We all want the best performance from our bikes, and to accomplish it we need to understand the system we’re improving in order to make the right decisions to get the right results. Having proper brakes and control of them is one of the easiest to do, but not understood as well as it could be.
The act of squeezing the brake lever transfers hydraulic power/pressure to the caliper and brake pads. Stock brake lines do this, but they expand a bit more than optimal and some of the energy is lost to expanding the lines. The quality of most stock brake lines can be improved drastically, meaning more of the power you input at the lever goes to the pads, giveing you better stopping power and feel.
The solution to volumetric expansion (the expansion of the lines) is to have brake lines that withstand hydraulic pressure better and expand less, sending the power more directly to the pads. A solid metal line would be ideal, but we need the lines to flex and move as our suspension moves. So, a higher quality flexible tubing is in order. Fren Tubo manufactures their brake lines for optimum performance, and every kit is certified to D.O.T., SAE J1401 and T.U.V. (FMVSS 106) standards. Fren Tubo lines will delivery a higher degree of braking efficiency, power and response, without the parasitic pressure loss associated with stock brake lines.
When shopping for brake lines, beware the “Race” setups. it’s normally a marketing ploy. Here’s a way to help it make sense:
Imagine (for easy math) that the distance from your master cylinder to caliper is 3 feet.
If you have 2 lines from the master (one to each caliper, you have 6 feet of brake line.
If you have one line to a splitter and then one line from there to each caliper, you have 4.5 feet of line.
Which would be more effective and have less expansion?
You want the smallest amount of line to minimize how much expansion you get (all lines expand to some degree, they have to to be flexible). the truth is that manufacturers can build “race” lines easier – less fittings and design issues and it’s cheaper for them to just sell you 2 lines in length ‘x” and not have to engineer the correct fittings and mounting. Look at the setups on actual MotoGp or WSBK bikes, and you’ll find that nearly all of them run a splitter. Why would you run something less effective?
If you have any other questions, simply contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss lines for your bike.