#4140, "cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me"
i wanted to take the little restricter out of my clutch line, and replace the fluid with dot 4, people say use dot 4 because it will stiffen the pedal and last longer, i cant find the damn dot 4 brake fluid anywere, all i get is dot 3 and dot 5...plz help
#4141, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 0
where are you at? i was talking to tony (enhance) and he is in florida...cant find it either. i have gotten it all over texas and okalahoma..never had a problem. i always got mine at autozone...and i think even wal-mart once.
#4142, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 1
So use DOT5. s'what i've run for years.
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#4232, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 4 Apr-15-05 12:19 AM by MCubed45
umm mixing brake fluids is bad MMMKAY
stick to 3 like stock. HIGHER NUMBERS ARE NOT NECESSARILY BETTER. it's what your braking SYSTEM was designed for. i'll go dig up an article for you guys.
As a trailing note on the DOT ratings, if your car was designed for a particular type of fluid (especially prior to the development of DOT 4 fluids), you should make every attempt to stick with that fluid! For example, if your car was delivered with DOT 3 fluid, the internal components of the system (seals, brake hoses, and fittings for example) were specifically designed and tested for compatibility with DOT 3. Because DOT 4 fluids contain a different chemical composition, the system may not necessarily react in a positive fashion to the borate esters floating around in the mix.
In other cases, just the difference in viscosity of the two different fluids may cause the seals to wear at different rates. What starts as an annoying squeak might eventually become a torn seal or worse. The examples could go on and on, but the message here is this: it’s fine to upgrade from DOT 3 fluid A to DOT 3 fluid B, but you should think twice (maybe even three times) before switching from DOT 3 fluid A to DOT 4 fluid of any sort.
#4234, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 5 Apr-15-05 07:12 AM by thedawg
I run Motul RBF600 fluid which "exceeds the spec of DOT3 and DOT4" but it is listed as a DOT4. Been using it for 2 years now in a 95 with old dead brake seals, and a 99 with shiny new ones.
This fluid has been wonderful for me, but it does have to replaced every 12 months and/or 4 track days.
BUT - If you've never actually lit a brake caliper on fire and burned the seals out, you probably don't need this fluid. This is a racing application, meaning on-track heavy continuous braking... not an "oh shit im going 120mph streetracing on the freeway and a semi is coming up fast" application. Stick to generic or OEM DOT3 for longevity's sake.
If you're just using it for the clutch fluid, there's no way I'd use anything besides what's OEM specified, since the clutch hydraulic system isn't an item that experiences massive heat.
#4264, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 7
Originally posted by rucr8z2 The difference between dot 3 and 5 is dot 3 is mineral based and 5 is silcone based and cannot remember what 4 was comprised of?
#4270, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 8 Apr-24-05 04:12 PM by rucr8z2
Originally posted by MCubed45
Originally posted by rucr8z2 The difference between dot 3 and 5 is dot 3 is mineral based and 5 is silcone based and cannot remember what 4 was comprised of?
see article posted above
Yeah I saw it but that's one type and it still does not say what the main base is comprised of for dot 4
#4288, "RE: cant find dot 4 brake fluid for the life of me" In response to Reply # 9 Apr-27-05 10:47 AM by thedawg
From the article:
DOT 4 fluids are also glycol ether based, but have a measure of borate esters thrown in for improved properties including increased dry and wet boiling points. A seldom talked about characteristic though is that because of this chemistry, the DOT 4 fluid will have a more stable and higher boiling point during the early portion of its life, but ironically once the fluid does actually begin to absorb water its boiling point will typically fall off more rapidly than a typical DOT 3.
Because DOT 4 fluids contain a different chemical composition, the system may not necessarily react in a positive fashion to the borate esters floating around in the mix.
In other cases, just the difference in viscosity of the two different fluids may cause the seals to wear at different rates. What starts as an annoying squeak might eventually become a torn seal or worse. The examples could go on and on, but the message here is this: it’s fine to upgrade from DOT 3 fluid A to DOT 3 fluid B, but you should think twice (maybe even three times) before switching from DOT 3 fluid A to DOT 4 fluid of any sort.
