brake lines

[catbed]

i am going to get stainless brake lines from spiegler and i wanted to know if i should keep the splitter or go double from the master cylinder?

also, should the pistons on the rear caliper slide in and out easily? like using your hand easy?

[waterman]

I think the general consensus is that most will go with a two line setup for the front brake and thus eliminate the splitter. Main reason is cost, the ends for the stainless add up to a fair amount of the total cost. Two lines need a total of 4 ends while running a splitter requires 3 lines and 6 ends.
In order to attach two lines to master cylinder you will need a longer bango bolt, I think you can reuse long one from splitter. Likewise, you will have to calculate total length from master cylinder to brake calipers.
From a performance standpoint, the two lines should be easier to bleed than three. Not sure if any difference in braking between two methods.

Can't say about rear brake piston, mine certainly didn't want to move under hand pressure. Haven't tried lately though.

[bwringer]

As noted above, most people go with two lines, simply for cost reasons. There's absolutely no difference in performance. You can re-use the double banjo bolt from the splitter at the master cylinder.

With the rear brake caliper question... you can push the pistons in by hand sometimes, but it takes heavy pressure and a bit more time. Using a clamp or pad pusher simply saves time and is less tiring. (This is assuming that you're retracting the pistons to replace the pads.)

If you have the caliper apart for rebuilding, then without the seals installed, the pistons should be loose enough in the bores to pull in and out easily. When you install the seals and lubricate them with brake fluid, you'll also be able to pop them in by hand.

[catbed]

also, with spiegler, the banjo bolts they put on are aluminum. wont this cause the electrolysis thing because the two different metals? or should i not worry because they're crimped?

[Nessism]

Not sure why they would use aluminum ends; more prone to damage. I don't think they are going to cause corrosion issues by themselves though since the crush washers pretty much isolate the fittings from the other metal parts.

I'm a big fan of homemade lines built from Earl's parts. It's much easier than you would think and is dirt cheap. I posted a thread not long ago so do a search if you are mechanically minded.

[Mark M]

From a performance standpoint, the two lines should be easier to bleed than three. Not sure if any difference in braking between two methods.

The two line set up is MUCH easier to bleed. There are simply no places for air to get trapped and it all just comes out with no issues.

Performance wise, there is no difference between 2 or 3 lines in stopping power or feel.

Mark