Best Brake fluid for Street only car

[Drakar]

Ok, quick background 92 Turbo Leg wagon AWD ABS.

need to replace brake fluid, so Im looking in the store and so many brands and different kinds, I know shit about brake fluid except that higher temp is better except Dot 5 cause of some reason I can't think of.

so any ways,

I found Dot 3, and it should work but is only low 300F or something

Then I found Dot 4 and it's high 300 low 400 or something.

But then!!!! I found Dot 3 for ABS and it's higher then Dot 4???

ok so since the car has ABS do I need the "special" ABS fluid or can I just run Dot 4, or should I run the Dot 3 abs cause it is a higher temp?

Also to confirm Impreza SS Brake line upgrades will work on the Legacy, it's just where they attach to the A-arm/strut that is different?

[tris91ricer]

three words:
ATE. super. blue.


Froogle it if you have to, but it's pretty superior brake fluid. Phil here(BAC5.2) can tell you more about it, but it's pretty slick stuff.

[BAC5.2]

Definately ATE Superblue. That stuff is cherry.

It takes a lot to boil it. I have yet to do it, so that probably says something about it's ability to handle stress.

It's so cheap, like $15 shipped from www.ogracing.com that you'd have to be kinda foolish to use anything else based solely on price.

Yes, the GC SS lines work, so do WRX lines. All non- 05 Legacy and non STi lines work for us.

The STi brembo lines are different, and the 05 Legacy has 6 total flex lines.

[Drakar]

Definately ATE Superblue. That stuff is cherry.

It takes a lot to boil it. I have yet to do it, so that probably says something about it's ability to handle stress.

It's so cheap, like $15 shipped from www.ogracing.com that you'd have to be kinda foolish to use anything else based solely on price.

Yes, the GC SS lines work, so do WRX lines. All non- 05 Legacy and non STi lines work for us.

The STi brembo lines are different, and the 05 Legacy has 6 total flex lines.

Ok Good to know about the ATE superblue, what Dot rating is it? also is it an odd item that is only avail from that online place ... ie tough to find in states and harder in Canada? Also how mnay bottle would I need off hand if I was doing the entire brake system (obvious?)

EDIT: ok found out it's better then Dot 4, so thats good, you all are running it an ABS so thats cool. I guess the blue or the gold is just for changing the fuild so you know when it's done, yes? looks good thanks guys.

[JasonGrahn]

ATE is this shizel. DOT 4. You may be able to find it at your local BMW or Porsche dealer. maybe. BUT, if they have it, you'll get reamed for it. Best to buy it online.

Took me less then 1 litre to flush the system.

[Legacy777]

Valvoline Synpower brake fluid is a lot cheaper and works just fine. It can be had at almost auto parts store and is cheap, yet performs very well.

I've run it as well as motul, the ate super blue/gold, and don't notice any difference at all....except for the cost, and the fact you need to change the ATE & motul about twice as much because it absorbs moisture quicker.

On a street car or agressively driven street car/auto cross car....the valvoline will work just fine.

[evolutionmovement]

I'm using the Valvoline myself and like it.

Steve

[greg donovan]

i use wilwood high temp. in my rallyx car and have the valvoline synpower in the street wagon. bot are good.

[entirelyturbo]

I third the Valvoline SynPower.

[BAC5.2]

Am I the only one who swears by ATE?

[vrg3]

Synpower seems to work well enough for most of us.

[BAC5.2]

*sigh* I guess I'm not most of us...

When I got the car, my mechanic bled the brakes and he swears by Synpower. Looked new when I popped the hood when I got home.

After 13,000 miles, it looked like this (the matter at the bottom is dirt from bleeding. The fluid sat for a good 4 or 5 hours and settled out). I also killed a brand new set of pads in that same period:

[vrg3]

Leaving brake fluid exposed to air in a shallow container for several hours will darken it.

I change my brake fluid every few oil changes and the new Synpower is only marginally better-looking than the old Synpower.

[Legacy777]

Phil,

Looks like you had quite a bit of crud in the brake system.

Looking soley at the technical specs of the fluid....ATE is only marginally better, and as I mentioned, will absorb moisture faster, and lower its boiling point.

[BAC5.2]

Vikash - It looked the same when it came out, as it did there. It actually looked darker.

Josh - none of that crap was IN the system. I had the pan under the calipers when I was changing my lines to catch fluid.

The wet boiling point of ATE fluid is still higher than the wet boiling point of Synpower, isn't it?

For $15 a liter, I'm fine with replacing my fluid 2 or 3 times per year. That's really not all that expensive, and I seem to boil the ATE a lot less.

[Legacy777]

Check out this chart
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/bra ... arison.htm

In the whole scheme of things, 30-50 deg. F insn't a whole lot.

What are you doing to boil brake fluid? Are you tracking the car? Are you sure you're actually boiling brake fluid. If you're not getting air out when bleeding....you're not boiling the fluid.

[vrg3]

You're saying the fluid lightened after sitting exposed to the air in a shallow container, Phil?

[BAC5.2]

nooooo, there was a lot of dirt (as you can see), it settled out.

It came out of the caliper brown and gross, with tons of air bubbles.

Josh, aggressive braking and aggressive back roads driving over extended distances at relatively low speeds (under 40mph), with HEAVY braking and harsher than stock pads. Brakes felt GREAT after I got the car back. Then they started getting mushier and mushier and the fluid was BLACK in the resivoir.

[Legacy777]

It doesn't sound like you're boiling the fluid. You're just wearing it out.

Do you have the stock brakes on the front, or something else? SS lines?

[BAC5.2]

Since when can you wear out fluid in 10,000 miles? People go 2+ years without changing the fluid. I go 10,000 miles, and I could stop the car better with my feet.

Stock brakes at the time. The brake lines wouldn't have caused such a lack of braking power and feel.

[Legacy777]

Since when can you wear out fluid in 10,000 miles? People go 2+ years without changing the fluid. I go 10,000 miles, and I could stop the car better with my feet.

Stock brakes at the time. The brake lines wouldn't have caused such a lack of braking power and feel.

You may have worn the fluid, and heated it past what its operating temp is. However, if you look at what brake fluid does, and how it does it....unless you had air in there when you bled the lines, the chances of you boiling the fluid is slim in my mind. The fluid absorbs water. When it does this, the boiling point of the fluid lowers, as it lowers, and you add heat to the fluid, once the temp goes above the boiling point, the water absorbed in the brake fluid will boil. You will get a little bit of gas formation when this happens...as temps cool the steam/water will cool and condense, however you still have gas in the lines, which cause the spongy pedal, etc.

When you say you could stop the car better with your feet. What did the pedal feel like? Was it spongy, was it firm, and the car just wouldn't stop, or something else?

[BAC5.2]

I think your confused, or i'm confused, or something. When I say boiling the fluid, I mean boiling the water absorbed in the fluid.

The pedal was spongy, and had zero feel.

I am by no means easy on my braking system. For a little idea, I've had my rotors glowing before.

[Legacy777]

I think your confused, or i'm confused, or something. When I say boiling the fluid, I mean boiling the water absorbed in the fluid.

Yeah that's what I mean. What are you confused about?

The pedal was spongy, and had zero feel.

I am by no means easy on my braking system. For a little idea, I've had my rotors glowing before.

Ok, then yeah, you probably had some air in the lines from overheating/boiling the fluid. Maybe I missed your response to my main question, "Did you see air bubbles in the lines when you bled the fluid?"

If there were no bubbles, then boiling isn't too likely. But yes I agree, the symptoms you had were synomous to having air in the lines which was probably caused by boiling the absorbed moisture in the brake fluid.