Brake fluid of choice?

[shanon]

Gruppe:

curious what the preferred brake fluid (DOT 3 or 4) of choice these days for spirited driving.

Doing pads and rotors all around very soon and am due for a 'flush'.
Heard good things about ATE and Castrol dot 3 or 4s.

DOT 3 even around anymore?
Was told to stay away from DOT 5 'cuz of the Silicone.

TIA.

-shanon

 

[decoupe]

ATE Blue

ATE DOT 4 Blue to flush. When you see the blue fluid you know you are done that line. Then, the next time you want to flush - use the gold fluid. The colours make this easier.

I have also installed speed bleeders http://www.speedbleeder.com/ and prefer them over the pressure vessel types that I have used for the last 10 years. You don't have to remove the coupler to keep topping up the reservoir and you are cycling the piston through the MC which I think is a good thing.

Doug

 

[HB Chris]

ATE DOT4 gold, can't buy Blue here anymore due to the DOT. Besides blue always looks dirty.

 

[nimble_n_quick]

Other than concern over mixing of fluid types (one should not mix DOT5 with other types), what is the resistance to silicone?

 

[afeustel]

I use silicone (DOT 5) in every "old" car I have ever restored (older than 1973). I've never had any issues with it and also never watched my beautiful engine compartment paint melt away because of it (unlike DOT anything else). Also, the brakes can sit for a long long long time and not rot from the inside out.

I believe the DOT 5 boils at a lower temp and may also feel slightly softer in the pedal than the other stuff but I don't race my cars with DOT 5 so these issues have not been a problem.

 

[Polariscsl]

Motul RBF600 for me - use it in my m3 race car too.

 

[kasbatts]

Elf dot5, no problems