Just wondering what brake fluids you guys are running and why??

 

ATE Superblue
Almost as good as Motul and something about the chemistry makes it less likely to get bubbles, and doesn't require constant bleeding. At least that's what I've heard.

 

rbf600. BTW Anyone know how long these fluids are good for? I did a flush last june and my car is a daily driver.

 

Also what's the shelf life of this fluid? I've had mine for a year, and I was hoping to put it in soon.

 

I run motul rbf600, I bleed it about once a year. I race about ten events a year and the brakes are rock solid.

 

Motul rb600

 

ate typ200/superblue. Never had a problem.

 

motul rbf600. bleed every event.

 

Preston/Ford 550F (the old 550, not the new 500F)

I used to run rbf600....but I bled before every event, i thought it was pointless to use such an expensive oil if I was to trash it every week end. The Ford has always been perfect, especially for 7$ a bottle.

 

x2. I always know when I have a clean flush. At $12 a can from tirerack.com, you can't beat it. I flush my brakes before every event...call me ****.

And I switched years ago from Motul. Call me cheap as well...hell, call me susan

 

Hey Susan,

You only need the cheapest or the lowest temp fluid that the car needed. In this case, the superblue is sufficient. Anything over is just that, excess.

That being said, some people do like insurance. Bleeding for every event can be cumbersome too.

 

Saw on tirerack you can get the ATE superblue for about 12 bux!

 

Valvoline Syntec - cheap autozone stuff, no issues to date.

 

Castrol SRF. Just switched from ATE.

 

I use Motul RBF600. I like the extra insurance of the higher boiling points than some other fluids. And it's still inexpensive, about $15 for a half-liter bottle. So I get two of those, flush the fluid in spring, and I'm good for the year. No bleeding in between flushes.

Incidentally, Castrol SRF (which is a lot more expensive) has a similar dry boiling point to the RBF600, but a higher wet boiling point. If you flush every season, you probably don't have to worry about the wet boiling point. But if you go longer than a year without flushing the fluid - not something I recommend on a tracked car, but if you do - then you might want to consider the SRF.

AFAIK the 2006 list of brake fluid boiling points and prices is still accurate.

 

Great stuff. I use it too. Can says no longer than 18 months in the system. I've gone 2 years in the past. I don't track the car though. I autocross probably 20+ times per year and daily drive the car. I wish it was easier to get though.

 

Most of the racing shops I know - such as this one local to me, as well as website dealers like Pegasus - sell Motul, ATE, and Castrol, and sometimes others in addition. Current prices:

Motul RBF600 (594F dry boiling point), half-liter: $17.95 Northstar, $17.99 Pegasus
Castrol SRF (590F dry boiling point), one liter: $79.95 Northstar, $79.99 Pegasus
ATE Superblue (536F dry boiling point), one liter: $15.00 Northstar, $14.99 Pegasus

 

Holy crap nsxtasy why would anyone want to use the Castrol SRF? does the higher wetpoint really make it that much more? and I thought I was paying too much for my RBF heh.

 

I can't answer the first question, but I can tell you what the boiling points mean. The dry boiling point is the temperature at which the fluid boils when it's fresh out of the bottle (and yes, the higher the temperature, the greater the protection against boiling). Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs moisture. Over time, as more water is absorbed, the boiling point declines. The wet boiling point tells the boiling point after a certain amount of water has been absorbed. That's why the dry boiling point is the main thing that matters to racers who flush their brake fluid at fairly frequent intervals, and why the wet boiling point might matter for a car which sits for extended periods (say, 2-3 years) without having the fluid flushed.