Best Brake Fluid For The Track?

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

i figured i best change the fluid in the pug before marham, i had comma 5.0 i think in there but was just wondering what is considered the best for fast road and the odd track day?

 

also how much do i need for a full flush? will 500ml do it?

 

pete

[Batfink 201]

Castrol SRF if you can afford it. I personally like the CL Brakes fluid as its almost as good, but at a more palletable price.

Dry Boiling Point 325 Deg. C (617 Deg. F.).

Wet Boiling Point 195 Deg. C. (383 Deg. F.)

[Anthony 1,002]

Depends if you really mean "best" or just simply "what will do more than a good enough job"

 

If it's the later, then Halfords DOT 5.1 fluid seems to do just fine in my experience, and is certainly all I've ever used and never yet boiled it. It's cheap if you've a trade card, and in my experience you'll need about a litre by the time that you've flushed the system through and bled it a couple of times.

[swordfish210 20]

I used to use Castrol Response DOT4 which i thought was fine until i switched to ATE Super Blue DOT4. I found the blue to give a consistantly better pedal feel under hard track work and it was a lot cheaper too (circa £12 per litre)

[Baz 421]

Depends if you really mean "best" or just simply "what will do more than a good enough job"

 

If it's the later, then Halfords DOT 5.1 fluid seems to do just fine in my experience, and is certainly all I've ever used and never yet boiled it. It's cheap if you've a trade card, and in my experience you'll need about a litre by the time that you've flushed the system through and bled it a couple of times.

 

+1

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

cool cheers, a trip to halfords then.

[Daxed 7]

i figured i best change the fluid in the pug before marham, i had comma 5.0 i think in there but was just wondering what is considered the best for fast road and the odd track day?

 

also how much do i need for a full flush? will 500ml do it?

 

pete

 

 

If your statement that you are using a DOT 5.0 fluid is correct then it is a silicone fluid NOT glycol as DOT 3, 4, 5.1

 

The two types are NOT compatible.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

If your statement that you are using a DOT 5.0 fluid is correct then it is a silicone fluid NOT glycol as DOT 3, 4, 5.1

 

The two types are NOT compatible.

 

hmmm, may well have been 5.1 then.

 

whats more common? i bought it from my local motor place. its a grey colour if that makes any difference?

 

do they react together or will i be safe enough with emptying the current fluid and refilling with 5.1

 

just been looking on halfords and they say the dot4 is the high performance fluid? i thought 5.1 was the better one.

 

god im confused now

Edited March 6, 2011 by pugpete1108

[Anthony 1,002]

It won't be DOT 5.0 that you've got, as that's silicon based and I'm pretty sure isn't even compatible with the seals in the standard system. You'll have either DOT 4 or DOT 5.1, which can be mixed with each other just fine. Nothing can be mixed with DOT 5.

 

As I understand it, the DOT number just gives the minimum specs for the fluid - the minimum specs of DOT 5.1 are higher than DOT 4. There are however fluids out there that have boiling points well above the minimum spec, and as a result of this, you can have DOT 4 fluids that are superior to DOT 5.1 - they're often, but not always, called "Super DOT 4".

 

Either way, I just run DOT 5.1 and it works fine, and really won't be an issue at somewhere like Marham that from what I recall isn't hard on brakes anyway.

[Daxed 7]

If you have not custom built the entire brake system from scratch and filled from dry with a silicon fluid (DOT 5.0), the possible advantage being perhaps for a show car as the silicone fluid will not damage paintwork, then as you say I'm sure you used DOT 5.1.

 

Replace it with the same, more than adequate.

 

Some detail here. My link

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

the simple things eh

 

1 litre of 5.1 it is. cheers guys