I'm thinking Valvoline SynPower Dot 3 & Dot 4 ... how many bottles do I need?

I'm going to be installing my big brake kit tomorrow! $150 to do the two fronts (rotors, calipers, lines & bleeding!) & the two rear rotors ... plus I get to watch so I don't have to keep paying every single time I have to do this.

 

I used 1 bottle of Motul Brake Fluid when I installed the Stillen Big Brake kit. I even had to bleed the brakes twice because the air would just not leave the lines.

 

DOT 3....

 

I have a natural tendancy to think that the higher a # the better it is .. is DOT 5.1 better than DOT 3 or 4?

 

I don't know what DOT5.1 is, but DO NOT use DOT5! DOT5 is a silicone brake fluid and is not compatable with DOT3 or DOT4.

Some people say that you can flush all of the DOT3/4 out of your lines and replace it with DOT5, but I don't agree. I tried that once several years ago on my '76 MGB. Two weeks later, I had to rebuild the master cylinder, the calipers and the wheel cylinders because all of the rubber seals disintgrated.

DOT3 and DOT4 are compatable with each other and I have not seen any side effects from using DOT4 for the last five years in my Maxima. The manual does recommend DOT3, so use 4 at your own risk.

I use DOT4 because it has a higher boiling point. This can be very helpful on a New Orleans autocross track in August. Be careful, though; it attacks paint much more aggressively than DOT3.

 

Is bleeding the brakes necessary when doing installing new rotors and pads? I bought a set of Brembo brake rotors from a member here that I need to get install soon. Also, I have to swap out the brake pads for the front too. I'm going to use Raybestos Quiet Stop pads.


ohboiya: where you bringing to have the whole kit install? I don't know if I could do this myself. Shops like Midas, Meineke, etc. should able to do this right?

 

You don't have to bleed the brakes to change the rotors and pads AS LONG AS you don't loosen the brake lines. You may want to consider changing your brake fluid if it's more than 2 years old. The brake fluid boiling point drops rapidly as it absorbs moisture (and you know how much moisture we have in the air in N.O.).

 

I'm bringing it to a performance shop that specialize in Z's ... however, the fundamentals of the big brake installation is the same as a regular brake kit so the brake specialists like Midas / Meineke should technically be able to handle it.

 

I recently put the Motul blue stuff in my brake system. Got it from Phuong at eatricezone. Is it magnetic or something?? When I work under my car, I see metal debris hanging onto the end of my SS brake lines

DW

 

I got AP Racing's DOT 5.1 ... non silicone based ... the guy installing my kit recommended it as that's what he uses in all his Z's.