brake fluid: when to flush or when to bleed?
Read your owner's manual under maintenance. Most Honda/Acura vehicle's brake fluid change intervals are 30,000 miles.
It is best to flush about every 3 years (conventional brake fluid) for street use. I'm not sure about sythetics, I know they don't collect moisture like conventional brake fluid. There can also be an "eyeball" factor, if it looks black and gross, you should flush the system.
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I think just follow regular mainteience is fine.. unless u break really hard.... it all depends on ur driving habit i guess..
So what's a good "performance" brake fluid ?? I am reaching the 30k mile mark on my R and I'll be flushing the brake system and would like to put in something better than oem ... I don't autocross or anything like that but I do drive "spiritedly"
the performance/racing brake fluid usually have a higher boiling point(when the fluid overheat and lose it's ability stop effectively)
dot 4 have a higher Boiling point than dot 3
they are compatible, so you can mix or upgrade ANY dot3 equipped car with dot 4 fluid.
but there's no point to downgrade to dot3 if your car have dot4 already.
Dot5 or FULL syn. brake fluid is not compatible with dot 3 or dot 4, they are syn. and they do not absorb any moisture. DOT5 are mainly used in boat trailer, which the brake occasionally submerge in water.
don't pour in dot5 in your abs equipped honda, or the pump with give out.
oh yeah, dont open the cap of the brake fluid too long, or they will trap moisture in the air(esp, rainy season) and lower it's boiling point
dot 4 have a higher Boiling point than dot 3
they are compatible, so you can mix or upgrade ANY dot3 equipped car with dot 4 fluid.
but there's no point to downgrade to dot3 if your car have dot4 already.
Dot5 or FULL syn. brake fluid is not compatible with dot 3 or dot 4, they are syn. and they do not absorb any moisture. DOT5 are mainly used in boat trailer, which the brake occasionally submerge in water.
don't pour in dot5 in your abs equipped honda, or the pump with give out.
oh yeah, dont open the cap of the brake fluid too long, or they will trap moisture in the air(esp, rainy season) and lower it's boiling point
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<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iperez »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So what's a good "performance" brake fluid ?? I am reaching the 30k mile mark on my R and I'll be flushing the brake system and would like to put in something better than oem ... I don't autocross or anything like that but I do drive "spiritedly"
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If you want a bit more performance and better protection, try ATE Super Blue or Type200. Wilwood fluid is also pretty good and a bit cheaper.
For a normal daily driver, I'd just use Valvoline Synthetic DOT 3.
</TD></TR></TABLE>If you want a bit more performance and better protection, try ATE Super Blue or Type200. Wilwood fluid is also pretty good and a bit cheaper.
For a normal daily driver, I'd just use Valvoline Synthetic DOT 3.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by iam7head »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... Dot5 or FULL syn. brake fluid is not compatible with dot 3 or dot 4, they are syn. and they do not absorb any moisture. DOT5 are mainly used in boat trailer, which the brake occasionally submerge in water...</TD></TR></TABLE>Synthetic? Aren't they all? DOT3 or DOT4 don't come from squeezing grapefruits...
DOT3 & DOT4 are poly-glycol & they're fully soluable with water. In fact they're hygroscopic so they absorb moisture from the air. That makes them corrosive, & that's why you get rid of the stuff after 2 years.
DOT5 is silicone based. Doesn't mix with water. Doesn't mix with poly-glycol. Doesn't like the type of rubber that's used in your Honda brakes. Don't use it. Besides, it's kinda harder to find anyway.
DOT3 & DOT4 are poly-glycol & they're fully soluable with water. In fact they're hygroscopic so they absorb moisture from the air. That makes them corrosive, & that's why you get rid of the stuff after 2 years.
DOT5 is silicone based. Doesn't mix with water. Doesn't mix with poly-glycol. Doesn't like the type of rubber that's used in your Honda brakes. Don't use it. Besides, it's kinda harder to find anyway.
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