SGT#3670 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 A question to all you autocross guys. What brand/type brake fluid to you use? I will be installing slotted/drilled rotors, Hawk hps pads, and ss lines. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuLu Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I've been using Wilwood 570 for years, with great results. http://www.wilwood.com/Products/006-Master...2-EXP/index.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RStangsOC Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 A question to all you autocross guys. What brand/type brake fluid to you use? I will be installing slotted/drilled rotors, Hawk hps pads, and ss lines. Adam AP Ultra of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT#3670 Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 How about any D.O.T. 4 fluids that are available at your local parts suppliers? Or would the OEM fluid be ok with the upgrades? What do you all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuLu Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 How about any D.O.T. 4 fluids that are available at your local parts suppliers? Or would the OEM fluid be ok with the upgrades? What do you all think? I suppose the stock fluid specs are okay, but you mention racing. Brake fluid can boil in severe applications, and if you are taking the time and spending the coins for a brake upgrade for severe duty, the additional costs of race spec fluid is worth the cost. IMHO, why cut corners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alloy Dave Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Silicone fluid has the highest boiling point and bulk modulus (lower compressibility). However, the downside to silicone is that the entire system must be flushed and cleaned with denatured alcohol...quite a bit of work. I switched to silicone fluid in my '69 Camaro. The main reason was not the above...but rather that it is hydrophobic (doesn't attract water). Therefore, your metal parts don't rust over decades of ownership. I put this fluid in my car in 1984 and I've got no rust in the brake system today. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69dejavue Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Dave, I think the silicone brake fluid is very good and it does have a much higher wet and dry boiling point. But I did hear a disadvantage and it is reference moisture. It does not attract or capture moisture so the moisture stays in the system. Possibly even when the fluid is changed, unless flushed. Whereas conventional, and even some synthetics, fluid actually attracts and absorb moisture. This allows the moisture to be flushed out of the system just by changing the brake fluid. I believe Ford has a racing brake fluid which is also supposed to be very good. Does not allow for much compression. Your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyguy470 Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I've been using Wilwood 570 for years, with great results. http://www.wilwood.com/Products/006-Master...2-EXP/index.asp This has been working great for me, got rid of all the brake fade I was experiencing on track days. RP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT#3670 Posted March 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I went a head and ordered some ATE Superblue and ATE Type 200 Amber from Tirerack.. The colors help with the bleeding. I will give this a try and will also try the Wildwood in the future. This is all in prep for the Shelby driving school, and I am thinking about getting into autocross solo events. I know this is prob sim to the what motor oil question, but I was just wondering what everyone uses. Thanks for the responses. I will post my thoughts on this fluid after some perf driving. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alloy Dave Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Dave, I think the silicone brake fluid is very good and it does have a much higher wet and dry boiling point. But I did hear a disadvantage and it is reference moisture. It does not attract or capture moisture so the moisture stays in the system. Possibly even when the fluid is changed, unless flushed. Whereas conventional, and even some synthetics, fluid actually attracts and absorb moisture. This allows the moisture to be flushed out of the system just by changing the brake fluid. I believe Ford has a racing brake fluid which is also supposed to be very good. Does not allow for much compression. Your thoughts? I disagree with this. Where would the moisture be? You say "in the system", but where? The answer is nowhere...it never gets in the system at all with a silicon based fluid. I have had this fluid in my Camaro for over 20 years and have no rust in the fluid to this day. The above comment seems to say that absorbing moisture is a good thing, but it's not. As conventional oils are hydrophilic (see below), they attract moisture and allow rust and braking degradation over time. this is not the case with silicone-based fluids. With silicone fluids no moisture is attracted into the system at all, so there is no need to get rid of it. With conventional fluids the air in the master cylinder has moisture in it (humidity), which is then absorbed into the fluid, and it travels through the entire system and causes rust. With silicone fluid, due to the fact that it is hydrophobic, the humidity in the air in the master cylinder is not allowed to ever enter the fluid, so NO MOISTURE GETS IN. http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/D...2.htm?E+mystore Go down 2/3 the way on this page and read about silicone fluids: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?se...article_id=4854 perhaps what you are thinking of is what is discussed below in the paragraph titled "Consumer friendly brake fluid". Note that the fact that conventional brake fluid disperses the moisture throughout the system is exactly the reason it must be replaced periodically. http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorcycl...brakefluid.html Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69dejavue Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Dave, I agree the fluid should be replaced periodically. I do mine every two to three years, along with all the other fluids in the vehicle (trans, radiator, differential, etc) years. I am not saying that absorbing moisture is a good thing but rather that at least it does allow the moisture to be flushed out with the replacement fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alloy Dave Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Dave, I agree the fluid should be replaced periodically. I do mine every two to three years, along with all the other fluids in the vehicle (trans, radiator, differential, etc) years. I am not saying that absorbing moisture is a good thing but rather that at least it does allow the moisture to be flushed out with the replacement fluid. Yes 69...true. I guess the way I'd say it is this... With conventional fluids, so long as you change the fluid periodically (every 2-3 years), you may be able to avoid any significant rust issues (or at least prolong them). With silicon fluid, there is no need to flush the fluid, as no water ever gets in in the first place. Oh, and I forgot to add one other downside to silicone fluid...cost. Now, I THINK I've heard there may be some new fluid that is silicone-based, yet compatible with conventional fluids so that a total flush/clean is not required. I admit I know nothing about this...so if you are interested start from scratch and do your own research. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuLu Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I don't know that much about this topic, just what I was taught by the experts. No matter what the fluid is made of, it functions as a hydraulic fluid and it's under extreme pressure in service. Over time, this fluid will break down and lose effeciency, thus, it needs to be changed for fresh functional fluid. Rust internal to brake components aside, no hydraulic fluid lives forever. 25 to 30K miles, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69dejavue Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Silicone fluid has been around for many years. Now I am seeing synthetic fluids. Does anyone know the difference, if any? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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