Non synthetic brake fluid
10-19-2016, 09:16 PM
#1
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Non synthetic brake fluid
Does anyone still sell DOT 4 non synthetic brake fluid? I went to O'Reileys and every drop of brake fluid they had was synthetic.
Thanks,
Rex
Thanks,
Rex
10-19-2016, 09:35 PM
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Rex,
It's my understanding that all brake fluid is "synthetic" and always has been.
Jim
It's my understanding that all brake fluid is "synthetic" and always has been.
Jim
10-19-2016, 09:44 PM
#3
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Synthetic = produced by chemical plants/processes. Always is and always has been.
10-19-2016, 09:44 PM
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Thanks for setting me straight Jim.......................you always do, and I appreciate and respect your input.
Take care and I hope things are good on your side of the hills,
Rex
10-19-2016, 10:28 PM
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Well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I guess I was thinking about DOT 5 silicone brake fluid when I talking about DOT 3 and 4 synthetic fluid. My bad. Must have had a John Force moment......................"severe brain fade". Sorry bout that.
10-19-2016, 11:10 PM
#6
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DOT 4 is synthetic.
DOT 5 is synthetic.
They are all made in chemical plants/processes.
Larry
10-20-2016, 11:39 AM
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To reiterate what has been said, polyether glycol that is the base of conventional brake fluid does not occur in nature (same with silicone), so it has to be "synthesized" in a petrochemical process using petroleum derived feed stocks... same with fibers like nylon, rayon, and polyester and all plastics. They are all "synthetic".
If it doesn't occur in nature, it's "synthetic".
The word has no generally accepted technical or legal definition, and has simply become a marketing hype symbol.
So far I haven't heard of "synthetic" anti-freeze, and I'm surprised that hasn't shown up. As with polyether glycols, ethylene and propylene glycol antifreeze bases are both "synthetic" because they don't occur in nature and are synthesized in a petrochemical process.
"Better living through chemistry" as I recall DuPont used to say in their advertising decades ago. That was before the chemical industry got a bad rap for selling hazardous stuff like DDT and Agent Orange.
Duke
If it doesn't occur in nature, it's "synthetic".
The word has no generally accepted technical or legal definition, and has simply become a marketing hype symbol.
So far I haven't heard of "synthetic" anti-freeze, and I'm surprised that hasn't shown up. As with polyether glycols, ethylene and propylene glycol antifreeze bases are both "synthetic" because they don't occur in nature and are synthesized in a petrochemical process.
"Better living through chemistry" as I recall DuPont used to say in their advertising decades ago. That was before the chemical industry got a bad rap for selling hazardous stuff like DDT and Agent Orange.
Duke
Last edited by SWCDuke; 10-21-2016 at 09:38 AM.
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Dr L-88 (10-20-2016)
10-20-2016, 05:10 PM
#9
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Heck, darn near everything is "chemistry" of one sort or another - H2O, NaCl, etc.... Too bad the word has gotten such a bad name!
10-20-2016, 05:32 PM
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In the past two years, I have found that regular brake fluid is now 'synthetic'. I searched around for some regular 'non synthetic' (at least it didn't say synthetic on the label) fluid and managed to find some.....probably old stock. Adding 'synthetic' DOT 3 or 4 to your system that was previously filled with 'non-synthetic' is a non-issue. Completely compatible, if not the same, which it probably is.
10-20-2016, 05:33 PM
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Hey, did you hear about the new synthetic car bodies Chevrolet is going to start building sports cars with?
10-21-2016, 09:42 AM
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In the past two years, I have found that regular brake fluid is now 'synthetic'. I searched around for some regular 'non synthetic' (at least it didn't say synthetic on the label) fluid and managed to find some.....probably old stock. Adding 'synthetic' DOT 3 or 4 to your system that was previously filled with 'non-synthetic' is a non-issue. Completely compatible, if not the same, which it probably is.
Duke
10-21-2016, 10:10 AM
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I agree, Duke. Are you by chance the same Duke that is the lead bad guy in Hot Rods to Hell?
10-21-2016, 10:41 AM
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No, I'm the "Duke" who was Johnny Dark's (Tony Curtis) nemesis in the eponymous 1954 film. 
Duke
Duke
10-21-2016, 12:12 PM
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That's a great film! Lots of very rare, and now very expensive, cars. But the dialog in Hot Rods to Hell (as well as the acting) is priceless!
10-21-2016, 12:36 PM
#16
Drifting
Duke: Good, concise explanation for those who are years away from chemistry classes.
What I can't fathom is why DOT chose to use DOT 5.1 for its new performance standard for conventional brake fluid when DOT 5 was already established to denote silicone based fluid. In my mind it would be much less confusing if the new standard had been labeled DOT 4.1 or DOT 6 thereby tying it to a conventional fluid rather that mixing terms by adding .1 to the DOT 5 that people had come to identify with a silicone based product.
What I can't fathom is why DOT chose to use DOT 5.1 for its new performance standard for conventional brake fluid when DOT 5 was already established to denote silicone based fluid. In my mind it would be much less confusing if the new standard had been labeled DOT 4.1 or DOT 6 thereby tying it to a conventional fluid rather that mixing terms by adding .1 to the DOT 5 that people had come to identify with a silicone based product.
10-23-2016, 09:30 AM
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Duke: Good, concise explanation for those who are years away from chemistry classes.
What I can't fathom is why DOT chose to use DOT 5.1 for its new performance standard for conventional brake fluid when DOT 5 was already established to denote silicone based fluid. In my mind it would be much less confusing if the new standard had been labeled DOT 4.1 or DOT 6 thereby tying it to a conventional fluid rather that mixing terms by adding .1 to the DOT 5 that people had come to identify with a silicone based product.
What I can't fathom is why DOT chose to use DOT 5.1 for its new performance standard for conventional brake fluid when DOT 5 was already established to denote silicone based fluid. In my mind it would be much less confusing if the new standard had been labeled DOT 4.1 or DOT 6 thereby tying it to a conventional fluid rather that mixing terms by adding .1 to the DOT 5 that people had come to identify with a silicone based product.
10-24-2016, 07:16 AM
#20
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It happens.