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Thread: Brake fluid recommendation?

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Posts: 11-20 of 20
2014-12-13 16:03:05
#11
This is my experience with brake fluids.

1) ATE Super Blue is maybe the most well known so I will mention it. There is also the equivalent in amber (ATE Type 200), and pretty much always has been (the idea being you can change fluids between the two and know for sure when you're done flushing the system). The blue is no longer for sale, so you just get the amber stuff. Don't quote me, but I think it is good for ~550°F dry boiling point. Why anyone would use this stuff when higher temp solutions are available is beyond me. If you're not doing anything serious with the car, just use the cheapest compatible fluid you can find. That's not going to be ATE stuff. If you are serious about brake fluid, there are way better options these days.

B) Motul RBF 600 has a ~592°F advertised dry boiling point and whatever you are reading about normal change intervals can be ignored. The higher the boiling point, the longer the change interval. This stuff was the first fluid to last racers an entire season instead of just a weekend. I've gone 8+ years on this fluid, no problem. This fluid is relatively inexpensive.

IIIa) Motul RBF 660 has a ~612°F advertised dry boiling point which really stretches the imagination when you consider the "660" in the name. This stuff is very expensive, and probably not worth it for much of anyone. I run this in the BMW right now because I wasn't aware of the better options at the time... =/

2020-05-12 Edit:
Three-bee) Endless RF-650 advertises a dry boiling point of ~613°F and is named slightly more accurately than Motul RBF 660 but not by much. It still suffers from the low wet boiling point that all the rest do (except Castrol SRF) so to me it is an also-ran. I hadn't heard of it until recently, but I figured I'd add it to the list for completeness. I have not priced it, but I'm not sure that matters since it isn't really a consideration.

Four) Torque RT700 has a 683°F advertised dry boiling point and is currently the king of the hill for dry boiling point. It costs about the same as the Motul RBF 660 and has such better properties that there is no reason to use Motul RBF 660 in my opinion. This may go in all my cars when they need fluid replacement and I fully expect one could get at least 10 years or more of useful life out of it with occasional track days in the summer.

2019-09-15 Edit:
5) Castrol SRF has a relatively low advertised dry boiling point of 590°F but employs chemistry to mitigate the effects of water to maintain an unheard-of advertised wet boiling point of ~518°F which is at least 100°F higher than the other options. This stuff is so stable, it is perfect for those looking at extended fill intervals. I'll likely fill with this over the Torque RT700 now that I've researched it.


2020-05-12 Edit:
I have referenced this post many times, and sent it to many people. I realize now it is annoying that it doesn't have the wet boiling point listed for any of the fluids.
I found a comparison chart on the Torque website with dry and wet boiling point specs for the fluids in question. It is obviously a bit biased in presentation, but the numbers check out, and if you ignore the presentation bias it clearly points to Castrol SRF as being the obvious choice.

Source: Compare Torque RT700 Racing Brake Fluid to Castrol SRF, endless RF-650 and Motul RBF600/RBF660!
Last edited by BenFenner on 2022-07-08 at 21-55-37.
2014-12-13 16:45:22
#12
Valvoline synthetic is a good option if you dont want/need 'race" fluid. .
thats what I run based on reviews and the spec...it falls in between cheap fluid and race fluid in boiling point. 480 wet 311 dry
My car is only tracked once or twice a year with a few autocrosses thrown in on occasion.
https://www.lelandwest.com/brake-fluid-comparison-chart.cfm
2014-12-14 20:23:25
#13
Originally Posted by eggman
Valvoline synthetic is a good option if you dont want/need 'race" fluid. .
thats what I run based on reviews and the spec...it falls in between cheap fluid and race fluid in boiling point. 480 wet 311 dry
My car is only tracked once or twice a year with a few autocrosses thrown in on occasion.
https://www.lelandwest.com/brake-fluid-comparison-chart.cfm




That is what I used in the DD actually
2014-12-22 01:42:09
#14
I've been using Ford HD brake fluid in all types of vehicles for most of 20 years. Cheap and reliable.
Motul RBF600 for the race car, good for a season.
2015-02-08 23:42:31
#15
I'll add my $0.02 to this, dry boiling point alone does not mean much if you plan to leave the fluid in your car for extended period of time. All brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs water) which depending on the fluid can quickly reduce the boiling point of the brake fluid. Just because the dry boiling point is higher than another fluid, does not mean the wet boiling point is. So looking at only the dry boiling point and judging how long your change interval is misleading.

Case in point, one of the most popular brake fluids used by people tracking their cars is arguably Motul RBF 600 that has a dry boiling point of 594°F, wet boiling point of 421°F. One of the best performance brake fluids on the market is Castrol SRF with a dry boiling point just below the RBF600 at 590°F, however its wet boiling point only drops to 518°F (almost 100°F higher than the RBF600). The Castrol SRF is $$, however for me when running on track it is peace of mind and worth the extra money to know that I have the best fluid possible in my braking system, that even with time still has a very high boiling point minimizing any potential that I have for boiling fluid while on track.

As for a street car, any DOT 3 will be fine or if you want something better just because Valvoline makes a DOT 4 synthetic available at most parts stores that is priced reasonably.

Attached are a couple good reads on brake fluid from 2 very reputable companies in brake industry.

Carbotech Performance Brakes: Products-Brake Fluids

Brake Fluid
Last edited by 2000atlanticgt on 2015-02-09 at 01-57-01.
2015-02-09 15:21:15
#16
I see I was generalizing the situation too much. I was not aware of any fluids with such stable boiling point regardless of moisture content. Thanks for cluing us into the Castrol SRF stuff.
Last edited by BenFenner on 2015-02-09 at 15-26-49.
2015-03-01 15:03:42
#17
This is a good thread. I've been participating in HPDE's for 15 years and the wet boiling point is most important for my needs.

Brake fluid change with my primary HPDE car is annually. If the frequency between changes were to decrease, dry would be the priority. I'm lazy, so wet for me

I tell people to try various brands of fluid. Belive it or not, several have a different feel at high temperature under their respective boiling points.
Last edited by voiddweller on 2015-03-01 at 15-14-23.
2015-03-10 13:14:46
#18
We've been using ATE Super Blue (gold or Amber (ATE2000 I think it is called) is the same thing) for as long as I can remember (since 2008 when we 1st started tracking the g20)

ogracing has decent pricing on it as well. We found the Motul way too expensive in comparison.
2015-10-22 14:33:43
#19
Motul is expensive, but I prefer the pedal feel over ATE when it heats up and Motul doesn't eat the paint On the other hand, you can mix ATE with other fluids, but you can't with Motul.

I haven't had a chance to try them yet, but hear really good feedback on the road racing and endurance forums about Brembo LCF 600 and Endless RF650.

If anyone has used them, please post your experience. Thank you.
2015-10-24 02:58:23
#20
I've switched to Castrol SRF in my track car. Still using RBF 600 in my street car as I had it on hand; it'll switch to Castrol SRF the next time I bleed the system. All for the reasons explained in earlier posts. The little extra expense is worth it. Plus, when you're looking at the price tag remember that Castrol comes in a litre bottle while most others are only half of that. The cost looks even better.
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