Jason

Pros/cons of each? :

AU N EGL

Brake Fluid Comparison Chart

Brand Wet Boiling Point Dry Boiling Point
Castrol SRF 518°F 590°F
Motul 600 421°F 585°F
AP-600 410°F 572°F
ATE-Super Blue 392°F 536°F
Valvoline 333°F 513°F
Castrol LMA 311°F 446°F
Ford HD 290°F 550°F
Wilwood 570 284°F 570°F
PFC-Z rated 284°F 550°F
AP-550 284°F 550°F
General Information about Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is hydroscopic (absorbs water). When fresh from the can, it can be considered "dry" with the higher boiling point. That's why racers and people doing driver's schools change the brake fluid just before events. Over time, brake fluid absorbs water lowering its boiling point to the "wet" level.
Brake fluids improperly packaged in a plastic bottle can take on moisture while still on the store shelf. Performance Friction offers two brake fluids, both packaged especially to protect the fluid from excess moisture while on the shelf.
For street cars, wet boiling point numbers are more important than dry because the fluid stays in your car for quite a while (one to two years). After a few months, with exposure to humid air, the brake fluid performance is probably closer to the wet than dry point.
Brake Fluid Recommendations Brake fluid is one of the most overlooked aspects of brake system maintenance - but needs to be changed more frequently than most people think for two reasons, maintenance and performance. It generally takes about a quart to flush the system.
Changing old brake fluid removes water from the brake system. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, it absorbs water. Old brake fluid must be flushed out or water absorbed by the fluid eventually causes internal rust on the disk calipers and pistons.
Changing old brake fluid helps high temperature operation because fresh (dry) brake fluid has a higher boiling point than older (wet) brake fluid. If brake fluid boils, compressible gas bubbles form, resulting in a very spongy brake pedal.
Normal or Fleet Applications - Use a high quality fluid such as Z-Rated® that comes in a metal container and meets DOT requirements. Change with every brake job or every six months to one year - whichever comes first - to provide the maximum stopping power and avoid that mushy pedal feel.
Competition (motorsport) Applications - Change your Z-Rated® or Castrol SRF before every race.
DOT Specifications:
DOT 3 DOT 4 DOT 5
Dry Boiling Point 401F 446F 500F
Wet Boiling Point 284F 311F 356F
The DOT 3 and DOT 4 specifications are for glycol based (regular) brake fluid, while DOT 5 is for silicone.
Silicone DOT 5 is not compatible with the ABS hydraulic control unit because it doesn't lubricate the ABS pump like glycol based fluid. Silicone is slightly more compressible than glycol fluid. It has a higher wet boiling point because it doesn't absorb moisture like glycol fluid. This lack of moisture absorption causes problems when water gets in the brake system. Instead of mixing with the brake fluid (so it can be flushed out easily), the moisture gets trapped at low points in the system and causes rust.
Contact Us | Find a Distributor
© 2003 Performance Friction Corporation
Products
Pads
Rotors
Street Upgrades
Fleet and Off Highway
Motorsports
Motorcycles and
Powersports
FAQ
Accessories

Performance Friction Corporation
83 Carbon Metallic Highway
Clover, SC 29710
TEL: 800 521-8874
FAX: 803 222-8134

Miaugi

Thanks Angel!

Any comments on the Prestone Dot 4 that is now on store shelfs? (at least I think I've got those details right?).

AU N EGL

Off the self stuff I get is the Castrol LMA. I use that in my tow vehical and wifes vette.

always look for the higher wet, not dry boiling points.

Castrol SRF for the track car.

theVcar

I just bought Valvoline Syn Power Full Synthetic High Performance Brake Fluid. States exceeds Dot3,4 B/f.
Q. Can I use this in my 06 z51?
Q. Can I just empty the reservoir , add more, Pump clutch repeat process 2-3 times to get it clean as possible?
All educated responses welcome

Jason

Any info on DOT5.1?

AU N EGL

Stick with DOT4 for racing applications. Use the WET not Dry boiling point numbers. Brake fluid will get saturated with water, up to 2-3% within 30 days of being fresh.

And that quick saturation is why one changes brake fluid often and as soon before an event as possible. i.e. within 30 days, but within a week is best.

I use to use ATE Superblue, and i would go though 2 cans a weekend. Full flush before the event and bleed and add more during the weekend.

