Brake pipe material

[Gazwould]

Hi guys just had the pleasure of a burst brake pipe , are they steel or copper ?

Facelift S204 C250 CDI

 

[EmilysDad]

if original, it'll be steel & a magnet will stick to it.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Yes, steel and it will now look like a pack of twiglets blessed with warts and herpes. Cupro Nickel alloy is preferable to pure copper for replacement.

 

[brandwooddixon]

As above, cupro-nickel available from most motor factors, just need flaring tool for adding the end pieces.
Usual rule is no more than two additional joints in one run.
If one of the original steel ones has gone then factor in possibly replacing all of them.

 

[AndySlade]

Cupro-Nickel also known as CuNiFer (spelt that way to empathise elemental content Cu Ni and Fe), far better choice than Copper. Am I the only person who wonders why manufacturers don’t use it from new?

 

[davidsl500]

Cupro-Nickel also known as CuNiFer (spelt that way to empathise elemental content Cu Ni and Fe), far better choice than Copper. Am I the only person who wonders why manufacturers don’t use it from new?

Straightforward case of building down to price rather than up to a quality.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Definitely cost, consider how much higher the price of copper and nickel would be and the knock on effect in other products if brake lines were not made of steel.

The catalytic converter thieves could also snip out a couple of sections of brake line as a Brucie Bonus!

 

[Chrishazle]

Beware having to get Cunifer brake line replacement at very short notice! I had a failed MoT on the S204 recently a day (a Saturday afternoon) before the old MoT ran out - and it's the main car. The tester called a friend further up the road who agreed to change the lines from both rear brake calipers across the rear axle on the Monday. OK, he used Cunifer to make new lines and attach them in a safe protected place under the car - but boy did I get my trousers dropped and wallet raped - 3/4 of the way to 4 figures!! Had no option as wife refuses outright to drive the SLK so having the S204 roadworthy was essential, but OUCH!!! His only comment was that the cunifer he used was a pig to shape and flare, and he was used to making custom SS exhausts!

 

[AndySlade]

CuNiFer is softer than steel, slightly harder than copper and a lot easier to bend and flare than steel, they must have seen you coming. My brother-in-law used to work for a local coach company and regularly made up brake pipes for coaches. He said it was easier than using steel piping. Last time I did brake pipes I got some CuNiFer from him.

 

[V6Matty]

Just had all the lines replaced on the 212, they’ve used copper, I’ve had cars in the past (ok many years ago now) done the same and put 100k on the car and not a problem, yes cunifer would be better but there is nothing wrong with copper in my mind for this as long as it’s done right

 

[Frontstep]

I have found the bigger cunifer type brake lines make a great replacement for the hydraulic suspension lines on my old bus, been on for years some of them, perfect.

Saville Brake Tubing Cupro-Nickel outside dia 1/4 ins 6.35mm 2250 PSI wall thickness .71mm

When you look at the aforementioned twiglet lines you replace it's certainly an improvement.

Steel lines should be outlawed on safety grounds it is mindless penny-pinching.

 

[Rockron]

Vibration work hardens soft copper which makes it liable to fracture. It's for this reason domestic solid core electrical wiring shouldn't be used
in vehicle situations, multi filament is much more flexible and less liable to fracture
I don't think manufacturers are necessarily penny pinching when deferring to the use of steel piping in preference to cupro nickel (kunifer), rather it's that the spanning capabilities between supports of steel are superior to cupro nickel and definitely better than pure copper. Plus of course it is inherently easy to manufacture in high burst pressure specs. Some soft copper thin wall tubing probably intended for relatively low pressure domestic water (45psi) or gas supply (35Mb) but used by some for brake piping have low burst pressure. Some car brake systems are designed for c.3000psi. !

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Is it brake fluid , or petrol, or diesel , is the brake fluid tank low .A few other pipes under the lengtth of the car carry 2 fluids more if it is a 4 matic

 

[rifiki]

Vibration work hardens soft copper which makes it liable to fracture. It's for this reason domestic solid core electrical wiring shouldn't be used
in vehicle situations, multi filament is much more flexible and less liable to fracture
I don't think manufacturers are necessarily penny pinching when deferring to the use of steel piping in preference to cupro nickel (kunifer), rather it's that the spanning capabilities between supports of steel are superior to cupro nickel and definitely better than pure copper. Plus of course it is inherently easy to manufacture in high burst pressure specs. Some soft copper thin wall tubing probably intended for relatively low pressure domestic water (45psi) or gas supply (35Mb) but used by some for brake piping have low burst pressure. Some car brake systems are designed for c.3000psi. !

Copper brake pipes are banned in some countries for the that very reason.

 

[V6Matty]

Copper brake pipes are banned in some countries for the that very reason.

How do manufacturers get around that then, do they then fit something different in those countries?

 

[rifiki]

I believe illegal in Australia and others.
Cunife, 'alloy of copper, nickel, iron and some times colbalt'
You can get Cunife brake pipes in UK, I would not use anything else.