Anybody run DOT 5 (Silicone) brake fluid?

OldbutNew

OldbutNew

Club Member
Brake system on the car is 100% new and dry right now. Considering using silicone fluid. I've looked on-line and seen lots of pros and cons. Anyone out there have direct experience with it?
 
We ran dot 5 on our FSAE race car, mainly to avoid brake fade. We ran a manual brake system with a bias bar and stainless rotors which generated alot of heat believe it or not. 2010 we boiled so bad using dot 3 the calipers locked, and I quote from the driver "there is steam coming out of the bleeder valves" haha. We saw jacked brake fluid temps and boiling conditions from autocross plain and simple. i'd reccomend it if your were autocrossing or have a severely undersized brake system, otherwise dot 3 is just fine.
 
Sounds like you need DOT 4 or even 5.1! How fresh was that DOT 3?? I read today that it can absorb water to the point of worthless in a DAY under the worst-case conditions. More than 3% water and the boiling point drops to barely 300F.

My brakes aren't fancy, but they're definitely NOT undersized. '88 Fox hatch with basic Cobra brakes. (13" front with PBR dual-pistons and 10.6" vented rears.) I might Solo the car or open track it, but not seriously or often.

Thanks for your input.
 
Stick to a good DOT4 like ATE or even Valvoline. I've never boiled either of those and I run an aggressive race pad on the track. The key is to keep it fresh so it doesn't absorb moisture.
 
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