Is braided really better?

[monteboy84]

Here's my take on it. The internal construction, fiber reinforcement of the rubber is what gives brake lines their strength. The braid does act as a crutch and may delay catastrophic line failure in an overpressure/damaged rubber situation, Prevents abrasion to the line due to rubbing, and also reflects heat away from the lines, which should help them hold up better in racing or certain heavy duty environments. The downside is braided lines also make it impossible to inspect for damage caused by heat/age/chemicals to the actual line itself. IMO I'd hesitate to use them on a daily driver/transportation car, and save them for track duty.

Most braided lines are Teflon-lined, not rubber-lined, Teflon is not as prone to expansion as rubber is. As for being able to visually inspect the lines, my FlexKORE lines from KORE3 have a clear (vinyl?) coating over the braided stainless, which I believe is required as part of DOT legality, they also have crimped ends. I absolutely would not hesitate to use DOT legal lines such as FlexKORE or Goodridge for a street car or race car, though I would leave typical non-coated braided lines with replacable ends for track use only.

-matt