silicone brake fluid
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
silicone brake fluid
Hi there, I was wondering if switching to silicone brake fluid in my 1994 C4 would be a good idea? What are the pros and cons?
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 173
Likes: 18
From: Edinburgh Midlothian
Nope not a good idea, silicon brake fluid isn't compatable with ABS systems and you will end up with a very spongy pedal, I would recommend a DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid, rather than silicon which is a DOT 5
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Don't use DOT5 silicon fluids. This type of fluid will cause cavitation in the ABS pump and that will create air pockets.For general street driving a good DOT3 fluid is all you need. Castrol LMA or Valvoline will work fine. Look for a Wet Boiling Point of around 310 or so.
DOT4 and higher fluids work fine if you driver the car hard so that the brakes get a real workout (fast autocross courses, track days, etc). These fluids should be flushed at fairly regular intervals like once or twice a year.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 6,470
Likes: 2
From: levittown pa. usa Even a bad day with my `Vette, is better than a good day at work
St. Jude Donor '10
Don't use DOT5 silicon fluids. This type of fluid will cause cavitation in the ABS pump and that will create air pockets.For general street driving a good DOT3 fluid is all you need. Castrol LMA or Valvoline will work fine. Look for a Wet Boiling Point of around 310 or so.
DOT4 and higher fluids work fine if you driver the car hard so that the brakes get a real workout (fast autocross courses, track days, etc). These fluids should be flushed at fairly regular intervals like once or twice a year.
+ always use brake fluid from a sealed container. Don`t use stuff thats been opened & sitting on a shelf for a year. It absorbs water. At least thats what I`ve been told.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,753
Likes: 15
From: backwoods upstate ny
flatulence
silicone brake fluid has a nasty habit...it's technically called 'off-gassing'...liquid turns to vapor spontaneously and vapor = gas, and gases are ,as you probly know, compressible...ultimate effect is the same as a copious amount of air in your brake system.
off-gassing is particularly a surprise due to change in elevation, drivers descending long hills in vehicles using silicon fluid have reported 'no brakes, pedal went to the floor'....
off-gassing is particularly a surprise due to change in elevation, drivers descending long hills in vehicles using silicon fluid have reported 'no brakes, pedal went to the floor'....
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 816
Likes: 40
From: Sacto Calif
Hi there, I was wondering if switching to silicone brake fluid in my 1994 C4 would be a good idea? What are the pros and cons?
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 1999
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From: levittown pa. usa Even a bad day with my `Vette, is better than a good day at work
St. Jude Donor '10
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Suwanee,Ga
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,689
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From: Yucaipa CA
Don't use DOT5 silicon fluids. This type of fluid will cause cavitation in the ABS pump and that will create air pockets.For general street driving a good DOT3 fluid is all you need. Castrol LMA or Valvoline will work fine. Look for a Wet Boiling Point of around 310 or so.
DOT4 and higher fluids work fine if you driver the car hard so that the brakes get a real workout (fast autocross courses, track days, etc). These fluids should be flushed at fairly regular intervals like once or twice a year.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 356
Likes: 1
From: Tahlequah ok
That sounds like a bad master cylinder to me or the brakes just need bleeding
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,759
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If giving it a good flush/bleed doesn't fix it. Then it sounds like a bad master if you have to pump the brakes and the pedal falls to the floor.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 196
From: folsom california
silicon brake fluid is a wonderful fluid, takes high heat, doesn't absorb moisture, protects hydraulic seals, doesn't harm paint.
for any brake system without ABS (or clutch systems) its perfect.
It is NOT compatible with ABS (too thick, the ABS pistons don't function properly, or some such thing).
for any brake system without ABS (or clutch systems) its perfect.
It is NOT compatible with ABS (too thick, the ABS pistons don't function properly, or some such thing).
