OEM Brake Fluid - have you boiled them?

[Hack]

*You just want to be smart about holding on to unsealed bottles of any brake fluid due to its hygroscopic properties.

Back to original programming...

This is a good point. I always write the date on bottles of unused brake fluid rather than trying to remember when I bought it.

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[Trackaholic]

I’ve been using the stock fluid with no issues, but I do go a little easier on the brakes than some.

I strongly believe that if you are just getting in to tracking the car, it is best to start stock, learn the limits of the car and of yourself, then make changes to address the issues that affect your driving style.

I guess fluid doesn’t really fall under that category, but often the higher temp fluid has other considerations such as longevity, so it isn’t always necessary to blindly change.

With that said, I think SRF seems to be a good choice for aftermarket.

-T

 

[honeybadger]

*You just want to be smart about holding on to unsealed bottles of any brake fluid due to its hygroscopic properties.

Back to original programming...

The trick is to take apart your car or light your brakes so often that you go through a couple of bottles per year

 

[MikeR397]

Speaking of SRF, why is it that it’s sold out everywhere right now?

 

[TDC]

When I first started HPDE I didn’t bleed brakes before every event. After several thousand road miles and about 7-8 track days in slowing from 140mph to 70 my brakes only clamped about 75% of normal. After that experience now I bleed with stock fluid before every event. 30+ days and never had a soft brake pedal.

 

[MikeR397]

When I first started HPDE I didn’t bleed brakes before every event. After several thousand road miles and about 7-8 track days in slowing from 140mph to 70 my brakes only clamped about 75% of normal. After that experience now I bleed with stock fluid before every event. 30+ days and never had a soft brake pedal.

You are wasting a lot of time and effort.

Buy a bottle of $70 SRF, flush once a year in the spring, do you 7-8 events and you’ll never have a problem.

 

[TDC]

^^ Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe next season I’ll give it a try when I switch to braided lines to the calipers.

 

[Hack]

When I first started HPDE I didn’t bleed brakes before every event. After several thousand road miles and about 7-8 track days in slowing from 140mph to 70 my brakes only clamped about 75% of normal. After that experience now I bleed with stock fluid before every event. 30+ days and never had a soft brake pedal.

I'm with you on this one. Just running the car hard on track is risky enough for me. I don't want any additional risk of failure - especially brake failure - when I'm on track.

I would bleed my brakes either every event or every other event. I did this with the RBF600 fluid. My understanding is that most of the high temperature brake fluids absorb moisture more rapidly than stock fluid does, so if you go away from stock fluid you're going to want to bleed the brakes MORE often, not less.

In my opinion it's cheap insurance to bleed the brakes. RBF 600 is what, $24 a bottle? Super cheap. And it sounds like for you and the events you drive the stock fluid is good enough. I would assume stock fluid is even cheaper. I didn't go for total fluid replacement, but I did try to replace the fluid in the calipers. That's the fluid that gets hot. When I'm on track I don't think I under drive the car enough to recover from having 75% brakes all of a sudden.

I know for sure I don't want to find out.

 

[Tomster]

Upsell, upsell, upselll

OEM fluid is fine for track use - it's DOT4.

That said, I've boiled it as well as RBF600F.

For me, it's SRF or nothing. That stuff is STOUT

I agree with Kevin. Just to expand on the subject below is my humble opinion.

Yes, brake boil is a concern and I only use SRF. Stock fluid would be fine up to a point. Ford uses non racing fluid to save money because most dont track their car. SRF is about $60 a quart and i always use just over a quart with a complete flush.

So yes, some of that guys spew is legit, others complete B.S.

 

[Tomster]

Here is a follow up question.... I've never seen SRF sold with a dye. Is it available? As I stated, I do a complete flush and it would be helpful to alternate clear and dye between flushes.

 

[MikeR397]

Here is a follow up question.... I've never seen SRF sold with a dye. Is it available? As I stated, I do a complete flush and it would be helpful to alternate clear and dye between flushes.

Nope. I agree it would be helpful for sure.

The car takes 750ml capacity. I do something like 325ml rear passenger, 300ml rear driver, 200 front passenger, 175ml front driver to cash the 1L srf bottle. I can usually tell when it’s fresh fluid vs old.

Again, I have done 15 track days (and I haul ass!) on SRF, and have at least 4 more planned. I’ll do the full flush in the spring.

It makes little sense to open a bottle and not use all of it on a full flush. that moisture in the air in the bottle will get absorbed in any leftover more so than sitting in the sealed car system. I would not use open fluid sitting on a shelf next year. Taking off wheels and bleeding, even with my motiv power bleeder, is a pain. A single srf flush for $70 a 1L bottle is easy, cheap, and looking to get me through 20 events in a year. If you want to say I’m easy on brakes, then I’ll upload a video of the pads smoking aggressively after a session ;). Also, I’ve boiled srf in my Ferrari 360 before, twice at M1 concourse —- pedal goes straight to the floor and you have to pump it to get any braking done. No it’s not fun but I have no concerns with the 350s brakes and oem pads/rotors and a single flush a season. Maybe when I run track pads next year that will heat more perhaps I’ll do it 2x.

 

[TDC]

......I didn't go for total fluid replacement, but I did try to replace the fluid in the calipers. That's the fluid that gets hot. When I'm on track I don't think I under drive the car enough to recover from having 75% brakes all of a sudden.

I know for sure I don't want to find out.

Luckily there was run off at the end of the straight. When I knew I wouldn’t make the turn I kept the wheel pointed straight and drove off into the grass

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