Brake fluid - what's what? - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

back2thefutura · 08-19-2004, 03:31

When the funds allow, i'd like to replace the rotors and pads on my EF, and thus the fluid will get a long overdue change as well.

So I'm after reccomendations as to what fluid to use (i wont be doing the job myself but will be specifying all the stuff to use) - is DOT4 any better than DOT3 fluid?

OED666 · 08-19-2004, 03:36

Dot 4 is designed for cars with 4 disc rotors...

Dot 3 more for cars with disc/drum brakes...

A work mate used to race gokarts, and said that they bought expensive brake fluid for the karts, and it would boil really easily, yet the "Supercheap Auto" Brake Fluid they found to be better and no go off as quick...

T_Terror · 08-19-2004, 07:09

DOT5 or 5.1 us supposed to be the best at street level cars. Dont quote me, i just got i out of Street Machine

TIKFD6 · 08-19-2004, 07:25

Dot 4.1 is probably the best you will need on the street.

SRV8 · 09-08-2004, 15:38

The main thing that you should look at is the temperature rateing of the fluid, the Dot4 having a higher boiling point than Dot3 & Dot 5 higher than Dot4. Of course if you are a sedate driver then you probably won't notice the difference anyway, if you drive it like you stole it then you will need the higher temperature performance. Lastly it don't matter how good your fluid is if you don't keep the water out, so purge the system of old fluid to avoid cross contamination issues. BTW water ingress is usually NOT through the Mastercylinder area.

75Hardtop · 09-20-2004, 20:03

As far as brands go, most are pretty much OK. I use Castrol SuperResponse Dot 4 in my clutch and SRF in my brakes. SRF is overkill unless you do very serious track work or extreme towing - about 10 times dearer than normal fluid. Motul has a few fans too. I find the castrol cheap stuff works well and is cheap and affordable. Fluid should be changed every 12 months at least.

AU XR8 · 09-21-2004, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by T_Terror

DOT5 or 5.1 us supposed to be the best at street level cars. Dont quote me, i just got i out of Street Machine

Unfortunatly the new DOT5.1 and higher like the race stuff Castrol SRF ($130 a litre

) is a different compound (silicone based I think) to the DOT3 , DOT4 and DOT5 (mineral based I think or visa vera) and the 2 are not compatable at all and you will need to replace all the rubbers and give the system a thorough flush out or you will still get cross contamination
Unless you have mega dollar brakes and hit mach1 and want pull up in the space of 10 inches all the time the DOT4 will be suffice.

T_Terror · 09-22-2004, 03:08

Thats good to hear, seeing as i just replaced my old fluid with some DOT4 fluid. I couldnt find any 5.1 stuff anyway, and seeing as the EA single-piston calipers arent exactly Brembo-matching it really is overkill.

smoke_rubber · 09-24-2004, 02:38

yeah i put castrol response in my car about a year ago, and it's doin alright, but i get into the habit of flushing brakes/gearbox/coolant every year-2 years.
SBR use the caltex brake fluid off the shelf in their racecars, they said it somewhere, so maybe the caltex stuff is good for more performance related driving.

Steve_T · 09-26-2004, 04:38

I'm about to replace my fluid. I'm using PBR 'Gold Dot Maximum Brake Fluid' - it's rated 'Super DOT 4'. PBR recommend it in their installation instructions for their high performance brake upgrade kits so I figure it should be plenty good enough for my standard brakes. I'm getting an ABW vacuum brake bleeder to make the job easy

If I can just sneak a question into this thread..... Can someone tell me what the total capacity/volume of the brake system is with ABS on a Falcon - I need to know how much fluid to replace to make sure I get rid of all the old fluid. People say just look at the bleeder tube and see when new fluid starts to come through but what if I can't tell (is the old -> new difference really that obvious visually?).

Steve.