Goodridge Phantom Stainless Steel Brake Lines

Braking power has always been an important aspect to me from the beginning. If you have a fast car, you better hope your brakes can stop you even faster. Stainless steel brake lines are a no-brainer when it comes to upgrading your overall braking efficiency and performance.
This particular set is the Goodridge Phantom Stainless Steel brake line kit, they are higher quality, but as a result, slightly more expensive. However, this installation tutorial will work for other brands of brake lines, so feel free to look for other brands that may better suit your needs.
There are a couple of things worth mentioning when it comes to the install. As in all of these videos, I try to make the installations as professional as possible. What this means is, sometimes it's not as easy as it seems on film.
The number one concern I have for you guys when doing this yourself is the 10 mm nut that holds the hard line to the brake line: It is extremely hard to break loose. Some people have used alternate methods to break the nut loose. I've read that people have been using vice grips, and extreme heat. Basically, it's so hard to break loose that the 10 mm flare wrench actually strips the nut, making it completely impossible to remove.
The front brake lines were much easier to remove because you could push the hardline upwards to work a cresent wrench on the brake line. Because both arms are pushing and pulling against each other, this was enough force to break it loose. The rear was slightly trickier since the hardline could not be pushed up. This meant you could only use the flare wrench. The WD-40 does help a bit it seems, but not as much as you would imagine.
If you are removing that nut the same way I am, just remember this: If you think you are using enough force, it's not enough. If you could find a flare wrench adaptor, and connect it to a breaker bar, you will break that nut loose in no time. Since Torque equals displacement multiplied by force, we can conclude that the longer your wrench, the easier it is to remove.
The only other thing I should mention is that the brake fluid leaks everywhere when you remove the lines. Take your time to do things right, but clean up the brake fluid as soon as you can. That stuff will eat through your paint, especially on your nice calipers.
After the installation, bleed your brakes (another episode), and check for any leaks. If everything looks good, take it out for a spin and feel how much more precise the braking becomes. I haven't had time to take it to the track or autocross yet, but even when the brake fluid isn't being worked out in racing mode, the braking feel is much improved.

Season wrap preview

We are coming close to this year's Season Finale. As some of you may know, we are taking a short intermission to complete the final three episodes for this season. The first of the last three episodes will be aired on the week of August 24th.

Here is just a sneak peak of two out of the three episodes coming to you guys later:

Airing on August 24th, another Apex Performance sponsored episode: Installing the Goodridge Phantom Stainless Steel Brake Lines on the STI.

An episode on flushing and bleeding your brake system. Will be useful for general maintenance, or racing events.

We also have some new episode ideas and concepts ready for the brand new season. We plan on finishing up three episodes at least when we start airing Season 3 in 2013. We also have big plans to "upgrade" the show. As of right now, I won't reveal too much, but we are very excited and we hope you will be too!

More updates later.

Sponsored items in the mail!

As you may recall, during the final months of 2011, I was proud to announce that Machine Zealots gained an important partner and sponsor, Apex Performance. Well, it's near spring time, and people are bringing out their cars, and preparing them for the sunny days. I just picked up Machine Zealots' first sponsored package, a set of brake pads and stainless steel brake lines. However, before I get into the actual parts, I would like to tell you guys a funny story while we were picking up these parts.

On the day of the pickup, Puyang and I got up quite early to beat the traffic to the border. It was a cold morning so, unplanned, him and I both wore our Machine Zealots hoodies and a pair of sweat pants. When we got to the border there was hardly a line up, so it was a quick and easy process. However, as I handed our passports to the border patrol officer, he said, "Wow, your car has two spoilers? Because one just wasn't enough right?"

I laughed nervously. Then he asked why we were dressed the same. I looked over to Puyang and realized, "Oh wow, we are dressed the same!"

I turned to the officer and said, "It's for our Youtube show."

At the time, I wasn't sure why I had said that, it was unnecessary information, but I suppose it was because I saw his side holster, packing a 9mm. I just blurted out the truth under the pressure. Much to my suprise, he leaned back against his booth, and began to casually ask about the show, "So you are just starting the show?", "What do you do in the show?"

I swore this went on for a full five minutes, then his curiosity was satisfied and let us through. We thanked the kind officer, and I began to laugh at the situation as I drove away.

Anyway, on to the packages!

Hawk HP Plus Brake Pads. Great for Autocrossing and Track Days.

Goodridge Phantom Stainless Steel Brakelines. Made for only a handful of high end cars.

In a few weeks time, you can expect to see these being installed onto the 2006 Subaru STI, our Project Impulse. In the meantime, definitely check out the list of parts Apex Performance carries, and see if they can help you with your modding needs today!