Mod Description

Personally I never thought the smart brakes were too bad but I have heard many complaints about their effectiveness. Changing the discs and pads go part way to sorting this problem out, changing the hoses can increase the feel and stopping power of the brakes.

Mod Details

PremiumYes Difficulty Mod ID278 CreditEvil/S2EagleEye Cost£ï¿½60 For Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/fitting-brake-hoses.htm Copy to Clipboard

Important

First a word of warning, although changing the brake lines is as easy as swapping new for old, remember that messing with your brakes could be dangerous.

Braided Brake Hoses

Standard brake lines are rubber, they just create a bridge between the hard brake lines where there is movement such as the suspension. The standard hoses are a weak link, they are fine to carry the brake fluid to the calipers but any pressure on the pedal can cause the pipes to swell. Swelling reduces the pressure in the calipers so the brakes won’t function as efficiently as they should.

The braided brake hoses are still made from rubber or silicone, the difference is they are reinforced and covered in metal braid to reduce the amount of swelling during braking. On the new versions of the hoses, the braid is then coated with a rubber sleeve. This is primarily to stop anything entering under the braid and contaminating the pipe, if a piece of grit was to become trapped it could easily wear into the pipe over time.

What Pipes?

I personally went for a set of Goodridge hoses because they are plastic coated plus Smartarse were selling them at a very reasonable price. These pipes are red in colour, they may be able to get other colours if you ask. Depending if you have a 600cc or 700cc smart you will either get 3 or 4 hoses.

However, I have now found a seller that has these custom made in various colours with the added benefit
that the ends are made from stainless steel instead of just zinc coated like they were on the Goodridge hoses.

These are available by clicking the banner below.

[SMODS]

Fitting

Firstly take the hoses from the package and locate the 2 identical hoses, these are for the front brakes. I have a 700cc smart so I had 2 other hoses remaining, these go on the back and the different ends match the 2 that were removed.

Jack the smart up, remove the rear nearside wheel and remove the arch liner by removing the screws and pulling it out.Follow the hard brake line from the hub to a plate attached to the subframe, this is where the hard lines join to the brake hoses. The connection is held in place with a spring clip which is circled in the picture below, this is with the pipes already fitted.