Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 09:53:53 -0500 From: Mike Kohlbrenner <No.Junkmailnopsamailbox> Subject: Re: silicon brake fluid
dslosty wrote: > ... > I've purchased several brands. Each manufacturers had instructions > saying that DOT5 WAS compatible with normal DOT 3 or 4 fluid. From what I understand, the incompatibility is a question of how well the Silicon fluid performs. The more old 3/4 fluid you mix with it, the worse the silicon will perform in terms of compressibility, etc. It's almost analogous to saying that glycol brake fluid is incompatible with water. Well, they certainly mix, unlike salad dressing, but the more water you mix in, the worse it performs. > Another advantage of DOT5 in high performance cars is its much > higher boiling or vaporizing point - useful under severe braking > condx. I heartily disagree with this point. Have you ever gotten your Avanti brake fluid up near its boiling point? I think you'd find what others have found -- it is not boiling of silicon fluid that causes problems in high-temp applications. Silicon fluid becomes more and more compressible as you raise the temp and you have BIG braking problems long before you get it to boil. -- Mike Kohlbrenner <kohlbren (-a t-) an dot hp dot com> sorry!