Then I switched to Castrol SRF. I do a full flush twice a year, and bleed the calipers before each weekend.

Yes Valvoline Syn power will work well inyour C6 Z51.
Yes suck out all the old brake fluid with a turkey baster( be carefull it drips) or use a 50 cc surange ( used to mix gas and oil for 2 cycle engines) to empty the MC. Replace with new.
No this will not full flush the system as you still need to remove all the wheels and bleed each caliper. In most cases bleed twice and keep the MC filled.

Are you talking about clutch fluid? Clutch fluid is DOT 3 brake fluid with a different GM part number. Yes you could syphine out the old fluid and replace with new. Doing that several times will help.
Our cars do not have a clutch fluid bleed valve. Many of the T1 cars do have the clutch bleed valve installed so the clutch fluid is easy to replace.


Most popular Brake fluids for racing, in no particular order:

Castrol SFR
Wilwood 600
AP 600
ATE Superblue or GOLD ( same fluid different colors)
Ford Heavy Duty
Motul 600

FasterIsBetter

No. You can't do it. Don't even try. This goes in the catagory with buying cheap helmets (how much is your head worth?) or using old, frayed, out of date safety belts. If you try recycling your brake fluid and you find your pedal sinking to the floor at the end of a long straight, or in the twisties, you won't be thinking "Gee, I'm going to hit that wall. But boy did I save a lot of money on brake fluid."

Remember, that fluid is the only thing standing between you and disaster on the track. Spend the extra bucks and change the fluid regularly. I've been using ATE Super-Blue in several different cars, and have found it to work great. I may switch to Motul or Castrol SRF next season, but the ATE has, so far, worked well for me, never getting any brake fade. I change the fluid regularly, and as it is not terribly expensive to begin with, it doesn't bother me one bit to change it before every outing.

YMMV, but that's my view on this subject.

c4cruiser

Old brake fluid should be tossed. There is no way to remove the moisture in the fluid.

Given how important brake fluid is to stopping, even paying $50 per quart is cheaper than having to go to a collision repair shop. This is one area where going the cheap route is just not a good idea.

Z06_505

Nice summary...thanks.

Hurts to bleed out that expensive SRF and Motul. Is there any way to "dry" the bled fluid for reuse?

AU N EGL

No not at all, just not one of the top brake fluids used to race with.

Do not mix brake fluids, only change when doing a FULL brake line flush and 4 caliper bleed.

Z06_505

I shoulld have said "safely dry and reuse"

theVcar

Is the valvoline inferior to your list, being not listed?
Q. Is Syn Brake Fluid good or O.K to use with the factory fluid in the clutch reservoir?
TIA

Solo2GS

Synpower works fine for brake & clutch fluid and is easy to find any where. I used to run it until I started hitting the track a lot more and Motul has a higher boiling point and is better to use IMHO. I do run the Synpower in my other day to day cars though.




Synpower
Dry poiling point: 503F
Wet Boiling point: 343F

Solo2GS

Most of the racing brake fluid we use is DOT 5.1. DOT 5 is silicon based and does not absorb water. Not something you want to use on anything we drive...

PROPERTY /////////// DOT 4 / DOT 5 / DOT 5.1
Dry BP (F)@ 0.0% H2O / 446 / 509 / 509
Wet BP (F)@ 3.7% H2O / 311 / 356 / 356

DOT 4 Chemical Composition: Glycol Ether / Borate Ester
DOT 5 Chemical Composition: Silicone Based
DOT 5.1 Chemical Composition: Glycol Ether / Borate Ester

theVcar

qwik
06z51 6spd is my car. Iam talking using it for the clutch fluid. Is that a yes?
David

Solo2GS

Yes

But like most said, siphon out the old stuff, refill, then bleed as well...

gonzalezfj

David, I am out of town and don't have access to my owner's manual. My recollection is that all C6s require DOT 4 fluid for the clutch.

Frank Gonzalez

0ATI Performance

Castrol SRF

for both brakes and clutch (that way you don't need to have different fluids around, and clutch doesn't need much)

FWIW Castrol SRF is what NASCAR uses. There was a shortage early this year (bad batch or something) and the teams were buying it up like it was going out of style.

Bob

John Shiels

SRF is all you need to know cheapest per mile in any case for me.