I'm refreshing the brake system on the FRS. It's a 2014 with a hair over 100k miles and ran almost all of those miles as an automatic. It's only $40 or so extra for some new Centric soft lines so I'm going to go ahead and replace. I know the stock lines will last a long time with a ton of abuse but there probably is a shelf of degradation at some point right?
So, that's a long way of saying when should you replace the soft lines?
Also before someone mentions it, I have no care to get stainless flex lines again. Maybe it's just me but it seems like they end up looking like trash after a year or so, and what little pedal feel you get from them seem to be from refreshing an aged system. I could be wrong and would love to be proven otherwise though.
In reply to captainawesome :
I have street driven and autocrossed cars with 40-year-old brake hoses. Generally, unless they are swelling internally and not allowing pressure to release from calipers, they don't really have an expiration date.
I definitely have driven cars and trucks with lines that old but this car will see some light track duty. It seems appropriate since I'm refreshing all the other stuff that the lines get the same treatment.
Just checked the maintenance schedule and from Toyota and it says to just keep an eye on them for wear. No particular mileage or year range like I expected.
I usually replace them when the outside rubber layer is showing a decent number of cracks.
For me it's a task worth considering "when you're already in there" and/or if you have any doubts, especially if parts are fairly affordable, but that's just me.
