[DeTomaso] DOT-5 Brake luid

Mon Dec 15 15:06:53 EST 2008

Dave,

    Here is an article on brake fluid by Carol Smith and James Walker:

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_brakefluid_1a.shtml

They say that silicone brake fluid is compressible:

"Ah ha, you say - but what about the much touted Silicone based brake fluids? They are non hygroscopic and should take care of the reduced boiling point and corrosion problems. True! That’s the good news. That is why they are specified by the U.S. Military. Unfortunately the silicone based fluids are compressible themselves so they produce a soft pedal all by themselves. For the person who doesn’t care about a spongy pedal or precise modulation silicone fluids may well be the answer - but not for anyone reading this. In fact, low compressibility is a desired characteristic in a high performance brake system – lower compressibility results in more linear force output for driver input and improved driver feedback. "

Ken

--- On Mon, 12/15/08, adin at frontier.net <adin at frontier.net> wrote:

From: adin at frontier.net <adin at frontier.net>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] DOT-5 Brake luid
To: detomaso at realbig.com
Date: Monday, December 15, 2008, 11:58 AM

garth-baby . . .

No offense intended, where did all this info (in the tables and after)  
come from?  I believe it is important to know which info is opinion,  
experience, or data from ___________. (this goes for everyone)

thanks for all the info (pending).

David

Quoting Garth Rodericks <garth_rodericks at yahoo.com>:

> I don't know that DOT 5 Silicon brake fluid is "unstable"
but it is   
> compressible, which
> means a soft brake pedal. Silicon fluid is a good choice for trailer  
>  queen show cars and
> museum display vehicles because it doesn't absorb moisture. But, the  
>  compressible
> nature of the silicon fluid causes a spongy pedal, which is fine for  
>  a car that's never driven,
> other than on and off a trailer at shows, it's fine.
>
> Don't confuse DOT 5 with DOT 5.1 fluid though. DOT 5.1 is an Ethyl   
> Glycol based fluid like
> DOT 3 and DOT4 fluid and is suitable for use on a street/track driven car.
>
> ATE Super Blue Racing Brake Fluid ($11.95)
> One of the best values I could find for a high-performance brake   
> fluid (536/392 dry/wet
> boiling point), and only $12 for 33.8 oz. (I ordered from   
> www.bavauto.com)  And, the Blue
> color makes it extremely easy to see when all the old fluid is   
> flushed from your system. The
> same formula also comes in Amber/Gold to make it easy to see when   
> all the fluid is flushed
> from your brake system by alternating colors at each fluid flush.
> Blue: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/ate/ate_superblue_fluid.jsp
> Amber: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/ate/ate_type200_amber.jsp
>
>
> Here are some of the other fluids I looked at:
>
>   Brake Fluid    Dry Boiling Point   Wet Boiling Point     Price
>   AP SUPER 600         590°F              
410°F        $18.00/16.9oz
>   CASTROL SRF          590°F              
518°F        $69.99/33.8oz
>   NEO SUPER DOT 610    610°F              
421°F        $15.00/12oz
>   MOTUL RACING 600     593°F              
420°F        $15.00/16.9oz
>   MOTUL DOT 5.1        509°F              
365°F        $6.50/16.9oz
> **ATE SUPER BLUE       536°F              
392°F        $11.99/33.8oz**
>   VALVOLINE SYNPOWER   503°F              
343°F        $4.97/16.9oz
>   ATE SL               500°F              
329°F        $7.95/16.9oz
>   CASTROL LMA          450°F              
311°F        $3.50/16.9oz
>   AP 551               528°F              
288°F        $12.50/16.9oz
>  *Ford C6AZ-19542-AA   550°F     
         290°F        $6.95/12oz*
>
> * Ford Heavy Duty DOT 3 is very inexpensive and is popular among   
> racers because of its
> excellent dry boiling point. It’s considered by many to be the   
> best-kept secret in brake
> fluids.  However, IT ABSORBS MOISTURE QUICKLY!  Recommended by Baer   
> and Alcon.
> According to Hot Rods and Horsepower: "Ford Motor Company purchases  

> [Castrol SRF] by
>  the barrel, repackages it, and sells it as Ford Heavy Duty fluid to  
>  owners of heavy-duty
> trucks. Although this rumor is often repeated on the internet, the   
> two fluids have different
> specs, so the assertion seems questionable at best. You may buy it   
> from your local Ford
> dealer under part number C6AZ-19542-AA.
>
> ** ATE Super Blue DOT 4 is even LESS expensive per ounce than the   
> Ford Heavy Duty
> brake fluid, and it ABSORBS MOISTURE SLOWLY!  Note the ‘wet’ boiling 

>  point - That
> means better performance under extreme conditions (track use or a   
> spirited drive through
> the twisties). And it’s less likely to cause corrosion in your   
> braking system. That’s why I
> chose the ATE Super Blue (I’ll use Gold when I flush the brake fluid  
>  again next year). And
> the alternating color options (Blue and Gold) make it easy to tell   
> when you’re done flushing
> all the old fluid from your brake lines.  Two enthusiastic thumbs up!
> Reference: http://www.realbig.com/pipermail/detomaso/2008-July/097637.html
>
> Cheers!
> Garth
>
>
>
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