Applicable to: '99 +
braided steel brake lineslines
Not impressed with the lines. These came as part of Moss's brake upgrade kit. Installed as an upgrade to a 99 with 30K. I agree with the previous review- My lines rubbed on the tires when turned despite numerous attempts to reposition. I'm running borbet 15"'s. Not good. The brake lines are simply not fitted to the application. Instructions non-existant. Unable to confidently set a positive adjustment on bolt torque. Brake pedal feel over stock is not to me noticably more or less precise. Maybe less as a function of all the contortions of the improperly-lengthed lines to minimize wheel interference. (also may be a function of the booster/master cyl/proportioner, but then it seemed not so bad with stock setup before I started...?) I have used goody steel on my motorcycle with better results
Bottom line for me- if I had the $ I would revert to stock lines -or fork over for better fitted custom fabricated lines (?) ...I don't like having to envision a little gremlin down there between the A-arms everytime I set the brakes entering big WI river-road sweeper.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97
DOT approved stainless steel braided brake lines with all required hardware.
I installed the brake lines without problems, but found that the front lines rubbed my tires (195/55's on 15" wheels) when they were turned all the way one direction or the other. This made me uncomfortable although the company I purchased the lines from told me that this is common. In the process of re-adjusting the lines I then snapped one of the banjo bolts while re-torqueing it.
I'm not impressed with this kit and will be going back to the stock brake lines instead. These parts are probably fine and unlikely to cause problems when carefully installed and double-checked for interference, but the potential for tire rubbing, the overall fit of the parts, and the seemingly weak bolt convinced me that they don't belong on my car. For me, this was a waste of time and money.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Good fit and finish
All hardware was included in the kit although after reading up on the install I decided to reuse the stock banjo bolts. This project took me several hours to do since I was also replacing pads and rotors at the same time. I had no real trouble removing the old stock brake lines but I had enough common sense to use the proper flare nut wrenches. During install, pay attention to the positioning of the lines as you do not want them rubbing anything, keep in mind the suspension's range of motion as well. The lines fit great but be sure to tighten all lines (and then tighten them again for good measure and again a few weeks later!). I fully bled the system (Valvoline Synthetic) afterwards to make sure I had good clean system with no air.
Pedal feel is improved over stock, most noticably at initial braking point. holding threshold braking is easier to do now during autocrosses as the pedal is much more sensitive to fluctuations in pressure. Overall I'm very pleased and would recommend this product to others. Now when I drive any other car I can't get over how mushy everyone's brakes are.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter
Braided stainless steel brake lines.
Not very impressed. Brake lines seem well made and installation was straight forward, but the kit was not well designed. As others have pointed out, the rear banjo bolts were too short to be used safely. When installing the front calipers, one of the supplied banjo bolts (they are long enough on the front) sheared off long before torque settings were reached. Had to waste time extracting the bolt. Chose to use OEM banjo bolts all round.
The banjo bolt problems, front and rear, detract from my confidence in the package as a whole. Goodridge must have known about this problem (see past reviews ... I know I've contacted them), but have not fixed it! They haven't responded to my e-mails as of yet, either.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter
Stock banjo bolts will not work with the front brake lines. Stock bolts are much heavier than Goodridge bolts ... Goodridge has a smaller groove in the banjo fitting and a larger groove in the bolt. You must use Goodridge bolts on the front lines. Stock bolts seem to work on the rears.
Goodridge has assured me (they took my concerns seriously enough to phone me at work) that they will take efforts to ensure that the bolt problems are addressed. They are sending me new bolts and crush washers. They will also examine their packaging directions. The packaging provides recommendations of 16 to 22 ft/lbs IF the manufacturer's specs are unknown. However, the packaging recommends using the manufacturer specs if known (for Miata this is 22 to 29 ft/lbs). Their phone advise to me was to use their torque specs rather that the Miata ones.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99 + 1.8 liter
Stainless steel brake hoses. Installed February of 2002.
I relied very little on the instructions which accompanied the product. Rather, I got my car on my jack stands; siphoned the brake fluid from the master cylinder (using a manual vacuum pump); and then simply looked at which hose went with each wheel/brake assembly. The passenger rear has a junction block and the driver rear can be matched up with the factory hose as well. The fronts are interchangeable. I went wheel by wheel installing each line. Make sure you note how the hose which connects to the brake line fits in its bracket only one specific way. This makes reinstalling the "C" clips easier. The "crush" washers installed at the calipers can take and do require some torque to ensure you have no leaks. I did not find (as other owners have who have reviewed this product) that the hose bolts for use at the calipers differed in length from the OEM. I used a Valvoline synthetic DOT 3/4 brake fluid which meets the specifications in my manual. Pe! dal feel is improved.
I enjoyed this project. Feels good to have those stainless steel braided hoses on the car. The project start to finish takes a few hours given the jacking of the car, removal of the wheels, removal of factory hoses, installation of new hoses and bleeding of the brakes. Do not get brake fluid on your paint. You will be sorry.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
DOT approved, Teflon lined, stainless steel brake lines. Purchased from Finishline Performance for around $120. The kit comes complete with eight crush washers, lines, block and banjo bolts.
