They generally last about 15 years in damp old England! But should be inspected regularly,at MOT time! or just before! Back in 1981 when I first joined the TSSC I noticed that some strange owners liked to paint their brake pipes in different colours,perhaps to 'customise' their triumphs,and perhaps to stop their pipes from getting any rustier!!! However,as I'm sure you all know,DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluids are hygroscopic,ie:they absorb water from the atmosphere. This has the effect of reducing the efficiency of the fluid by as much as 20% per year. How many of you have changed your brake fluid every year or two? How many people do you know who never change their fluid,or even think about doing so?

OK,so you think,I'll fit some nice corrosion-proof copper brake pipes with brass unions! Very laudable,but just a minute,how come they are not legal in various scandanvian countries and parts of the USA,and how come they are not fitted to cars as a matter of course,not even the ones where a few extra pence don't matter too much? Well,there are several reasons,one is that copper is not the best material in very cold climates,nor for that matter in very hot climates. It cracks up in the cold,and becomes soft in the hot. Furthermore,they may well be easy to fit,because of how easily they bend,but they are equally easy to bend into the wrong shape,then into another wrong shape etc,before reaching probably the almost right shape,and with each bending comes the ogre of metal fatigue.

Back in 1984,I replaced all the brake pipes on my Herald with a kit of copper pipes of (almost)the right lengths.It has been on thee ever since,OK it has not corroded,and it'll probably be OK if I don't move it around,but the next time I restore that car,I'll replace them with the much preferable 'Kunifer' brake tubing,bought by the roll from Unipart (Rover group spares division) Kunifer is an alloy of Copper and Nickel, So it has the anti-corroding benefits of copper and the strength of nickel/steel.

Unipart # GVP3002

the bumpf says:Unipart Copper Nickel Brake Tubing conforms to BS2871 Part 2 CN102,and its dimensions,tensile strength,proof pressure,formability and internal cleanliness conform to international brake tubing specifications including SAEJ527,ASTM A254,SMMT C5B. Its corrosion resistance easily exceed Swedish requirements. Applications:Copper Nickel Brake Tubing with appropriate standard fittings can be used,up to the recommended working pressures shown,for original equipment,modifications or replacements on all types of brake and hydraulic and fuel lines.

Mechanical properties:stock size O.D. x Wall thickness = 3/16" x 0.028"
Theroretical Bursting Pressure LB/in2 15454 or Bar 1065
Recommended Maximum Working Pressure LB/in2 3120 or Bar 215

Then there are 4 paragraphs of Fabrication and installation instructions that I'll not reproduce here. I have used this piping on my new Vitesse project,and am very satisfied with the quality,but will say that I had to use 2 entire rolls for the car,due to my own bending inadequacies,once it has assumed a shape it keeps it!,unlike copper. While I'm talking about brakes,do any fellow listers have unpleasant experiences or any other opinions about DOT5 Silicon Brake Fluid?

Drive (and stop!),safely,Leon TSSC International