Goodridge SS Brake Lines - Safety Issue, Please read!!

[Rayman]

Originally posted by 93PGT
Goodrich and after reading that post at mx6.com a big to their customer relations

i cant speak for their product quality....i have those same lines on mine for a good 6 months and they are good....but i would say that in my personal experience, their customer service is outstanding. i bought these lines from a PTer and turned out there was a washer missing from the hardware. instead of just going to a store and get a washer, i wanted to get the exact one from goodridge directly. i called their locate branch closeby in mooresville and they got my info and sent what i requested within days, WITHOUT me having to prove that i actually owned/bought the lines nor did they require any fees or whatever.....i thought that was great of them

[mark]

mine have been in use for 3 years with no problems

i think its the way they were installed

[Forcd96PGT]

The way they were installed...hmmm, NO. The my lines were installed properly. Furthermore, you can't explain a hose rupture with install unless the lines were damaged in the install process. It's not like the hose had an opportunity to rub against a moving part or chaff against a sharp edge. The type of failure on this hose was caused by pressure. There's an obvious defect with at least one of the hoses installed on my car. I'm not one to lay blame where blame is not due.

[spada]

what kind of brake fluid were you using

[Forcd96PGT]

IIRC - Valvoline.

[BeerNuts]

I remember an issue with dirt getting between the steel braid and the inner hose, causing excess wear and failure. This may be what you experienced. Several companies including corksport offer an external plastic shield (heat shrink tubing) to prevent dirt from getting into the lines.

I'm installing mine tomorrow... and will probably cover them with heat shrink tubing, split loom tubing, or spiral tubing.

Glad you didn't get hurt.

[simsjb]

Originally posted by spada
has anyone heard of this happening with the corksport lines? i am curious if they use the same rubber brake line underneath the steel braid.

Yeah. I had this happen with the Corksport lines about 1 year ago. I pulled in to a restaurant one night and had my brakes go out. Pulled the emergency brake handle and got out and there was a pool of brake fluid under the rear left wheel. The line ruptured right around the middle of it's length. I called Corksport and they promised to ship a replacement. I never received it and I haven't done business with them since.

[probegirl4]

One point to consider here that hasn't been brought up....they did not say that the lines were indestructable when you bought them. All they claim is improved braking. Stock lines are also DOT approved and they bust just the same. I've had SS lines (goodridge from sp motorsports) for 3 years now and they are just fine even after the abuse of autocrossing and several sets of KVR pads being worn out.

[Forcd96PGT]

I'm not a lawyer and have no desire to be one, but I think it's safe to assume some minimum requirements when purchasing brake lines. Considering that the lines are one of the critical links to a system that is intended to slow a moving vehicle, I would expect them to function correctly under all vehicle operating conditions, especially in a heavy breaking condition - exactly when you need them most. Brake lines bursting is with out a doubt an undesirable outcome for an auto manufacturer especially when a failure occurs within the vehicle's warranty period. I will agree that aftermarket lines aren't likely going to be scrutinized to the same degree as factory installed and unmolested lines. Irregardless, I think it's fair to say that brake lines are designed to withstand some maximum operating pressure and that this pressure exists at a point higher than the vehicle's actual maximum operating pressure. Furthermore, a factor of safety would be applied here given some unforeseen alignments of all the planets that a non-OEM supplier would not be able to account for.

In my application, the Goodridge lines saw approx. 40k miles with about 75% of them from the highway. I don't race the car, but I can often be an aggressive driver. I've not exposed the lines to conditions other than what would be expected of a normal driver. So, use your own judgment here. I lucked out. Maybe the next person won't.

Andy

[Turkish]

Well stated Andy

[PGT Mac]

Originally posted by Forcd96PGT
I'm not a lawyer and have no desire to be one, but I think it's safe to assume some minimum requirements when purchasing brake lines.

NHTSA has the same opinion:

{Code of Federal Regulations}
{Title 49, Volume 5}
{Revised as of October 1, 2002}
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
{CITE: 49CFR571.106}
{Page 220-234}

TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

OF TRANSPORTATION

PART 571--FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS--Table of Contents

Subpart B--Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

Sec. 571.106 Standard No. 106; Brake hoses.

S1. Scope. This standard specifies labeling and performance requirements for motor vehicle brake hose, brake hose assemblies, and brake hose end fittings.
S2. Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to reduce deaths and injuries occurring as a result of brake system failure from pressure or vacuum loss due to hose or hose assembly rupture.

If the hose is marked "DOT" it is expected to pass the requirements of FMVSS106. If it is a racing only part it is not required to be marked "DOT" but it is required to notify the customer that it is not for on highway usage.

The requirements of FMVSS106 may not be sufficient for racing applications; however, it is unlikely for an FMVSS106 hose assembly to fail in 40,000 street driving miles if it is installed correctly and has no manufacturing defects.

[drpepper_mx6]

Thanks for the solid info! In my case (the mx6.com thing), the fact that it happened on the race track was completely coincidental. It was my first time at the track with the brake lines, and I was only on the track for my warm up lap. For anyone who is farmiliar with Shannonville Raceway, you don't really get much over 140 kph. Not really excessive at all. But either way, 1st track day, 1st lap, low warm-up speed! If it didn't happen on the track, it surely would have happened on the highway and caused a collission. I got maybe 4000km (kilometres, not miles!) out of them.

[blackjack411]

Not defending just to defend here; After some time on the car the SS could have been damaged by a rock that got shot up into the wheel well, or ice, or anything really. And unlike rubber hose a rock of decent size hitting the hose square on may not kill the SS line right then(so you don't go, ohh the rock I just ran over must have done it) but damage the braid enough that it fails weeks or months later. Just like with rubber they do need a look over every so often.

[aleccolin]

I assume that the hoses are made of the same hose material front and rear, but could it be that (since all of these cases tend to be rear line bursts) that Goodridge uses a thinner, or in some way inferior (read: cheaper) hose material in the rear knowing that the braking system is heavily biased toward the front? It could look the same but cost MUCH less to the company, especially when bought in bulk like they surely do. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but with improved suspension, tires, bigger wheels, better rotors and quicker feet, the rear brakes are working harder and the cheaper hoses may actually end up being inferior to stock ones. They may be DOT approved, but there are a lot of things, like motorcycle helmets, that for me a mere DOT approval just isn't enough.

[simsjb]

I don't believe that there is a difference between the materials used for the front and rear brake lines. However, the rear lines are longer than the fronts. This may make them more susceptible to failure.