Scottish Elises

As some of you know I have been testing a V8 Range Rover which I am taking on an expedition. Testing involves thrashing it to bits so that anything which is going to break breaks while I have time, parts etc to fix it.

Anyway, this weekends testing ruptured a fuel line, I suspect it was passed its best and a bit of movement has ruptured it. I have bodged it with a bit of flexible fuel hose which I had in the garage.

I am considering stripping out all the steel pipe back to the engine on both the high pressure fuel line and return line and replacing it with flexible. It will be much easier to fit, only have joins at the engine bay and the tank and I suspect it will survive movement a bit better than replacement steel.

Obviously I will have to keep the line away from hot bits, which is not a problem, and there is a small risk of a puncture. Is there any other reason not to go with flexible?

Thanks

The reason solid fuel lines are used is that they are more reliable and cheaper. I'd suggest if there's anywhere that there is no chance of movement (like along a chassis rail) then keep it solid. Nothing worse than a stray stone or any other random reason giving you a fuel leak. Solid is so much more robust.

I'd not want to introduce another cause of unreliability (no matter how small) if you want to be bulletproofing the vehicle for an expedition...

Disagree, look at braided hose. The reason they use solid pipe is for cost and space. Pipe takes up less room and is a lot cheaper. But whe you start looking at high pressure the inverse is true the pipe becomes both larger and more expensive than the hose. For a car, being used in a harsh environment then, for me, I would strip out all the solid pipe and replace it with braided hose. It will absorb knocks much better with out damage than solid pipe.

My 2p

Personally I would re-route it with hard lines securely bolted down for the long lengths and brainded hoses at the ends, mostly to keep the cost down! Route it away form exposed areas where possible (Outside the cabin clearly!) and anywhere that is particually exposed I'd use hard line covered in protective/sacrificial rubber hose. I'd not use loads of braided hose as it's expensive!