ok well i was trying to get ate super blue and all the place i got my nuspeed lines had in stock was this cartel dot5 silicone brake fluid. The guy said it was really good and that he stock's it because thats what alot of guy's ask for. The **** was 19.99 a quart (.946 liter's) on the back it says:

compatatible with all brake systems.. import.. exc

lubricates and preserves hoses..

600 degree minimum wet boiling point

should i give it a shot.. has anyone heard of it?

ill post a pic if i can find one on google



thanks- larry


[Modified by 4gsicivichatch, 3:42 AM 2/21/2003]

 

if this is really dot 5 silicone, do NOT PUT IT IN YOUR CAR. take it back and get your money back. Silicone & glycol brake fluids CAN NOT be mixed, you must flush the system with isopropyl alchohol first. Silicone brake fluids have other issues that make them undesireable in a race or high performance car.

If it is actually dot 5.1 glycol, you can give it a try.

if you need to buy something else, castrol lma, valvoline synthetic and ford heavy duty all work fine and are readily available.

joel


[Modified by JoelG, 5:47 AM 2/21/2003]

 

What info I can find says that it's boiling point is 570 dry. That's pretty good. The wet boiling point of 298 is low compared to something like ATE.

[edit] it's glycol-based so no need to worry about compatibility. I got a little worried to start with too.


[Modified by JeffS, 8:46 AM 2/21/2003]

 

cool.

wet boiling point isn't that important because you should never have wet fluid in a car that is on a track.

joel

 

What these guys said. If it really is 5.0 silicon fluid DO NOT USE IT. Your car did not come with 5.0 silicon fluid and the silicon based and glycol based fluids are NOT compatible.

Like Joel said, if you need something rightdamnnow, go to Wal-mart and get some of the Valvoline synthetic Dot 4, or castrol GT-LMA.

Matt

edit: website said it was Dot 3 glycol-based. OK. Kinda expensive though....


[Modified by MaddMatt, 6:23 AM 2/21/2003]

 

Ford HD is good too.

 

I use this and I like it alot, for me it was a huge improvment over dot 3 fluid.

 

ok im takeing it back and getting either ate or Valvoline synthetic

where can i get the ate at?
only order online?

thanks

-larry

 

I have run the silicone fluid in a racecar and although it does have a high dry boiling point, it also is more compressible so you will have to get used to a longer and spongier feeling brake pedal. And you do have to thoroughly clean out your system of regular fluid to the point that I even tore my brake cylinders and master cylinder apart and rebuilt them with silicone grease.

Since that car and silicone experience, I an a regular user of the Ford Heavy Duty fluid. Cheap, high boiling point and readily available everywhere. Even downtown Watkins Glen, NY had a Ford dealer with the stuff on the shelf when i was in a pinch.

 

Ford HD



[Modified by 89civicdx, 7:53 PM 2/21/2003]

 

What the hell is a wet BP anyway? I dont see how they can get an accurate number. How wet? How old is the fluid?
I think its complely useless to look at the wet BP #.

 

Anybody know if the formulation or vendor changed when they changed the packaging from the blue steel can to the white plastic bottle with red label in recent years? When it was blue and steel, the can and paint coloration were exactly the same as the Performance Friction fluid at nearly twice the price (so I figureed it was probably just a relabel of that). I'm just hoping the packaging change is not a sign that the vendor changed. Ford just presents a minimum spec that they want it to meet and vendors provide it in bulk. The problem with this system is that we never really know whose stuff it is or more importantly if it changes.

I was told about Ford HD in the mid '90s by endurance racers and thought they were pulling my leg at first. I've used nothing else since in street and racecars but we might never know there was a change until too late.

 

i wondered the same thing too. carroll smith specifically talks and recommends this stuff in his prepare to win book, but that was like 20 years ago! i still used this stuff all last year, which they changed the package in the middle of the year. although i remember it being "black" steel can. i never noticed a difference, but then again, i never got any boilover anyway with it so i guess thats a good thing.

 

I remember my instructor saying something about Ford HD, he was saying it was good......

anyway, i use APlockheed DOT4
5 bucks for 250ml
Dry 290degrees celcius


[Modified by Raz1983, 9:42 AM 2/23/2003]

 

wet == fully saturated with water

joel

 

what he said.

glycol-based fluids are somewhat hygroscopic, which means they tend to absorb water. this happens once you open the cap, and it's all downhill from there. it will absorb moisture right out of the air.

anyway, as it does this, it reduces the boiling point of the fluid. a simple way to look at it is: mix brake fluid (boiling point say 500 deg F) with water (boiling point 212 deg F) and the resulting boiling point is say 300 deg F. (the details of this are more complicated and best left to a chemistry textbook.)

there is a limit to how much water the fluid can absorb. at this limit, you'll have the wet bp.

edit: silicone fluids do not absorb nearly as much water as glylcol-based fluids, so will have much, much higher "wet" boiling points.


[Modified by e36s52, 8:22 PM 2/23/2003]

 

Alright great that clears things up. I understand that water has a much lower BP than the fluid...and that is why the wet BP is much lower. Where I was confused was how they determine if the fluid is "wet." Got it now..thanks.

 

Wet bp is boiling point of the fluid at 6% water volume.

What you do not find out by reading the bottle is how FAST the brake fluid absorbs water from the atmosphere.