Which brake fluid???

[pinkprincess]

I know there's been plenty of content on this sort of topic recently but does anyone know which brand Caterham advise should be used for a live-axle Classic?

 

And would they/anyone else recommend upgrading to DOT 5? Is it worth the extra wonga?

 

R992RJM

 

This week, I have been mostly eating ... Lotus 7 Mint Crisps

[Peter Carmichael]

DOT5 is almost certainly a poor choice.

DOT5.1 is the best DOT rated fluid (road legal) and not that expensive.

 

DOT 5 is a sythetic silicon-based fluid and has curious properties which are unsuitable for any car that is going to do track days. It is imiscible with all glycol based fluids and requires flushing your entire brake system. The boiling point rating is misleading because it becomes squashy long before it boils.

 

DOT 5 doesn't eat paint if it gets spilt. That is about the only advantage. There are purported advantages given to the fact that it doesn't absorb water, but this does mean that water (condensed out of the air gap in the master cylinder reservoir) tends to pool - not clever if it makes its way down near anythig hot or susceptible to corrosion.

 

Put it this way:

I use AP Racing 600 in my brakes and DOT5 sythetic in my clutch.

[AMMO]

AP600 or Castrol SRF. For road cars Dot 4 is more than OK.

 

AMMO