Maalox

I plan to switch out the brake fluid when I install the powder coated Calipers. How much fluid is required for a complete flush? Any suggestions on which fluid would be best for street and occasional track use? I have seen ATE, but there seems to be different types within each brand.

Thanks,

AU N EGL

one full qt or liter to flush the system and about 3/4 to 1 qt to fill.

if your going to do occational track weekends then you will need DOT 4. Not DOT 3

Good names are:

Motul
ATE Superblue
ATE Gold 600 ( same as super blue just gold color)
Castrol SRF.

Some ppl have use the Valveline Super syn or the Castrol GTLMA with good results for occations track use.

Look for brake fluid that has a wet not dry boiling point as close to if not above 400*

Brake fluid does need to be bleed BEFORE EACH weekend at the track. and a full flush with all fluids expet SRF.

SO time to learn how to do brake flush and bleeding.

haljensen

I use any major brand that is labeled as DOT 3-4. The local autoparts store has at laest three brands that are labeled as DOT 3 and DOT 4.

One 12oz. can is enough to fill both the brake and clutch master cylinders if you use a "turkey baster" to remove the old fluid and just refill to the full mark. Since I installed headers and have the clutch line close to the heat of the headers I do a turkey baster change of both master cylinders every 3,000 miles.

Maalox

Thanks for the info. I think I will go with the ATE superblue. I have bleed (sp) brakes the "Old Fashioned" way in the past but plan on ordering the power bleeder for the vette.

Thanks again

davidfarmer

If you aren't doing track events (or even if you are, really), I'd got with something like Valvoline Synpower. It is readily available, and with 6% of the boiling points of SuperBlue.

Racing fluids have awesome dry boiling points, but they absorb moisture really quickly, and lose several hundred degrees of boild points when "wet". Unless you plan on bleeding your brakes every weekend (like racers do), then you won't really gain anything with a racing fluid.

burtonbl103

Well Put !
For every day driving and street use there is no need to go above dot 4!

Irv

I've had great results for years with Wagners DOT5.1 fluid. Don't confuse this with silicone DOT5, which is not acceptable for modern brake systems, DOT5.1 is synthetic fluid that has some pretty cool properties. I don't track my vettes, but when I used to take my '97 Cobra with a Griggs Racing suspension and AP brakes to PIR (a track tough on brakes, IMO) I was always amazed at the good condition of the DOT5.1 fluid after some hot lapping. The price is right at about $11/quart, if you can find it.

Gearhead Jim

Ford brake fluid actually rates pretty well and it's cheap, I used it on my C5 for track weekends with no problems.

As previously posted, you will do fine with flushing once per year for most street driving, but flush it the day before for a road course.

0corvette pilot

I use Valvoline SynPower exclusively. (and I do more than the occassional track event). The only real advantage to ATE super blue is that you can tell when its all flushed out when the fluid color changes.

TAL

Where can you buy the Wagner's DOT 5.1 brake fluid?

Irv

I get it at a local auto parts store. Motul also makes a DOT5.1 fluid, and you can probably find it online.

TAL

Which auto parts stores? NAPA? Pep Boys? Advance Auto? Murreys?

Irv

I get Wagners at Baxters Auto Parts, a local chain that specializes in performance parts & hot rodding. I had previously ordered Wagners from a company in Ohio that will ship. Their number is 800-258-7234, but they sell only by the case (12 quarts). If that's too rich for your blood I'd look in the phone book locally for some performance shops and see if anyone sells DOT5.1 fluid. My experience has been that they're all basically about the same.

davidfarmer

I used to use the Ford fluid, as it has good dry performance. However, it has AWEFUL wet performance. Synpower is the best, easy-to-find fluid I've found for street/light track duty. And NO I'm not affiliated with Valvoline.

Ford dry boil 550 wet 284
Synpower dry boil 502 wet 343
Castrol LMA (cheap easy to find also) dry 446 wet 311
ATE dry 536 wet 382

"good" stuff
Castrol SRF dry 590 wet 518
AP600 dry 590 wet 410
Motul600 dry 600 wet 421

If you race, you can see why SRF is so expensive. In theory, it performs well even once it absorbes some moisture.

jmess

Stole this from a google search. Some folks think ATE TYPE 200 is the best compromise between price and preformance due to a higher wet boiling point than some of the others.

ARRANGED BY DRY BOILING POINT:

