brake lines...













:mrgreen:

[SilverSteelMag06]

Im not looking to do it for a performance base. I'm looking to improve the braking on daily drive. thanks for you honest opinion.

[Super T]

When you brake, you increase the pressure in the lines and therefore the force that the pistons exert on the rotors. In theory, your whole system is rigid. The lines are rigid, the calipers are rigid, the master cylinder is rigid, etc. Therefore, in a perfect world, you don't have to actually move any fluid through the lines and the pressure increase will be instantaneous. The only movement of fluid would be due to pad wear... as they got thinner and the pistons moved out the void would have to be filled.

Real world... nothing on the planet is perfectly rigid. The hard lines, calipers, and master cylinder, however, are close enough that you can't measure any appreciable expansion when you mash on the brake pedal. The soft lines, however, do expand. A lot? Oh hell no. But enough that when they do, it takes a little extra fluid to fill the extra space, and that fluid takes time to get there. If you replace them with braided steel lines you will probably feel a little difference. Now as far as performance... you will not get any extra braking force per unit of pedal input with these or anything else. What you MIGHT see is a tiny increase in response time of the system, since you're no longer moving the volume of brake fluid it takes to fill the expanding flexible lines and therefore the translation of pressure will be closer to instantaneous. Clear as mud, right?

[SilverSteelMag06]

lol, yeah clear as mud Super T.

[SilverSteelMag06]

so is it better to leave it just the way it is or to make the change, just to get a quicker response when tapping the pedal.

[Super T]

Right, they will respond faster if you make the change, but they won't stop any harder.

[rrod436]

hell, response time is all my wife asks for....:)

[Super T]

hell, response time is all my wife asks for....:)

No no no, she wants it to take LOOOOONGER. You know, it only counts if you last 8 seconds! (Oh, wait, that's the rodeo). :Na_Na_Na_Na: