Dave helms upgrades... question on value/cost?

+1

Besides, does he have one of these?
I think not.

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMZaFaydzJA[/ame]

 

You are joking right?

 

Yep.

I don't make enough to buy it twice .... or three ..... or four .... or God knows how many times.

 

I too work on my own car and have all the same issues you have as to "affordability." I had to save for 25 years to buy my 308 and I have to save again to buy parts and sometimes even tools.

I will die before I sell the car(odds are good) so the intent is to just fix it ONCE.

And I believe Dave's hoses fall into that category of "fix it once."


Perhaps just different (not right or wrong) mindsets.

 

Promotion of unnecessarily expensive items if just a part of the Ferrari Chattitude. Be cool, follow the herd. Sorry, I don't subscribe. It's like saying, "I own a Ferrari. I can afford to be stupid."

 

There is no herd here. We all make up our own minds. Some DIY people prefer to spend as little as possible and that is one reason they DIY. Some DIY prefer to spend the money saved by DIY on more expensive high end parts and that is why they buy SR hoses. Some people just pay through the nose and want the most expensive they can get and that is why they insist on SR even through their mechanics.

 

Can anyone here truly explain why they are better? My guess is that you will have no answer. I mean...its Silicone, right? Is it impregnated with gold to conduct heat? Does it have a unique patent to grip tighter? Is it better because they say so?

Were all of us really stupid to buy "the finest piece of machinery in the automobile industry " at a really high price that is full of hoses that quickly fall apart? It is obvious that Ferrari has no clue how to build a car.

Does anyone here sell a really thick silicon umbrella that will protect me because I think the sky is falling.

 

Ignorance is bliss...

 

No, it's a Silicone inner layer with outer reinforcement layers -- cheapy Silicone hoses don't have the outer reinforcement/protection (and Gates Green Stripe does not have a Silicone inner layer).

You want to see expensive, look up the cost of the official F Silicone hoses with outer reinforcement.

 

Being a DIY Ferrari owner who also does not have an unlimited budget, I can identify with the original poster's query. What I cannot identify with is the attacks on SR products or its personnel, and I think it's borderline rude. Disagreement is fine, but a little civility wouldn't be out-of-line, would it?
Everything I have bought from SR has been top quality, and they are very nice about providing advice. I wish I had known of them when I bought the fuseboard for my Mondial, because the one I bought is a piece of ****. I have made it work, but really, why should I pay $1,000 for an item that I myself (a non-electrician, I hasten to add) have to fettle? I wouldn't be surprised if I need a second new fuseboard in the coming years. So I'll buy one from Dave and then I'll have about $2,400 invested in fuseboards. Go with the best part WHEN NECESSARY and don't regret it.
(NOTE: I didn't buy the POS fuseboard to save money; at the time I thought it was the best available. Now I know better.)

 

I love you Steve....you always have the facts.

 

You could have fooled me.

 

And so just what does that inner layer of silicon and outer reinforcement do other than make the hose harder to seal or prevent a hose blowout that I haven't seen happen since the 50's. (Someone has to play bad cop. It mine as well be me. )

 

It is worth pointing out to new forum members, or new to this discussion, that johnk... has a long history of joining any discussion about SRI products to comment negatively and dispute their worth and value - in absolute terms. He never adds a "in my opinion" to his statements that SRI hoses are definitively not worth their expense. He certainly never lets a Dave Helms thread pass without making his opinions known. I've read lots of threads about SRI hoses here, and it surprised me to notice that fact!

I don't know why he has an agenda against Dave Helms, but he certainly has one, and forum members should know there's a back story when they read johnk...'s negative comments.

For what little it's worth, I'm an engineer, read the comments from buyers and non-buyers, read the technical specs, and my own decision was that the SRI hoses, especially the fuel lines, are top quality items, superior to anything else on offer, and worth the expense for the comfort of knowing the work to replace them will not have to be repeated for a long, long time.

Steve explained it - you must not have looked at any information about the SRI hoses, because they certainly are not just silicone. Steve didn't need to guess.

 

There are many millions of cars on the road & cars bursting into flames are relatively rare.
Why do Ferraris require hoses of a higher specification than any other car?

 

Fuel grade flurosilicone lined hoses with reinforcement layers are pretty much standard and widely available, such as Samco ProFuel.

 

Is this an upgrade from Dave's fuseboxes. The best on the marked ? ...still using the old layers is asking for trouble on the long term.
GT parts has new, but expensive and uses the small connectors for the wires, so in time also the same problems.
Guido makes new, is inexpensive, uses bigger connectors and solid wires instead of the layers.
Others on the marked ?

Enzo52
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And let it be know, as I stated in my first post, the only product of DH that I have an issue with is the GCK. I have stated in this thread that I accept that the quality of his hose products and I presume his other products is very high. I just question the need for such hose products in view of the observation that OE quality hoses have not been all that prone to failure after 20, 30 or even 40 years on some cars. I read a lot about replacing hoses but I don't read much about making such replacement because of failure. It's generally, "Well they are old so they should be replaced." Surely that says something about what is needed.

So, as I asked, what is the advantage of the SRI hoses? This is not a negative comment. It is an inquiry, one that has yet to be answered. We know the cost is significant. So what is it that I get for that extra cost? What extra level of protection do I need over a hose that lasted 20-40 years? What is the benefit?

So? I have an advanced degree in engineering as well. I've worked in machine design, thermo, fluid mechanics, semiconductor physics, and scratched the surface in quantum mechanics. BFD. That's why I ask, just what are the advantages of the SRI hoses? I don't see any. You say they won't have to be replaced for a long time. Is 20-40 years not sufficiently long? We are talking about old cars to start with here.

Yes, Steve explained what they are, but has not addressed why they are needed. Again, I ask, if the OE stuff lasts 20-40 years is there a need for something of higher quality? To me the answer is obvious. Even the OE fuel hoses, which were not intended for blended E10 fuel, aren't failing left and right. They may experience some degradation, and for that reason be replace with hoses suitable for today's blends, but fuel pouring all over the ground isn't a common experience. And replacement with an SAE spec J30R9 hose should be more than sufficient. Are DH's fuel hoses SAE certified to that spec? I'd like to hear a counter argument, void of emotion, as to why something else, something better, is required. And, as I mentioned, the down side of a silicon lined hose is that it does not seal as well as a conventional hose, thus requiring special clamps.

Frankly, it's all less than I could care about. Just something to discuss.

 

That's because John is one of the smart ones. He would rather call any hose vendor in the U.S. And buy the same exact hose for 1/10th the price. As good as you feel that SRI may be, they do not manufacture the hose. Just like they do not manufacture the magical gold crimps.

Believe it or not, we are trying to help the herd from walking to the slaughter.

 

GordonC should have added your name to the list of haters with JohnK and Ernie.

You like to talk big game. I'm obviously not as smart as you. Please Tell us where to find OEM shaped hose for 1/10th the price at SRI hose quality. I will gladly buy you a steak dinner for the information.

 

Next time you are out West drop by and ask Dave to show you why, kicking and screaming, he got into the 'hose business.'

Another PRO or two here might show you why too.

 

Your fundamental assumptions above are erroneous. You need to spend more time reading in the 308 section. There are plenty of threads documenting fuel hose failures on 25+ year old 328s and 308s, with pictures of the rotted hoses. Fuel filler hoses, tank interconnect hoses, etc - essentially, fuel pouring on the ground (your exaggeration carried over, not mine) IS a common experience on those cars still running the original fuel hoses.

 

+308!

A large and spreading puddle of fuel under a warm (thankfully not really hot) 308 while fueling at the gas station is a really really bad feeling. These cars from the 70's and 80's are simply not compatible with the standard fuels available today and they are 30 to 40 years old. To say that people are foolish for replacing lines that are old and incompatible because you haven't experienced a failure first hand is simply irresponsible. Make your own choice, spend or save your own money, but the number of fires with these cars is significant. Like Russian roulette, you can take your chances....eventually you lose.

 

Napa autoparts.

My first engine out major I took my old hoses to Napa. The guy at the counter took them to the back and found a hose that had all the angles I needed. Though I did have to cut them to length. One side I cut too short, so I had to go back and buy a second hose. The cost, including the redo hose? $76. Had those hoses on my 348 for just about a full decade, zero issues. No they aren't silicone, but they lasted 10 years. At that price I could replace them once every decade for the next 60 years and still be at half price of SRI hoses.

Now if you insist on silicone, you can buy hoses from Samco Sport (same hoses the F1 teams run, the Samco Xtreme hoses are build to handle a harsher environment) or SFS Performance (SFS already has them molded to the right shape and size, at least for a 348).

So where are you taking me for my steak dinner?
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