A winter project I'm planning on doing will include replacing the flexible brake hoses on all four wheels. I already have much of what I need so far, new rotors and pads primarily. I have done pads on the car before and also have rebuilt all four calipers. The rotors have not been touched and neither have the brake hoses (to my knowledge). At the very least I'd like to drain out the brake fluid, flush it and refill it.

I see a number of different flexible brake hose kits for sale by the vendors. The exchange rate for the Canadian dollar isn't very good, so price, shipping, taxes, customs fees, etc. play a role in this too. Not that it's only about the cost though, as I'd like to understand if any of the type or style of replacement hoses are better or worse, fit well/don't fit well, come complete versus need additional fasteners or hardware, etc.

The ones I've seen available are:

http://store.delorean.com/p-10616-fr...es-2-each.aspx

Front and rear brakes hose (2 each); $119.80 USD. These look to be close to the original design and (I believe based on the individual hose photos as there isn't a kit photo) include the "coiled spring" travelling down the length of the hose for protection against outside damage.

http://store.delorean.com/p-10624-fr...stainless.aspx

This is the stainless version of the above; $139.80 USD. The braided stainless is in place of the protective coiled spring and can be covered in black or other colour coating however these ones have a transparent coating on them so you can still see the stainless appearance.

http://www.deloreanclub.uk/dot-brake...-set-of-4.html

On the DMC UK club store, these are the "DOT brake hose kit" and are 69.99 British pounds. They have the coiled spring and also include mounting hardware (nuts and washers).

http://www.deloreanclub.uk/stainless...ses-lines.html

These are black coated stainless braided brake hoses and are 65 British pounds. They look to have some fastening hardware already on them, but this is one of the things I'm not clear on understanding.

http://www.delorean.eu/catalog/produ...ucts_id=104032

DeLorean Europe has these stainless braided hoses at 136.62 Euros. Again, looks like the fastening hardware is on them already.

Two main questions:

1.) Is there more than just cosmetic appearances in going with the stainless braided ones versus the original coiled spring versions? And if not just cosmetic, have there really been that many problems with the coiled spring ones getting damaged to need to go with the braided stainless ones? I like the stainless ones, sure, but I'm just trying to understand if this is a better hose than the original style. My originals are still on the car and haven't caused me any problems, so not sure I need to change styles just for the heck of it (or replace them at all I suppose is another possibility).

2.) Are there any differences in the threaded ends that connect on both ends of the hoses? Either with the fastening hardware that is or isn't included, or perhaps the length of the threads (or length of these hoses themselves for that matter)? Some of the end connections look quite different in the photos yet it doesn't get mentioned anywhere. Any practical experience in this and can share what you learned or found?

Thanks!