Paul H. (near Annapolis, MD)

I just bought some nice blue hi-temp silicone vacuum line to replace my current BPV actuator hose which is dry and brittle. Over time I may replace all of the vacuum lines just to dress things up under the hood a little.

If I'm going to be installing some good looking hose I'd like to use some good looking hose clamps with it. Anyone have suggestions? Somehow nylon zip ties or your standard threaded hose clamps just don't seem like they will look right. I don't plan to be showing the car, but I'd like it to look nice nonetheless.

Thanks!!

Paul

Auditude

Get some of those stainless pinch clamps used on jetskis and such.

wnut

decent???!!! get T-Clamps...

Kris Hansen

We are talking about Vac lines, not turbo hoses, right?

Paul H. (near Annapolis, MD)

The idea is not so much hi-torque (obviously), but rather even pressure which may be better/easier since silicone hoses are so much softer. I have seen coated worm drive clamps made specifically for silicone hose, but I want something that looks a little better.

I'm just having trouble finding t-bolt hose clamps that are small enough. And most of them look rather..."industrial".

Paul

Kris Hansen

You will not find t-bolts that small. But for the best clamps, try <a href="http://www.breezeclamps.com/tocpage.html">Breeze Clamps</a>

Paul H. (near Annapolis, MD)

Yeah I was going to look at Home Depot, but the Breeze liner clamps look good. Not sure if they are small enough though. I may have to resort to colored zip ties.

Paul<ul><li><a href="http://www.breezeclamps.com/linrpage.html">Liner Clamps for Soft/Silicone Hose</a></li></ul>

Kris Hansen

The smallest size is 11mm. BTW, zip ties work fine for vac lines.

Paul H. (near Annapolis, MD)

The control hose to the BPV popped off. The hose was dry and brittle from heat, which definitely contributed. I want to avoid zip-ties if at all possible because:

- Depending on location, it can be difficult to get zip-ties tight enough to hold under boost. Although the silicone hose IS softer and much "grippier", which will help.

- Unless they are hi-temp zip-ties, heat will eventually break down the nylon. In the case of the BPV control hose, the heat was already too much for the Audi-supplied hose, which is why I went with hi-temp silicone to replace it.

- Once a zip-tie is installed, if you cut off the "tail" the remaining stub is very good at slicing open skin if you inadvertently brush up against it while working on your car (speaking from experience). Unfortunately some of the locations do not lend themselves well to filing down or smoothing out the stub. And leaving the tail looks cheap.

- They just tend to look cheap, with or without the tail.

BTW I am not trying to argue. I appreciate your input. Thanks!

Paul