Applicable to: '90 - '97
Stainless steel brake lines to replace OEM rubber lines.
I wanted to get better brake feel and felt that new pads and brake lines would help. I ordered OEM pads as they are reviewed to be best for street use. I was quoted $110 to replace the stock rubber lines with new units. I was quoted $130 by Dealer Alt. for stainless lines. I felt this was a fair price compared to stock. My order arrived one week later, as promised. This kit included all new crush washers that are needed but no instructions. Using the instructions from the Hayes manual I found this to be mostly easy. The one confusing part came when attaching the banjo bolt to the caliper. This kit comes with 2 sizes of bolts and after attaching the rears with the smaller of the two, the fronts didn't fit with the larger. A quick swap-around and all fit as it should. I was going to call Dealer Alt. if I could not tell any difference.
Replacing these was quite easy overall and with changing pads and bleeding the system I took a total of 6 hours. I was taking my time and took breaks also. A very nice product, comes in colors for additional $. I felt a very noticeable improvement in brake feel and I would recommend this product to anyone wanting a bit higher performance in their brakes.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
DOT approved stainless steel-braided kevlar brake line kit, from Dealer Alternative; includes new banjo bolts and copper crushwashers; no instructions. Lines are vinyl-coated; various colours are available.
Fitted to '96 M-Edition. You will need a 10mm "flare nut wrench" to R&R brake lines. Sears/Craftsman sell a polished, 10x12mm combination flare nut wrench that not only works well on Miata brake lines but also is quite useful as a general-purpose addition to your tool-set. Start with the Left-Rear; the Right-Rear has a 3-way junction block that will be the most tedious install... while working on this corner I removed an inner fender-liner to improve access. Important that you thread fittings by hand before carefully but firmly tightening them.
I used Castrol LMA brake fluid to bleed the system. There is a subtle, firmer change in brake feel evident after installation.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
| Back to Product Reviews | 15 December, 2001 |