Hose Clamps & P-Clips

Hose clamps hold a hose tight on its spigot, and P-clips fix pipes, hoses and cables to the body so they cannot vibrate, chafe or sag onto hot parts. The range covers aluminium and stainless steel hose clamps, and aluminium P-clips for lines from 6.4 to 25.4 mm.

A hose joint seals because the clamp presses the hose evenly onto the spigot. Rubber, and silicone even more, slowly creeps under that pressure as it heats and cools, so a clamp that was tight on fitting can lose its grip. Unsupported lines fail another way: a pipe that vibrates between fixings fatigues and cracks near a fitting, and a hose that rubs on an edge wears through.

Both are sized by diameter:

• P-clip size: match the clip to the outside diameter of the line or bundle. Sizes are 6.4, 7.9, 9.5, 12.7, 14.3, 15.9, 19.1 and 25.4 mm, in two versions: one runs up to 25.4 mm, the other up to 15.9 mm.
• Hose clamps: 31.5 mm or 60 mm. Measure the hose’s outside diameter where it sits on the spigot, not the pipe itself.
• Material: aluminium is light and resists corrosion; stainless steel keeps its strength better near heat, such as turbo or exhaust plumbing.
• Colour: black or silver, to match the rest of the engine bay.

Seat a clamp just behind the bead or flare on the spigot, square to the hose, with its tightening point where you can reach it later. Tighten firmly but stop before the band bites into the hose, and re-check clamps on silicone hoses after the first heat cycles.

Fix P-clips to solid mounting points, close to each bend and fitting and at regular spacing between, so the line cannot whip. Where a bare clip holds a line of another metal, a layer of rubber or tape between them stops chafing and galvanic corrosion. Keep fuel and brake lines clear of the exhaust and of moving suspension and steering parts.