shaun_1990 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Okay so my new braided hoses are here & I'm getting ready to fit them, I found some brake fluid in the garage & that has been there a good few years so in the bin that goes haha, anyway is there such a thing as a better fluid? Or would any dot 4 be ok? Sorry if that sounds stupid in anyway I have done a quick search & nothing came up. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Don't think so Shaun, they are, as far as I know, much of a muchness in that they do what it says on the tin and if your bike needs DOT4 then that is what you should use as anything else is asking for trouble, if your worried about cheapo fluid then buy an expensive one but don't think it will make any difference in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilninggas Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 DOT 5 is silicone based and is used by racers and really shouldn't be used on a road bike DOT 5.1 and DOT 4 are glycol-based and fine for road use. DOT 5.1 just has a higher boiling point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun_1990 Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 yeah I was just curious if a cheapo halfords option would be just as good as say a castrol brand. cheers for the advice though guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted April 13, 2014 Moderator Share Posted April 13, 2014 DOT 5 is silicone based and is used by racers and really shouldn't be used on a road bike DOT 5.1 and DOT 4 are glycol-based and fine for road use. DOT 5.1 just has a higher boiling point. What he said. 4 and below are hydroscopic so absorb water. 5.1 doesn't. 5 and 5.1 are completely different. Never try and use 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie1 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 yeah I was just curious if a cheapo halfords option would be just as good as say a castrol brand. cheers for the advice though guys HI Shaun In answer to your question, the answer is no, it doesn't make any difference what brand you go for. Never felt any difference on any bike, or heard of anyone else mentioning a preference, so go for the cheap stuff! Er, as long as it's the right DOT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild foamy Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 As above, use the recommended fluid!, its only got to go wrong once and its game over. The compressability (or inability to compress, as it were) of brake fluids does not tend to change, our jets use bog standard hydraulic oil as brake fluid and they will generally touch down at 120kts, biggest difference will be in the general makeup of the oil (be it mineral OM15, synthetic or otherwise), the boiling point and compatibility with the various rubber seals and gaskets in your system. as for the brands, all brake fluid will have a conformity of sorts, in that it must pass a series of criteria to be safe for use, therefore regardless of wether you use Castro Dogsbolox or Halfrauds own brand, it will still do the same job safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dt502001 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Holy crap foams right up on your brake fluid aren't you impressed zi am ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wild foamy Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I spent my first month at Benson as part of a technical evaluation team assessing the pros and cons of changing from mineral hydraulic oil to synthetic, it basically involved purging and changing the seals in all 3 hyd systems and was generally a pain in the ass, long story short we shitcanned the idea, but i learnt a lot about fluid properties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun_1990 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Yeah I knew dot4 was the one it states and I know the basics on brake fluid with regards to boiling points and what not but thanks for the advice Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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