I am renewing my front brake pipes and someone has told me you can no longer use copper. The pipe i have is pretty new, is it ok to use? Is it an alloy or is this guy Bull****ing
Copper brake pipes
- Thread starter thejinx
- Start date
Help Support Early Bay Forum:
As long as copper brake lines are well clipped/attached they will be fine - only an issue they can move and work harden, then snap.
Kunifer is the alternative which I think is a harder Cupro-nickel alloy compared to copper
Kunifer is the alternative which I think is a harder Cupro-nickel alloy compared to copper
cheers butty, i will stick with the copper i already have. Problem is this guy has the flaring tool and being a tool he wont lend it. Half hour job is now going to take me a week until i get down to my other mate, I could buy one but it would end up gathering dust.
Happystamps
Well-known member
Copper isn't used on production vehicles, due to the work hardening issue. This is more of a problem for vehicles with ABS, due to the pulsing effect that can cause on the pipes. However, it does mean that the standards controlling these brake pipes- DIN 74234 & ISO 4038- only relate to steel double-walled (bundy) pipe, and Cunifer pipe.
Using anything else is TECHNICALLY deviating from design (OE was bundy tube, probably to SAE J527), and if this work hardneing does occur and causes trouble, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself ;-)
Using anything else is TECHNICALLY deviating from design (OE was bundy tube, probably to SAE J527), and if this work hardneing does occur and causes trouble, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself ;-)
:shock: :shock: now your scaring me!! so should i not use it?
cool. In fact as i remember the garage that does my MOT made me a line for my rear brake last year out of copper. watched him make it and thought that was a piece of p*** i can do that. Hence me making my own now.
Happystamps
Well-known member
thejinx said:
I'd probably use it on my own car, but I wouldn't recommend other people do. Does that make sense?
This is a bit dramatic, and is unlikely to happen, but it is possible, technically & legally. If you use copper brake lines on your car, and they crack, you lose brake pressure and crash into someone- you could end up without insurance. It's a non-oe modification, which has not been bought into by any of the standards which control brake pipes.
MOT testers won't care as long as it's functional at time of test. They're not engineers, they're mechanics following a set of rules. Nothing wrong with that, but they can't & won't guarantee safety on a non-original modification.
Happystamps
Well-known member
StuF said:
Steel, I think. Bundy tube, which is flat steel wrapped around itself twice to make a double skin, and brazed. If they were made from copper, they wouldn't have rotted ;-)