I found two of the banjo bolts to be too short, allowing only about two threads to pass into the caliper. One of the others hole wouldn't align properly so the caliper on the front wouldn't bleed off and the caliper was clamped onto the rotor. After replacing all the banjo bolts with the stock bolts, all was fine. Unfortunately, before swapping the bolts, I figured the caliper was bad so I replaced it. Once replaced, the new caliper also stuck to the rotor and further troubleshooting was required.
Overall, it's a good product. I like the firm pedal feel and it was certainly an easy modification. I spoke to Tommy at Finishline about the bolts and he said he would mention it to the manufacturer or distributor. I recommend using the stock banjo bolts because they are the right size and the hole is ported larger.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Flexible, teflon-lined, braided stainless brakelines for the body-to-wheel brake "hop". Stock rubber lines swell when you step on the brakes, causing the wheels to lock unexpectedly, causing you to squeal to a halt in longer than standard stopping distance. Brake lines of this type allow you to more easily modulate the brakes to sense lockup, i.e. do "threshhold braking", a sort of human-powered anti-lock braking. Useful on the track, but also on the street.
I installed these after one too many panic stops on the street, where the wheels locked and I couldn't modulate the brakes to maximize stopping power without losing traction. I already have braided stainless brake lines on my Mustang track car.
These lines were purchased from the Dealer Alternative, and are made by Goodridge, apparently in England. Frankly when I got them I was a bit concerned since people I trust have said that Goodridge is inferior to either Earls or Aeroquip brake fittings. The goodridge kit comes with 4 brakelines, a distribution block used at the right rear wheel, 4 banjo bolts, and 8 crushwashers which replace the stock crush washers (all crush washers are disposable, do not reuse them). Installation is straightforward if you have a metric socket set, and a metric "brake line wrench", which is essentially a box-end wrench with a groove cut into it to clear the hard brake line. You could perhaps use a metric open end wrench, but having the right tools will prevent you from stripping the soft brass brake nuts. You'll also want a torque wrench to measure 14-18 lb. ft. Having a vacuum brake bleeder helps too. Make very sure you get the nuts into the supplied distribution lock down *tight. Check for leaks afterwards. If the pedal does not stay firm then you either have air in the line or a fitting is loose somewhere. The pedal should not drop at all under pressure.
The instructions with the Goodridge kit are minimal, but I've done brakelines before so that didn't bother me. 3 out of the 4 brakelines went on, after a quick call to Bill Cardell to confirm how the rear brakes went on. The 4th line (left rear) was a problem. Using a torque wrench set to the minimum recommended torque I stripped out the supplied Banjo bolt. I was terrified I initially stripped out the caliper rathe than the bolt, but I was lucky. Upon investigation I discovered two things: the Goodridge banjo fittings are thicker than the stock Miata parts, and the supplied Goodridge banjo bolts are *shorter* by 1/8". This means you only get about 2 threads of engagement. Since the calipers are cast iron the first couple of threads are typically not full theads. After I stopped swearing I took one of the longer stock Miata bolts (which are reusable) and replaced the Goodridge bolt. I reused the Goodridge crush washers and got a good seal, but I was out of fresh brake fluid. (Always use a freshly opened bottle of brake fluid, don't use stuff that's been sitting around. I use Motul 600 fluid). The next weekend I had to rebleed my system. I hate Goodridge. Overall, I would try to find DOT approved lines made by someone else. Bill Cardell tells me he's changing manufacturers, but not because he's had problems. How he hasn't had problems is beyond me; Goodridge is garbage. My advice is to measure everything when it arrives vs. the stock parts, and if the supplied bolts are short, reuse the Mazda bolts and just use the new crush washers.
Was there a difference? Yes. But frankly I wished I had less brake boost on the car. WIth the engine off my brake pedal is like stepping on a brick; that's great because you can really feel the brakes. With the stock booster, with the engine running, there's still play in the pedal, but it's still possible to threshold brake with these lines. Frankly I should go back and replace the other 3 bolts with the Mazda bolts, but since they torqued to the correct reading and and I have no leaks, I'm considering myself lucky.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Easy install, looks great in the engine bay. Didn't seem to change pedal feel any, but gives peace of mind that the rubber hose will not be wearing out any time soon.
Under 5 minutes to remove
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter
Goodridge stainless clutch hose, replaces the stock rubber hose. Nice quality, looks good in the engine bay.
I bought it to see if I can improve the clutch pedal feel. I think my previous stock hose must be really old as after installing this Goodridge hose, the gear changes felt slicker with a nicer clutch engage-disengage feel. I didn't expect too much from this but the results have been very satisfying. But be sure to bleed the clutch cylinder properly to get maximum effect. I did, now the car feels that much better!
This mod, along with steel braided brake hoses, will be the top of any of my future cars' list for improvement.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Stainless braided clutch line that replaces rubber line.
Easy install. Fit was good. No noticable difference in feel but I replaced it at the same time as I replaced my clutch master and slave cylinder so i don't have to worry about that system. Good peace of mind mod.
Fits just like the stock line. Is a few inches longer but if you pay attention during the install you will have no issues with it rubbing anything.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
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