Can anyone tell me the differences between DOT 4, DOT 5, and DOT 5.1? A shop recently put in a "blue" fluid which I have no clue about. Is this the silicone fluid that can't be mixed with 3 & 4? Any all advice welome. (haven't been able to touch base with the shop yet) Thanks.
DOT 3 and 4 are mineral based fluids which are water soluble. DOT 5 is a silicone based. As for 5.1, I will have to check into it. We do not use silicone based fluids-no need to. There may be some compatibility issues as well. A DOT 4 should suffice for racing. The blue stuff sounds like DOT 5 or the silicone brake fluid. [This message has been edited by WERA74 (edited 02-20-2001).]
back in the SCCA days 'my' endurance team used a blue brake fluid in the bmw... believe it or not it was a ford motorsport fluid and about the best at resisting boiling you could get. anything that can handle race car duty could easily handle bike duty. unfortunately i don't know any more about the 'ford blue' fluid, other than well you buy it from, duh, ford
i was advised not use siliconed based brake fluid because it supposedly damages seals in the calipers over time, or something.
Thanks for replies...really. I have since found out that the "blue" stuff is ATE Super Blue Racing brake fluid. It's got a DOT rating of DOT4.
i've always used EBC dot5 silicone....in my f3's recommended for: uk, us, european and japanese motorcycles. a very advanced brake fluid developed for the most stringent demands. does not absorb water, so provided brake system has been properly purged of conventional fluid, it could be used for the life of the vehicle. wet boiling point: above 260 cent. (500 degrees farenheit) (the above verbage off the back of the bottle) [This message has been edited by td930 (edited 02-20-2001).]
So has anyone else heard the stuff about damaging seals? I had Brembo brakes at the time. Is it a specific issue with those? Any brake engineers in the house?
Do not use DOT 5 unless bike specifies it. The seals are different for DOT3-4 and DOT 5 The only things I know use DOT 5 are Harleys and Corvettes. The DOT5.1 is compatiable with DOT4 seals. The DOT5.1 is similar to DOT5 in that does not absorb water but I think you can get higher boiling point fluids in DOT4 but Higher boiling point=more hydrophilic (absorbs water easier) In the info about Ford blue fluid keep an eye on fluid. The best stuff I have found is only good for about 12-48 hours after opening, it absorbs water so fast. If the fluid turns brown or cloudly it has water in it and should be replaced lower boiling point and can start corrosion in brake system.
