Stainless brake lines - DOT vs non-DOT

[jmackro]

Double 02 BMW parts sells two styles of stainless steel braid wrapped flexible brake lines for the CS coupe: DOT approved for $105 a set, and non approved for $80 a set. These are offered on ebay at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...c0.m245&_trkparms=65:12|39:1|72:1171|240:1318

My question is: What's the difference? Are the two really different, or are you paying the extra $25 just to add a tag that says "approved"? Note that $105 for 6 hoses, an average of $17.50 apiece, isn't a bad price.

I suppose a follow-on question would be the group's opinion of the stainless wrapped hoses versus the old rubber style. My coupe's flex hoses haven't been changed in awhile, so it seems like something that should be added to the maintenance list.

 

[nashvillecat]

Double 02 BMW parts sells two styles of stainless steel braid wrapped flexible brake lines for the CS coupe: DOT approved for $105 a set, and non approved for $80 a set. These are offered on ebay at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...c0.m245&_trkparms=65:12|39:1|72:1171|240:1318

My question is: What's the difference? Are the two really different, or are you paying the extra $25 just to add a tag that says "approved"? Note that $105 for 6 hoses, an average of $17.50 apiece, isn't a bad price.

"What is the difference between lines that are “DOT compliant” and “DOT approved”?

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has established numerous standards for automotive components and subsystems. The regulation for brake hoses happens to be FMVSS106. In this document,
anything and everything pertaining to automotive brake hoses has been laid out in gory detail – at least, those things important to the federal government.

If a manufacturer claims their SS lines are “DOT compliant”, it means that their SS lines have passed all FMVSS106 requirements, and they have submitted the test data to the government for official certification.
This does not mean they are acceptable for use on your car, but it does mean they pass the government minimum standards. Another term you may hear in this context is “DOT approved.” However, the DOT is not in the business of actually approving or disproving compliance – they don't typically run any tests on aftermarket components themselves. Under these circumstances, one can only surmise that these manufacturers are trying to state that their lines are actually “DOT compliant”, but it never hurts to ask before you buy.

So, do I need to use only DOT compliant SS lines on my car?
Not necessarily. The DOT requirements must be met in full for official government approval, so even if a SS line passes every performance test but is labeled with the wrong type of tag (or something equally trivial) it
would fail certification. While this might mean something to an auto manufacturer or assembly plant, it is meaningless to the performance enthusiast. All the DOT compliance means is that the lines have passed a minimum set of government standards which may or may not be important to you. Does this mean that DOT compliant lines are the best for your car? Not necessarily, but the certification should indicate that the manufacturer understands the product and is trying to hold itself to a certain standard."

From:
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cach...ake&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

hth