BRAKE FLUID (what do you guys use)

[Grail05]

Hello, my maintenance minder is currently due for brake fluid change... im curious what you guys use other than OEM...

in my S2000 i used

Super Blue and Motul but for our cars im not sure, since i dont track the car not sure if the racing brake fluid is needed but if im going to change it anyways why not... right?

thanks in advance

[sawzall]

I use Motul RBF600. I'm tracking a fair bit this year though, and thinking of switching to Endless 650.

[STALKER]

Castrol SRF.
Only need to change it every spring even with a full track season.

[VSmotorsports]

Motul RBF600 is great stuff, you can get srf but it would be an overkill. Try and stay away from the super blue since it tends to stain the lines and reservoir. You can get their Type 200 which is amber color.

[consolidated]

Motul RBF660 or 600 in race cars, Endless or SRF in the M3 since it doesn't get changed often. I'd stay away from Ate Super Blue or amber for anything that sees the track.

[Z K]

I have Project Mu G-Four fluid. Similar high heat handling to Endless but less expensive. You know when you need to change fluid as the green color turns clear.

If you aren't tracking, any good synthetic brake fluid will do fine. The Valvoline synthetic fluid you find in auto parts stores is not bad.

[Grail05]

so i have a question?

Some local member got a Castrol SRF... will it be overkill some say yes but if i do use it and since i dont track the car will it make any difference... also hes selling it for 65 picked up which is a pretty good price..

im asking cause im due anyways for a brake fluid change

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Sean05

so i have a question?

Some local member got a Castrol SRF... will it be overkill some say yes but if i do use it and since i dont track the car will it make any difference... also hes selling it for 65 picked up which is a pretty good price..

im asking cause im due anyways for a brake fluid change

High performance fluid requires more frequent brake fluid changes then normal fluid. The advantages are higher heat handling but they usually absorb moisture more easily than normal fluid if you use it in street driving. Other than higher maintenance and cost, it will make no difference at all on normal street driving.

[bigjae1976]

In the long run, Castrol SRF could be cheaper. Once you boil Motul RBF600...you have to bleed it. You can boil SRF and its still good.

I would suspect that for our cars with the stock brake system and upgraded pads...SRF would be the better choice IMO. You will get fade and the fluid will get hot...SRF will save you time (less bleeds) and money (less bleeds).

It will pay for itself in 2 bleeds. 2 .5L bottles of Motul (~$18) vrs 1qt SRF (~$75) per bleed.

[THE TECH]

Good info.

[STALKER]

Originally Posted by Z K

High performance fluid requires more frequent brake fluid changes then normal fluid. The advantages are higher heat handling but they usually absorb moisture more easily than normal fluid if you use it in street driving. Other than higher maintenance and cost, it will make no difference at all on normal street driving.

My understanding is that fluids like SRF absorb less water overtime.

[Bubbles]

SRF...only...

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by STALKER

My understanding is that fluids like SRF absorb less water overtime.

I've used SRF and it will take a LOT more abuse. On my E46, I ran my track pads almost to the rivets, my calipers turned brown and both the brakes were smoking. I still kept the SRF in, swapped the pads and I was still good to go...even got some more fade at my next track day.

SRF will come back. Motul will not...I would have HAD to bleed it. When you boil motul, its so bad that you can't even get decent brake performance on the street.

Still on my E46, I upgraded from the crap UUC/Wilwood BBK to a Stoptech BBK. Motul lasts a lot longer with the Stoptechs since they don't get nearly as hot as the Wilwoods (better cooling of the rotors, more pad area).

While SRF comes back to the point where you can use it on the track and be fine on the street, its still isn't quite as good as fresh fluid.

I also found out that when I finally bled out the SRF after 9 months, it was filthy. I'm sure all of the moisture it was holding isn't the best thing for your brake system.

Which is why I am back to Motul. I am considering going back to SRF because bleeding every 2-3 track weekends is an extra PIA.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by STALKER

My understanding is that fluids like SRF absorb less water overtime.

Correct - SRF is silicon-ester based so it is less hygroscopic than other brake fluids and it also chemically reacts with absorbed water to help maintain a higher wet boiling temp.

[tibra1]

ATE Super Blue or Motul RBF 600

Castrol SRF at its cost is major overkill unless you are a serious tracking junkee boiling your fluid

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by VSmotorsports

Motul RBF600 is great stuff, you can get srf but it would be an overkill. Try and stay away from the super blue since it tends to stain the lines and reservoir. You can get their Type 200 which is amber color.

Does it really matter if it stains?..as a matter of fact your suppose to alternate between blue and amber to make fluid flush and bleeding easy..once you see the new color bleeding out of the lines..you are done

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by tibra1

Does it really matter if it stains?..as a matter of fact your suppose to alternate between blue and amber to make fluid flush and bleeding easy..once you see the new color bleeding out of the lines..you are done

It doesn't work as advertised...not even close. You'd have to bleed a couple of qts through your system to get all of the blue out. I used the super blue because I was in a pinch and ran out of Motul. 3 bleeds (3 qts) later and my fluid is still green...from the ATE blue.

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

It doesn't work as advertised...not even close. You'd have to bleed a couple of qts through your system to get all of the blue out. I used the super blue because I was in a pinch and ran out of Motul. 3 bleeds (3 qts) later and my fluid is still green...from the ATE blue.

I alternated between blue and amber on my 335 for yrs never had this issue..I never got a mixture of color..strange

[pbonsalb]

Anyone know anything about the Prospeed RS683 or the new Ferrodo fluid?

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by tibra1

I alternated between blue and amber on my 335 for yrs never had this issue..I never got a mixture of color..strange

I've tried it twice and it didn't work. The amber was green...for awhile. I don't see the point of this. When I'm bleeding out old fluid, its easy to see when you've bled out all of the old stuff. It goes from a yellowish amber to nearly clear. There's no need to worry about color coding your brake fluid.

IMO, its stupid. No offense.

[aus]

SRF has a very high boiling point compared to Motul, but once boiled, it's recovery is not as good as some other brands. That's a claim AP fluid has over SRF.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by STALKER

My understanding is that fluids like SRF absorb less water overtime.

Over other high performance fluids sure. Compared to a stock brake fluid, it will not last as long. I'm not talking about track use, I'm talking about every day driving where brake fluid stays in the car for 1-2 years.