Any reason other than looks to install these in place of stock hoses? I'm going to be replacing all the rubber lines in the cooling system and I figure a set of braided lines would look real nice. And on a quick search they don't seem too expensive, but then again that could have been a brand with a bad reputation.

What are some good brands, I don't want to unknowingly buy something with a bad reputation.

 

they are usually used in a high risk area like around belts. at least on boats thats where i see em. other than that for looks. if i were going to do it i would make sure they are stainless. steel would not last long around here.

 

Yeah the ones I was looking at were stainless.

 

There are many classifications of stainless. More chromium makes it more rust resistant, but weaker. Generally a simple magnet test will tell you how much chromium there is in it.

 

they are braided and also tend to have a liner such as rubber. It's all I use for my plumbing in my home. I don't use the vinyl hoses.

For the car, you don't get the same pressure that you do in plumbing but if you like the looks, then go for it