braided tethlon tube inside I also had changed my brake pads a couple of months before so I put it down to 15 year old hoses and perhaps I was not careful enough and allowed the hose to rub against the sharp edge of the heat shield while I changed pads... Now have braided hoses and they are quite nice (although I'm sure brand new rubber ones would have felt the same) Hi turtle, The theory is that rubber brake hose will expand very slightly under the tremendous hydraulic pressure that a brake system creates. Braided hose resists this expansion to a greater amount. This means that with 'standard' hose there will be slightly more pedal travel to create the saming braking pressure, but this amount is microscopic! Unless you are driving like a maniac all the time or if you race your car there will be no advantage at all having braided hoses. They just give a slightly harder pedal which in racing is important for your mental approach as much as the true effect they have. Of course, they are also more robust because of that steel braid reinforcing which is why they are a mandatory element in most motorsport. For road use they look good and they give you bragging rights down the pub but if you can discern the difference between the two during "normal" driving I will show my a*se in Sainsbury's. As far as abrasion resistance is concerned your vehicle should fail the MOT