Morris Minor Owners Club

Does fitting braided stainless steel brake hoses make much difference to pedal firmness?

Should be no reason for any difference.
A braided hose is for durability, resistance to external abrasion etc.
It's not there to stop the hose bulging, which is the only thing that could influence pedal pressure, that's all a product of the internal fibres in the walls.

A lot of people do report a firmer feel after switching to braided hoses because there is nothing like the expansion that rubber hoses allow. More noticeable on motorcycle brakes etc I think.

I have fitted both at different times. What I would say is new hoses in either form can make a very big difference to the pedal feel and I would argue performance.

I was certainly guilty of not replacing them sooner when they become spongy. I go down a reasonably steep hill quite regularly and the new hoses made it a much more comfortable experience. The hoses I replaced looked fine and passed the mot test but I felt the brakes were spongy.

I now have braided hoses as I felt it would be an improvement. They give a nice feel to the pedal

Something to be mindful of is that you cannot see the rubber underneath, and being able to inspect the brake hoses is desirable.

Most braided hoses are not rubber inside - they are a polymer (often things like PTFE for example) so there's no degradation as there is with rubber

Even companies selling braided lines basically take the line that if you're working the brakes hard, like racing or track days, they're a good idea, but that aside, good quality standard hoses are just fine.

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/what-t ... ey-better/

Fitting braided hoses is not going to compensate for poorly bleed and maintained brakes.

I fitted them to my Elan and they seemed to firm the pedal up under heavy braking, didn't bother on the minor though and it seems fine.