---

---

---

In the interest of collecting data and facts from various customers over the past couple of days, we wanted a better understanding of the situation before posting a hasty reply. This is our prognosis thus far.


Although we are car enthusiasts at heart and like to go fast, safety has always and will continue to be our number one concern.
We have sold hundreds of brake lines to track and road enthusiasts nationwide but there have been recent incidents with hard use at the track which require our attention. There have been no incidents reported during use on the road.

Because we are concerned with safety, each and every brake line is pressure tested to 4000+ psi with fluid (not air) to ensure the utmost safety and carries approval from the D.O.T. This is 300% to 400% higher than pressure exerted inside the line under braking.

We are so confident in our designs that we always utilize what we produce and this product is no exception. Our WORKS race car which just won class at Time Attack and our shop MR runs these same off-the-shelf TKS brake lines as well as all of our personal EVOs for years which makes 6 total. We have not seen any sign of fatigue or failure with any of our cars (although most of us are running the Mitsubishi brake guides). *As a side note, this issue has not occurred to any vehicles running the Mitsubishi brake guides or other brake cooling devices.
To explore any heat related issue, we are implementing a new testing procedure which includes heating the testing environment to simulate track usage.

Although we believe these incidents are isolated, there are several things you can do to help prevent an undesirable brake situation:

1) Implement a brake cooling device to help prevent the heat from building up in your calipers such as the Mitsubishi brake guides and trim the plastic undertray per the Mitsubishi instructions.

2) Please have the lines properly installed by an Authorized WORKS Dealer. As simple as they seem, there is some indication that a line failure was due to installation error. For instance, adding any type of locking or restriction device (i.e. zip tie) in the wrong location may prevent the line from moving freely in either direction through the intermediate sleeve. In fact, many track EVOs have the intermediate sleeve disconnected as a result of brake lines pulling out of their fittings among all different brands.

3) Please use a very high-grade brake fluid such as “Motul RBF 600” to prevent the brake fluid from boiling. This can degrade any brake line very quickly. *As another side note, the brake line issue we are addressing has not occurred with any EVO while using “Motul RBF 600”.

It seems like another concern is with the outer blue jacket. Although this coating prevents particles from embedding into the stainless steel braid, this is not a functional part of the line and may deform under excessive heat. There is no direct correlation with jacket deformation and line failures. As stated in our installation instructions,
“*The blue protective coating on these lines may degrade over time depending on temperature and flex. This will not affect their performance or functionality.”

As a manufacturer we have an obligation to provide the safest product possible. With the holidays and winter upon us, this will give us ample time to test and ensure we have a safe and superior product.
Meanwhile, for those running our brake lines at the track between now and the end of the year (especially without any brake cooling), please contact us for further information. You can call us at 415.641.WORKS (9675) or email info@worksmitsu.com.

---

---

We are still working around the clock to understand a potential brake line issue and have even put our 2.4L Supercharger Kit on hold to get to the bottom of this.

Much time has been invested between our supplier and ourselves in this investigation with countless hours researching front-end vehicle dynamics and sacrificing over 50 brake lines under destructive testing.

As we continue to conduct or investigation, your feedback is very important. For those track customers who received our questions or questionnaire and have yet to respond, please do so as it will aid this investigation and benefit the EVO community. This data may point to a simple production lot issue as we recently discovered that some WORKS customers with TKS brake line kits have endured over 20+ track days. *Remember that our original WORKS race car went through two seasons of heavy rally and track usage with multiple drivers (different braking styles).

As the EVO is a relatively heavy vehicle with significant front-end weight bias, we still recommend the following for those EVOs going to the track:
1. Utilization of a brake cooling device
2. Installation by an Authorized WORKS Dealer (we have seen some lines installed with significant twisted pre-load which will encourage any line to twist out of a fitting)
3. Using the best brake fluid you can afford

After all the research is done and we have come to a conclusion, the proper steps will be taken to ensure each and every WORKS EVO enthusiast (including ourselves) has a safe set of TKS brake lines.
Until further notice we have suspended the sale of these lines.

Again, if you plan on participating in a track event in the near future, please contact us to discuss your individual situation at 415.641.WORKS (9675) or email us at info@worksmitsu.com.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---