Is this brake hose okay?

[ET16]

I am swapping out the front brake hoses on my Saab 9-3. The new hose is a little tighter (shorter) going from the strut support to the caliper and bends a little more aggressively at the collar. It makes me wonder if there is going to be a little more stress or abrasion at that point.

I've enclosed a picture. Is this okay?

 

[tasch72]

I'm not a fan. The section from the strut to the caliper looks like it is too short and I would be concerned about it pulling itself apart over time, even though that section of hose won't move.

 

[drtyler]

I wouldn’t use it.

 

[Rand]

I'm not a fan. The section from the strut to the caliper looks like it is too short and I would be concerned about it pulling itself apart over time, even though that section of hose won't move.

I thought that is the hose that moves.. when you turn wheel?
Since the caliper is moving.

Looks way too short IMO. Have a stock hose to compare to?

 

[JRed]

It could definitely stand to be 1-2" longer.

that's what she said

 

[tasch72]

I thought that is the hose that moves.. when you turn wheel?
Since the caliper is moving.

Looks way too short IMO. Have a stock hose to compare to?

Caliper and strut are connected via the steering knuckle and the hose is clipped to the strut, so the section of hose from the strut to caliper will not move.

The section of brake line that will move is from the strut to the body and it looks like there is plenty of slack in that section.

If OP disconnected the hose from the strut, he'd probably be fine on the overall hose length, but could be at risk for getting the line snagged if SHTF.

 

[930.engineering]

As these are sliding calipers there is some minor movement, but the only movement worth speaking of is due to wear on the outer pad, so it's probaly a negligible movement. Movement due to actuation/piston seal/compound compressibilty is even less. However that hose is still way to short anyway. I wouldn't run this car one single mile on public streets. You don't want any stress on your brake hoses other than hydraulic pressure.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Yeah, that's a bit tight for my tastes. I wouldn't be comfortable using it either. What brand is it?

 

[ET16]

Sunsong.

 

[Gimpy1]

Looks like it's putting a lot of stress on the bottom part of the hose near the crimp, which could cause a chaffing issue. This being a brake part and a major safety item I would personally feel uncomfortable using is since that area will have a lot of road vibration. This is one area I would definitely go OEM (if available) or braided SS from Russel or Goodrich.

 

[Trav]

What year and model 93 is this? they used 3 different brake sizes on these things.

 

[ET16]

I just measured the old hoses and compared them to the new ones. If anything the new hoses are a little longer. The main differences is in the collar that holds the hose to the strut. The new collar is about 1cm longer, which makes the hose appear shorter.

 

[ET16]

It's an 05 Linear.

 

[ET16]

This is my second try at this. I bought AC Delco hoses from Rockauto first. One hose was missing copper caliper washers, and I thought the hoses were a little flimsy, so I returned them and got the Sunsongs. I had good luck with them before.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Yeah, Sunsong is a solid brand. Shame it's giving you trouble.

 

[Trav]

Pull the clip and bend the bracket on the strut inwards slightly, that should free it up a little at the contact point, 17.1 inches is correct.

 

[ET16]

I'm not sure how to proceed. I just looked at NAPA and the collar on their hoses looks longer, too.

 

[atikovi]

Bending the bracket 1/4 inch would take care of it.

 

[ET16]

Pull the clip and bend the bracket on the strut inwards slightly, that should free it up a little at the contact point, 17.1 inches is correct.

What a great idea!

 

[ET16]

How does this look?