[DeTomaso] ATE 200 Brake Fluid

[Garth Rodericks]

I use ATE Super Blue and ATE Super Gold - Changing the color makes for easy fluid 
flushes. Great product too - better and less expensive than the Heavy Duty Motorcraft 
Brake Fluid that's often recommended on this list.
 
Here's my previous post about ATE brake fluid: 
http://www.realbig.com/pipermail/detomaso/2008-June/096522.html
 
I just flushed the brake fluid on my BMW this weekend and have two products that get a 
resounding "Team Pantera Slacker" ("slacker" because I haven't done an ORR, yet) seal of 
approval two Thumbs-Up recommendation:
 
1. Gunson Eezi-bleed for Brakes & Clutches ($25)
Works by pressurizing a bottle filled with fresh brake fluid from air in the front tire.  I deflated 
a front tire to 20 psi, filled the bottle, attached it to the top of the reservoir, and then 
connected it to the tire. Then, I went to each wheel and opened the bleed valve until the new 
fluid was flowing through the hose into my catch jar.
 
I purchased the Eezi-Bleed from Eastwood a year ago to flush the brake fluid in the Pantera
 (it comes with a Girling compatible cap), but I haven't gotten around to that project yet so I 
haven't tried the cap on the Pantera master cylinder. Anyway, Eastwood no longer lists it 
on their website, but here's another source (for almost half of what Eastwood charged!):
http://www.partsforsaabs.com/product_info.php?products_id=1928
 
Or, if you have some time on your hands, you can build your own Eezi-Bleeder pretty 
inexpensively with a Nalgene bottle from your local sporting goods store (REI, Big5, etc), 
some metal valve stems from your local tire shop, and some plastic hose and tubing. But, 
it's probably not worth the effort when you can buy the system with an assortment of caps 
for only $25.
 
SOBill made his own variation on the system using a bicycle pump:
http://www.members.aol.com/sobill/Bleeder_Setup.jpg
http://www.members.aol.com/sobill/Bleeder_Components.jpg
 
 
2. Motive Power Bleeder ($49)
Here’s another pressure bleeder that seems to be very popular now, and Bimmerworld’s 
price is $20 less than what Eastwood charges for the same product:
http://store.bimmerworld.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=bimmerworl&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=73223292&Count2=990363717&ProductID=48&Target=products.asp
 
Or, make your own for less than $25:
http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm
 
Using any of these pressure bleeders eliminates the need for “Speed Bleeders” and makes 
it a simple process to bleed your brakes yourself – no more arguing with the wife stemming 
from when and how hard to press, or how long to hold the brake pedal.   :D
 
 
3. 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!
 
Cheers!
Garth