You Probably Don't Need To Upgrade To Stainless Steel Brake Lines, But Here's Why You Would

Stainless steel brake lines are shiny. And a lot of us like shiny things. Still, there's got to be more to the desire to use stainless steel braided brake lines than just their aesthetic appeal. After all, brake lines are underneath the car and hidden from view almost all of the time. For most home mechanics and DIY enthusiasts doing weekend brake jobs all alone, the biggest justification behind installing stainless steel brake lines (also known as stainless steel braided lines), is an increase in brake pedal feel. 

The sales pitch goes like this: OEM rubber brake lines are flexible. When you press on the brake pedal, moving brake fluid through your brake lines and activating your brake calipers, those rubber lines expand. Stainless steel lines are said to thwart that expansion, giving the brake pedal a better, firmer feel. Essentially, a stainless steel outer layer prevents the line itself from expanding as much as it would without the braided cover. 

Stainless steel lines do prevent expansion of the brake lines –- that's not just a sales pitch. The difference in expansion is pretty small, though, so most drivers, in most scenarios, won't notice the difference. Another benefit of stainless lines is that they're more protective, especially in off-road scenarios. Snagging a stainless steel brake line on a rock is less likely to cause a tear than if the same snag happens with an OEM rubber line. But braided stainless steel lines are harder to inspect for signs of exterior damage if you do snag them on something.

Swapping out your brake lines has some upsides, and downsides are minimal. Protection of your brake lines while off-roading and high-performance brake-pedal feel notwithstanding, there are a lot of other changes you can make to your brakes that will have larger effects on real-world braking performance. Essentially, there are several places where your money is probably a little better spent. Calipers, rotors, pads, and fluid are some of the most important parts of modern disc brake systems. And for the most part, they can all be easily upgraded. Larger calipers, pads, and rotors can all contribute to increased braking force and better heat dissipation. 

Drilled and slotted rotors can improve performance, too, provided you're using them in the right scenarios, and they add even more heat dissipation to the equation. The longer your brakes stay cool, the longer you can fight off dreaded brake fade. Changing your pads out for a different compound can help with brake life, too, especially if you're spending significant time on the track. Last but not least, braking performance is also affected by brake fluid. Brake fluids with higher boiling points can help retain braking performance after repeated stops, which is especially helpful for high-speed driving with frequent braking.