Stainless Steel Braided Radiator Hoses

[jibbby]

I came across this old thread and said to myself maybe I can add my two cents on this subject...

I did the steel braided hoses over everything on my motor and it looks great, very racey... The thing that caught my eye that made me go with it is that when you cover your hoses with the steel braided hose covers, it protects them for the life of the car.. That's right you will never have to change a hoses again according to the reports..

5 years with my hoses and not a leak or signs of any wear as the rubber is basically mumified under the steel braided lining... I would say the Steel Braided hoses are the way to go..

I don't have underbody covers so it was all that much more important to protect those lower rubber hoses of mine from the elements...So far so good..

 

[MWP]

I did the steel braided hoses over everything on my motor and it looks great, very racey... The thing that caught my eye that made me go with it is that when you cover your hoses with the steel braided hose covers, it protects them for the life of the car.. That's right you will never have to change a hoses again according to the reports.

Thats bollocks.
Hoses go hard/brittle over time due to heat.
No covering is going to stop that.

Covering such pipes with SS braid is for looks... nothing else.

 

[Tacoma_Kyle]

F1 guys use them?


Heh, that seems like a good, general question.

 

[ed_ma61]

lol... i love these little snippets of gold, jibby
SS braid sleeve will do SFA to the life of the std rubber hose! lol !!

poor mans aeroquip, and looks like it too in most cases.

kyle, i hope youre kidding? if not fyi - f1 uses ss or kevlar (lighter) braided hose with alloy/ss/ti hose ends, not a gimmicky braided sleeve over rubber

 

[jibbby]

I am glad you guys are entertained with my sniplets of gold...Ha Ha..

Well, fellas that what it reads on the boxing and on written reports on the steel braided hoses... I did not come up with that from the top of my head, as these are manufacturer claims... They also claim the hoses won't bubble or burst either with the braided wrappings over time...

My take - The steel braided hoses are protected better from the outside elements and outside engine heat...It's a protective messsure.. Infact, I actually checked and pealed back my hoses after "five years with no underbody covers" and the hoses are absolutely still like "new".. How do explain that ED and MVP?

Ed and MVP you guys are very car smart and that I won't argue but I think you guys are "dead wrong" on this as I thought the same prior to these steel braided installs myself...That's why I did it in the first place and not only for looks... Manufacture reports don't lie or they get sewed, and I can see the change myself..... Remember the engine heat I would think is shielded and protected some from the rubber hoses with the steel braided sleeves wrapping them tight, that alone can prolong the life of the hoses from what I've seen and read... The coolant and water is cooled by the radiator passing though the hoses so the insides of the hoses should last... So it is really the outside engine heat and elements I would think that deteriorates the exposed rubber hoses over time. I am not going to assume anything so I will find links and attach... I really think I will be able to prove you guys wrong on this one...

Just google Steel braided hose for cars and there is information supporting these claims... Manufactures of steel braided hoses make claims to this effect, I repeat this is not a Jibby manifest... Just read the packaging on any steel braided hoses and it says they prolong hose life for the duration of the car... Infact no more talk, I will find links the write ups..

To be continued......

 

[MWP]

My take - The steel braided hoses are protected better from the outside elements and outside engine heat...It's a protective messsure.. Infact, I actually checked and pealed back my hoses after "five years with no underbody covers" and the hoses are absolutely still like "new".. How do explain that ED and MVP?

Its MWP, im not valuable

Because 5 years is hardly "lifetime of the car".
It takes a good 15 years or more for standard rubber hoses to start hardening and become prone to failure.
Just because they look good, doesnt mean they havent started to degrade.
Even the worst condition hoses can look good when you rub a bit of tyre shine on them.

You are right about the bubbling of hoses though, it might help to stop failure from that.


BTW, unless your coolant hoses are running up against the exst, outside engine heat is no where near as hot as the coolant the hoses are carrying, so thats a bit of a silly statement to make.

 

[jibbby]

Your valuable MVP (MWP) and don't sell yourself short.... :fing02:

The hoses are exposed to dryness, elements, and engine heat constantly sitting inside the engine compartement when the car is running, so it's not that silly of a comment to suggest.. I am just assuming on that particular remark when comparing with water temps and how both may deteriorate the life of a radiator hose....

Ok, I don't have the time to fully research this now but here is one reputable link the states steel braiding lining is more then cosmetic... Curtousy of "Summit Racing" one of my favorite high performance parts companies..


http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/howto/4399/index.html

If this doesn't make the grade I will dig up more info. late...

 

[jibbby]

Come Eddie it doesn't look that bad does it? It's shinny no?...Poormans aeroquip that's a bit harsh matey...


The pro curcuit racing hoses are really nice though and usually come in blue color.. I've seen those babies and they are bank...

 

[Tacoma_Kyle]

I have no idea what F1's and the like use---well now I do. It was a question.