Smooth vs. Braided High-Pressure Fuel Hoses

[KevAndAndi]

Does it make a difference which you use? Are they intended for different applications? (For example, my fuel pressure regulator has a cloth braided hose, and Midwest-Bayless's FI hose kit contains a braided hose for the regulator, but smooth hoses for everything else. I guess the regulator hose is really a vacuum hose, but has to be fuel-tolerant?)

[124JOE]

the fuel line has a braided fiber inside it to handle 35 psi
to keep the look you can get the covered line

when i was at the hobby shop i leaned that the braided line had
thinner walls then the regular fuel line.but that was for rc cars and planes

all and all the fuel line thy sell you will do.

hope this helps.joe

[klweimer]

Except for silicone rubber vacuum hose, pretty much everything has a braided reinforcement. It might be visible, or it might be under a smooth rubber skin. Just make sure that on a FI system, the hose from the fuel pump to the fuel rail is marked for fuel injection use.

[KevAndAndi]

Thanks, guys.

So the fuel return line and the fuel supply line from the tank to the pump can be low-pressure? There's no harm in using high-pressure hose, though, I would guess. Can't imagine there's much of a price difference.

Some time ago I bought some fuel hose with the external cloth braiding, to replace the flexible part of the return line that connects to the tank, as that hose currently looks to be in sorry shape. I found that the hose was just slightly too large for the fitting on the tank. I think the ID of the hose was 8mm, but I'm not certain. I wasn't willing to "make" it fit by using the clamp to take up the slack.

Therefore, I need to get some other hose. I'll use my calipers on the fittings to make sure I get the right ID size. Just wanted to understand what the cloth braiding was all about, but it sounds like it's more of an aesthetic preference.