Camfab- I agree with all you said.
I went with nylon braided lines on my ride for several reasons:
- Reduced weight. The nylon braided lines are about 30% lighter than SS braided. Weight is a bigger issue in the trucks (5200 lbs) than in the cars.
- Heat absorption. SS lines heat up quicker, and retain that heat for longer, than nylon braided lines. As we all know, the Viper engine cranks out some serious heat.
The OEM oil cooler lines were half solid tubing (aluminum) and half rubber hose. I didn't measure line temp before the swap, but I'm guessing my 2-5º drop in oil temp is courtesy of non-metal lines.
- Non-damaging. As CamFab pointed out, SS braided lines can act like a metal file and rub through stuff. Nylon braid is not really abrasive. Nylon is more vulnerable, but.....
- Cost. Nylon braided is much cheaper than SS braided.
- Ease of Assembly. MUCH easier to make your own nylon braided hoses than SS. Less finger-poking. LOL
- I couldn't find anything bigger than -04AN in black SS.
On a different vehicle, I would probably demand the SS braided.
For my truck, it's nylon that I believe is going to work best.