Brake fluid
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 64
My $0.02 - Changing brake fluid is never a bad idea (Unless you do it wrong!) Brake fluid tends to absorb moisture and does need to be changed periodically to maintain performance. That being said most people on the road will never notice a difference in an upgrade or change. Changing your fluid from DOT3 to DOT4 or DOT 5.1 For the most part simply increases the boiling point of the fluid. For road racing my Camaro, that is an issue as the fluid will boil and the brakes become very spongy. As a daily driver... not an issue. A lot of fluids that you buy now are labeled as DOT3/4, essentially DOT4 keeping the DOT3 nomenclature to help keep from confusing people.
STAY AWAY FROM DOT5. In order to use DOT5 you will need to completely drain and flush your old fluid as 5 is silicone based unlike the DOT 3,4, and 5.1 Polyethylene-Glycol based products. If you mix the two types (DOT5 AND ANY OTHER) you will turn your fluid to GEL pretty much ruining your system.
Should you upgrade??? That is up to you... Is it really an upgrade... Only if you road race, spend lots of time with spirited driving in the hills , or just "Want" to. The fluids do degrade over time mostly from absorbing moisture (which is where the "Wet boiling point" comes into play.
Dry boiling point Wet boiling point
DOT 3 205 °C (401 °F) 140 °C (284 °F)
DOT 4 230 °C (446 °F) 155 °C (311 °F)
DOT 5 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
DOT 5.1 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
New pads or rotors will have no effect on what fluid you need. How you drive can have an impact.
And then heaven forbid we start a discussion on the best brand
STAY AWAY FROM DOT5. In order to use DOT5 you will need to completely drain and flush your old fluid as 5 is silicone based unlike the DOT 3,4, and 5.1 Polyethylene-Glycol based products. If you mix the two types (DOT5 AND ANY OTHER) you will turn your fluid to GEL pretty much ruining your system.
Should you upgrade??? That is up to you... Is it really an upgrade... Only if you road race, spend lots of time with spirited driving in the hills , or just "Want" to. The fluids do degrade over time mostly from absorbing moisture (which is where the "Wet boiling point" comes into play.
Dry boiling point Wet boiling point
DOT 3 205 °C (401 °F) 140 °C (284 °F)
DOT 4 230 °C (446 °F) 155 °C (311 °F)
DOT 5 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
DOT 5.1 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
New pads or rotors will have no effect on what fluid you need. How you drive can have an impact.
And then heaven forbid we start a discussion on the best brand
Last edited by dentnshell; Sep 27, 2017 at 03:55 AM. Reason: spelling
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 186
My $0.02 - Changing brake fluid is never a bad idea (Unless you do it wrong!) Brake fluid tends to absorb moisture and do need to be changed periodically to maintain performance. That being said most people on the road will never notice a difference in an upgrade or change. Changing your fluid from DOT 3 to DOT4 or DOT 5.1 For the most part simply increases the boiling point of the fluid. For road racing my Camaro, that is an issue as the fluid will boil and the brakes become very spongy. As a daily driver... not an issue. A lot of fluids that you buy now are labeled as DOT3/4, essentially DOT4 keeping the DOT3 nomenclature to help keep from confusing people.
STAY AWAY FROM DOT5. In order to use DOT5 you will need to completely drain and flush your old fluid as 5 is silicone based unlike the DOT 3,4, and 5.1 Polyethylene-Glycol based products. If you mix the two types you will turn your fluid to GEL pretty much ruining your system.
Should you upgrade??? That is up to you... Is it really an upgrade... Only if you road race, spend lots of time driving in the hills , or just "Want" to. The fluids do degrade over time mostly from absorbing moisture.
Dry boiling point Wet boiling point
DOT 3 205 °C (401 °F) 140 °C (284 °F)
DOT 4 230 °C (446 °F) 155 °C (311 °F)
DOT 5 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
DOT 5.1 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
New pads or rotors will have no effect on what fluid you need. How you drive can have an impact.
And then heaven forbid we start a discussion on the best brand
STAY AWAY FROM DOT5. In order to use DOT5 you will need to completely drain and flush your old fluid as 5 is silicone based unlike the DOT 3,4, and 5.1 Polyethylene-Glycol based products. If you mix the two types you will turn your fluid to GEL pretty much ruining your system.
Should you upgrade??? That is up to you... Is it really an upgrade... Only if you road race, spend lots of time driving in the hills , or just "Want" to. The fluids do degrade over time mostly from absorbing moisture.
Dry boiling point Wet boiling point
DOT 3 205 °C (401 °F) 140 °C (284 °F)
DOT 4 230 °C (446 °F) 155 °C (311 °F)
DOT 5 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
DOT 5.1 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
New pads or rotors will have no effect on what fluid you need. How you drive can have an impact.
And then heaven forbid we start a discussion on the best brand