Best product for fuel lines?

[muleyman78]

Hey everyone. Im getting ready to run fuel lines. I've noticed my wings already have the tanks installed along with stainless ridged tubing. I noticed the plans call for the tubing also but it seems to me that the braided flexible lines would be a better/ safer option? Maybe weight is much more with braided AN lines?

[jaredyates]

Solid aluminum lines like those made from 5052 or 3003 will last longer than a braided line, which is a soft hose inside of a protective sheath. Use the braided lines when you need movement, like from the engine to the firewall, but whenever you can use a rigid line, it is likely to be the most durable. Also, you can turn much sharper turns with the solid lines than with a braided line.

[whee]

Braided Teflon lines are ‘lifetime’ rated outside the aviation industry but they weigh a lot more than aluminum tubing and I think they’d be difficult to install in a way that would make them last as long as aluminum lines. They are also expensive.

[Glenn Patterson]

We used the 3003 soft tube for the lines from the tank out of the wing and for all the tubing. We used hose to connect the fuselage lines to tank lines. A short piece of hose makes it easy to connect the two together & has some forgiveness. There is no movement as the wing is bolted tight to the fuselage and the wing is rigid between the attach points and the wing struts.