REPOSTED FROM CLUBPROTEGE. ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 3/19/2004.
The Goodridge stainless steel clutch line just came in. It is such a high quality piece of work, with tightly woven stainless steel braids (more so than most other stainless steel braided lines I've seen). The materials used are actually TV approved, although the overall line itself is not due to the way it was crimped (it lacks the plastic bend preventer boot at the base of the crimps). This also causes the line to not comply with DOT FMVSS 116. This is NOT a big deal because there will never be any significant load/stress placed on the line itself compared to brake calipers being hung by the brake lines (you're not supposed to do this but idiots at shops do it all the time anyway, hence the need for that boot). The DOT certification and regulation means nothing other than that, it does not dictate the other characteristics of the line in detail. Thus, with the TV approval of the parts itself, the quality and strength of the line is guaranteed.
Officially, Goodridge does NOT have a clutch line kit for our cars, however Rafi at rr-racing had Goodridge custom make them. He markets them for the Probe/MX-6, however upon looking at the OEM part number for the MX-6 clutch line, I have found it to be the exact same as the G15M-R equiped Protege! The line itself is built off of Goodridge's 600-03 PTFE type line, which is the correct size for this application. The fittings are very high quality zinc plated steel and the crimps are very tight, there is actually no possible movement between the connector/crimp ends with the line compared to some stainless steel braided lines made by other companies. Unfortunately, this line like any aftermarket brake or clutch line out there (except the Autoexe one, which is also made by Goodridge, but the only difference is the red colored jacket over the line), it does not have a rub protector tube at a 2" section of the line compared to the OEM one. The OEM clutch line has a 2" foam tube that is installed over the rubber hose and is meant to protect the line from being rubbed against the frame rail in the unlikely event should it happen. Any rubbing normally won't ever happen, but Mazda has installed the protector just in case it would happen because there is less than an inch of clearance between the line and the frame rail at one end of the line. So in order to replicate this reliability, I have cut a piece of foam tube off of an old vacuum line laying around and then wrapped the installed foam tube with rubber amalgamating tape (I shall just refer to this as the gum tape) to secure it at the same location as the OEM line. The gum tape does not have any adhesives on it except that the rubber is made in such a way that it bonds to itself when stretched, thus this offers a good non-reactive liquid protective, smooth surface, and soft padding solution.
This clutch line will ONLY work for the 2.0 3rd gens (meaning cars with the G15M-R tranny) because if it is used with the other Proteges, the length will NOT be correct and you will have fitment issues.
The line runs for $35 + $5 shipping and despite the slight additional expense over other brands, the quality of it makes it worth the money.
The clutch line itself is just like any brake line and is used for the hydraulic clutch system. It allows the clutch to be disengaged by hydraulic pressure. Most of the system consists of hard lines (just like the brake system), however at one point where there must be accommodations for movement (because the whole powertrain unit rocks back and forth), a flexible line must be installed. Just like swapping the stock brake lines to stainless steel ones, swapping the clutch line will also help increase modulation control (easier to slip the clutch during shifts) and allow the disengagement of the clutch to be complete (especially so for aftermarket clutches that have heavy pressure plates).
The Goodridge stainless steel clutch line just came in. It is such a high quality piece of work, with tightly woven stainless steel braids (more so than most other stainless steel braided lines I've seen). The materials used are actually TV approved, although the overall line itself is not due to the way it was crimped (it lacks the plastic bend preventer boot at the base of the crimps). This also causes the line to not comply with DOT FMVSS 116. This is NOT a big deal because there will never be any significant load/stress placed on the line itself compared to brake calipers being hung by the brake lines (you're not supposed to do this but idiots at shops do it all the time anyway, hence the need for that boot). The DOT certification and regulation means nothing other than that, it does not dictate the other characteristics of the line in detail. Thus, with the TV approval of the parts itself, the quality and strength of the line is guaranteed.
Officially, Goodridge does NOT have a clutch line kit for our cars, however Rafi at rr-racing had Goodridge custom make them. He markets them for the Probe/MX-6, however upon looking at the OEM part number for the MX-6 clutch line, I have found it to be the exact same as the G15M-R equiped Protege! The line itself is built off of Goodridge's 600-03 PTFE type line, which is the correct size for this application. The fittings are very high quality zinc plated steel and the crimps are very tight, there is actually no possible movement between the connector/crimp ends with the line compared to some stainless steel braided lines made by other companies. Unfortunately, this line like any aftermarket brake or clutch line out there (except the Autoexe one, which is also made by Goodridge, but the only difference is the red colored jacket over the line), it does not have a rub protector tube at a 2" section of the line compared to the OEM one. The OEM clutch line has a 2" foam tube that is installed over the rubber hose and is meant to protect the line from being rubbed against the frame rail in the unlikely event should it happen. Any rubbing normally won't ever happen, but Mazda has installed the protector just in case it would happen because there is less than an inch of clearance between the line and the frame rail at one end of the line. So in order to replicate this reliability, I have cut a piece of foam tube off of an old vacuum line laying around and then wrapped the installed foam tube with rubber amalgamating tape (I shall just refer to this as the gum tape) to secure it at the same location as the OEM line. The gum tape does not have any adhesives on it except that the rubber is made in such a way that it bonds to itself when stretched, thus this offers a good non-reactive liquid protective, smooth surface, and soft padding solution.
This clutch line will ONLY work for the 2.0 3rd gens (meaning cars with the G15M-R tranny) because if it is used with the other Proteges, the length will NOT be correct and you will have fitment issues.
The line runs for $35 + $5 shipping and despite the slight additional expense over other brands, the quality of it makes it worth the money.
The clutch line itself is just like any brake line and is used for the hydraulic clutch system. It allows the clutch to be disengaged by hydraulic pressure. Most of the system consists of hard lines (just like the brake system), however at one point where there must be accommodations for movement (because the whole powertrain unit rocks back and forth), a flexible line must be installed. Just like swapping the stock brake lines to stainless steel ones, swapping the clutch line will also help increase modulation control (easier to slip the clutch during shifts) and allow the disengagement of the clutch to be complete (especially so for aftermarket clutches that have heavy pressure plates).
