Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines

In case anyone is interested.

I'm extending my rear brake line after the lift. This company was used by Warmonger and they sell lines for the Xterra. An extended 6" line was about $25. They also have 3 line kits for $100

http://www.techna-fit.com/home.html

Well they finally arrived about 1 month past when I needed them. :rolleyes: Apparently the rear brake distribution block takes a long time to get from Nissan. Pics to follow soon.

I just installed my 3 line kit.
I was worried about the extra length on the front getting snagged by the tire so I kinda twisted it into a loop and loosely zip-tied it to the a-arm. Seems to be okay so far...

How do they look guys? Well made? Is there a rubber sleave on the outside to prevent dust and dirt from working it's way in?

I wouldn't mind upgrading to these, even if it's just for security reasons becuase the rear line is barely long enough.

No rubber sleeves. My hopes are to make cleaning them an important part of cleanup in general. That should be good enough to give them a long life.

The thing I'm worried about is snagging the front ones on the tire or roots/rocks. Seems to me that the front ones have more slack than the rear. So that's the reason for loosely zip tying them to the UCA.

Before I tightened down the new line, I made it form a loop away from the tire. I figure once you have them tight, they will probably be okay and hold their form somewhat. I zipped it as an added security measure to prevent it from hanging out where it could be grabbed. I left plenty of slack in the loop (ziptie) to allow free travel of the hose, and to keep it off the UCA and the tire... It's raining like hell here or I would go get some pics.

The rear line didn't give me much more slack. I think it's about 2" longer (don't know for sure, I didn't measure it) What I do know, is that my stock lines would get a little snug at full droop. The new line will give me plenty of room now, so I won't be worried that I'm going to snatch them off in a pinch, thus ruining a perfectly good day of wheelin'.

I had to wait about a month to get mine.

Three questions and a tip.

Aren't they supposed to be stock length unless you ask? If they are, why would you need to do anything beyond what the normal ones do?

Also, I bought just the rear one. It's under $25. So why are the two front shorter ones more expensive than the rear since it needs more hardware?

I ordered mine black. The color coating gives the covering you need to protect them.

And yes, they take at least a month. The rear distribution block from Nissan seems to be the big holdup.

I zipped it as an added security measure

I usually see a spring attached to the brake line as a means to keep them out of the way.

Toy Man

I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I knew that they had the stock length, but I was worried about them being too short in the back.

When I called they asked me one question, that was if my truck was lifted or not. Since I have national springs, the rear of my X sits a full 3" to 3-1/2" higher in the rear. I was told by Techna-Fit that I wanted the "L" version lines..If I had known that I could get them coated I probably would have sprung for it. However, the main concern was clearance in the rear.

I agree with Schlud, theres no reason to get a longer length in the front. (we're not talking much more than an inch or so from the stock) None that I could see anyway. I guess it won't matter much either way, I have enough to articulate, even if the wheels are turning and the lines are extended. And they are braided instead of the plain old rubber ones. And as far as the more responsive braking that I've heard some people talking about, well I can't really tell any difference at all.

As far as the distribution block? I've looked mine over, it's nothing more than the union for the rear lines. Mine was just a piece of brass, one hole for mounting it to the axle bracket, and three tapped holes with the proper shut-off angles machined into them to accept the taper of the flare on the lines.

They get that part from Nissan? At $100.00 a set I think they are a bit pricey, especially considering that the rear one alone is $25. I will add that they are well made quality parts, use the very best hardware and they are a snap to install. Only complaint is I didn't get any cool stickers with them. :(
Now that you ask Ian, I'm hard pressed to see why there is so much of a price difference. Like you said, the rear line is the one that they obviously have to farm out the distribution block. :confused:

I went ahead and ordered the set thinking that at least I would have the full OEM set as backups if I ever need them.

Also let me say that Techna-Fit was honest and on the up and up with me. They told me it would be awhile before they shipped, they had to get the blocks made. No one was telling me it was in the mail tommorrow and leaving me hanging until they got here. Only thing was I had to be extremely careful not to snatch the OEM's off while I waited for the new ones.