DRY:401F -- WET:284F --- DOT3 MINIMUM (GLYCOL BASE)
DRY:446F -- WET:311F --- DOT4 MINIMUM (GLYCOL BASE)
DRY:500F -- WET:356F --- DOT5 MINIMUM (SILICONE BASE)
DRY:500F -- WET:356F --- DOT5.1 MINIMUM (GLYCOL BASE)
DRY:527F -- WET:302F --- AP RACING 551 ($12.95/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:527F -- WET:347F --- VALVOLINE SYNPOWER DOT3 & DOT4
DRY:536F -- WET:392F --- ATE SUPERBLUE/TYP200 ($9.95/1L)
DRY:550F -- WET:284F --- FORD HEAVY DUTY DOT 3 ($4/12 OZ)
DRY:570F -- WET:284F --- WILWOOD 570 ($5.65/12 OZ)
DRY:570F -- WET:284F --- PERFORMANCE Friction Z rated ($6.27/16 OZ)
DRY:590F -- WET:410F --- AP RACING 600 ($16.95/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:590F -- WET:518F --- CASTROL SRF ($69.00/1L 0R 33.8 OZ)
DRY:593F -- WET:420F --- MOTUL RBF600 ($12.95/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:601F -- WET:399F --- BREMBO LCF 600 PLUS ($26.75/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:610F -- WET:421F --- NEO SYNTH. SUPER DOT 610 ($11.95/12 OZ)
DRY:610F -- WET:421F --- PROSPEED GS610 ($39.95/16 OZ)
DRY:626F -- WET:417F --- WILWOOD EXP 600 ($16.95/0.5L 16.9 OZ)

Maalox

Ok, now you guys have confused me. I want to install a higher quality brake fluid, but do not want to bleed the brakes weekly.

Would the valvoline synpower require frequent bleedings? How about the ATE Superblue?

Thanks

mlongo99

I've been using ATE superblue and no you don't have to bleed off constantly. If you look at those specs jmess was kind enough to post, you can see that ATE's wet boiling point is only 9deg short of a DOT 3's minimum dry boiling point. So that means that ATE at it's worst, will withstand temps about the same as some fresh cheap DOT 3. So you can get by like that on the street, although your pedal probably won't be as firm.

The frequent flushing is required for heavy use. I was bad and didn't bleed before going to Willow Springs this past weekend (see new avatar ). So the fluid has 2 trackdays and about 2000 miles on it over the last 2.5 months. It's fine and I'm not going to bleed until I go to another trackday. But keep in mind that Willow isn't very hard on brakes, I'm using stock pads, and I'm still a track newb, so my brakes aren't getting worked as hard as they could be.

MitchAlsup

Arranged in wet boiling point:

DRY:401F -- WET:284F --- DOT3 MINIMUM (GLYCOL BASE)
DRY:550F -- WET:284F --- FORD HEAVY DUTY DOT 3 ($4/12 OZ)
DRY:570F -- WET:284F --- WILWOOD 570 ($5.65/12 OZ)
DRY:570F -- WET:284F --- PERFORMANCE Friction Z rated ($6.27/16 OZ)
DRY:527F -- WET:302F --- AP RACING 551 ($12.95/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:446F -- WET:311F --- DOT4 MINIMUM (GLYCOL BASE)
DRY:527F -- WET:347F --- VALVOLINE SYNPOWER DOT3 & DOT4
DRY:500F -- WET:356F --- DOT5 MINIMUM (SILICONE BASE)
DRY:500F -- WET:356F --- DOT5.1 MINIMUM (GLYCOL BASE)
DRY:536F -- WET:392F --- ATE SUPERBLUE/TYP200 ($9.95/1L)
DRY:601F -- WET:399F --- BREMBO LCF 600 PLUS ($26.75/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:590F -- WET:410F --- AP RACING 600 ($16.95/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:626F -- WET:417F --- WILWOOD EXP 600 ($16.95/0.5L 16.9 OZ)
DRY:593F -- WET:420F --- MOTUL RBF600 ($12.95/0.5L OR 16.9 OZ)
DRY:610F -- WET:421F --- NEO SYNTH. SUPER DOT 610 ($11.95/12 OZ)
DRY:610F -- WET:421F --- PROSPEED GS610 ($39.95/16 OZ)
DRY:590F -- WET:518F --- CASTROL SRF ($69.00/1L 0R 33.8 OZ)

I use ATE Super Blue/Gold and flush the system 4 times a year when the car is "on track duty". I would flush the system once a year for regular (frisky) street and backroad driving.

If you want to get out of the flushing the system game, then Castrol SRF is the ticket (and expensive ticket) because of the Low Moisture Absorption (LMA), and the only fluid with a wet boiling point above the DOT 5 DRY boiling point.

But if you are not "on track duty" and then want to do a DE or some track event, then flush the fluid with any one of the over 500dF dry fluids and then continue to use it for a year.

Something like a Motive PowerBleeder makes quick work of flushing out the system with fresh fluid. It actually takes me more time jacking up the car and removing the wheels than it takes me to flush the fluid.

AU N EGL

Mitch yah beat me to it.

PPL many times look at the DRY bloiling points, which means with out water. Brake fluid absobres water up to 3-4%. It does not take that long and as little as 30-60 days the brake fluid is satureated or WET.

So WET boiling points is what you really want to look at.
I have reargance the above by WET boiling points and things look a littel different.


When you bleed or flush your brakes right before and event, it does not matter.

Good overall may the Motul and you still need to bleed brakes before each event.

I use to use Super blue but had to flush and bleed my brakes way too much. Flush before a weekend and bleed one or twice during the weekend.

Now I use Castrol SRF in the track car. and Castrol GTLMA in the p-truck and wifes vette.

For normal street use an occational spirited driving any DOT 4 will do, but track time requires flush and bleeding right before the event.

Maalox

Thanks for the additional info