BEST DOT 4 BRAKE FLUID ?

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Don't sell short the Castrol LMA. Wakefield markets fairly aggressively in Canada, so just about any parts store that has Castrol stuff will have it. For "big box" type stores, check Home Hardware.
 
What's your application for DOT 4? DOT 4 has higher wet/dry boiling points but absorbs moisture quicker than DOT 3 and requires more frequent flushes. DOT 4 is great for track days, but if you change your brake fluid once every four or five years, stick to DOT 3 on the street.

That said, ATE Typ 200 is the best in my opinion. Yeah, Motul and other racing fluids may have higher specs, but ATE Typ 200 will fall off spec slower than any race fluid. I personally wouldn't use Motul in a street car unless I flushed it every two months and I can't afford to do that.

After speaking with a Continental-Teeves chemical engineer, I learned that ATE Typ 200 degrades slower than other brake fluids because it can hold more moisture in suspension than other fluids. According to Continental-Teeves, ATE Typ 200 is good for 24-36 months in street applications.

I used it for years flushing it every 24 months because I drive in the Rocky Mountains on roads with no guard rails and a few 1,000 ft drop offs.

After speaking with another chemist at Champion Brands, refiner/manufacturer of several types of automotive fluids, I learned a few more things and switched to NAPA DOT 4. It's a lot less expensive than ATE and a lot more available. I flush it every year. I guess my bottom line is brake fluid degrades as soon as you open the bottle and I feel better flushing lower spec fluid every year than keeping higher spec fluid in my system for longer periods.

Remember that the ingredients that make DOT 4 perform better than DOT 3 are harder on your brake system components. You must flush DOT 4 more often than DOT 3. If I didn't drive in the Rockies or do track days, I'd use DOT 3 and flush every year to maximize brake system life.

By the way, ATE Super Blue is identical to Typ 200 except for color. It's off the market in the USA because the DOT specifies the color of brake fluid and blue is not approved. It was great while it lasted because you could switch every flush and you could easily tell when all the old fluid was out. Typ 200 goes from dirty amber to green to blue. Super Blue goes from dirty blue to green to amber.

Unless you track your little Hondas or pull 20,000 lb. horse trailers over mountain roads, you're better off with DOT 3.

I think Amsoil selling brake fluid is pretty funny given the long OCI mentality of Amsoil users. There is no such thing as long life high performance brake fluid and I'll bet a lot of Amsoil brake fluid users assume long flush intervals.
 
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Any DOT 4 brake fluid will be fine. Castrol is great stuff, as already mentioned, and Mag 1 DOT is available on Amazon at a great price; according to Mag 1's spec sheet, it has higher boiling points than Castrol.

Napa also has Pentosin DOT 4 LV brake fluid, which is very good too.
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Any DOT 4 brake fluid will be fine. Castrol is great stuff, as already mentioned, and Mag 1 DOT is available on Amazon at a great price; according to Mag 1's spec sheet, it has higher boiling points than Castrol.

Napa also has Pentosin DOT 4 LV brake fluid, which is very good too.


My local NAPA said they could get me a 4 or 5 liter container of Pentosin from the warehouse. They couldn't understand why I didn't want it when the fluid showed up in a plastic container with a three year old label. I wound up calling the Pentosin distributor who made sure I got a fresh package.

If you buy something other than DOT 3, may sure you buy it from a store with decent inventory turn over.

NAPA sells a lot of its DOT 4 and not much of the Pentosin.
 
I wish the US Safety Nazis hadn't outlawed Super Blue; when you alternated it with Type 200 it made it easy to tell when the fluid was changed out.
 
How come Hers isn't possessive? And, it's Typ 200, not Type. And, using Nazi to describe the zealots at the DOT is insulting to everyone who has family that dealt directly with or was murdered by real Nazis.

DOT = You can't have blue brake fluid.

Nazis = Every tenth person in line goes directly to the gas chamber.

And I covered the Typ 200 / Super Blue color change on flush in my post above.

Thanks!
 
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Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
How come Hers isn't possessive? And, it's Typ 200, not Type. And, using Nazi to describe the zealots at the DOT is insulting to everyone who has family that dealt directly with or was murdered by real Nazis. And I covered the Typ 200 / Super Blue color change on flush in my post above.

Thanks!


Too funny, better call Tire Rack.

I'm thinking any Nazis that still remain would be even more offended by being compared to the DOT nannies.
Let's just settle for calling them "Goosestepping Brown Shirts," OK?
 
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Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
How come Hers isn't possessive? And, it's Typ 200, not Type. And, using Nazi to describe the zealots at the DOT is insulting to everyone who has family that dealt directly with or was murdered by real Nazis. And I covered the Typ 200 / Super Blue color change on flush in my post above.

Thanks!


Yawn...



some insensitive peeps in this thread


...I'm just sayin'
 
Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
How come Hers isn't possessive? And, it's Typ 200, not Type. And, using Nazi to describe the zealots at the DOT is insulting to everyone who has family that dealt directly with or was murdered by real Nazis.

DOT = You can't have blue brake fluid.

Nazis = Every tenth person in line goes directly to the gas chamber.

And I covered the Typ 200 / Super Blue color change on flush in my post above.

Thanks!


You've gotta either get a grip or quit the interwebs.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: SonicMustang
How come Hers isn't possessive? And, it's Typ 200, not Type. And, using Nazi to describe the zealots at the DOT is insulting to everyone who has family that dealt directly with or was murdered by real Nazis.

DOT = You can't have blue brake fluid.

Nazis = Every tenth person in line goes directly to the gas chamber.

And I covered the Typ 200 / Super Blue color change on flush in my post above.

Thanks!


You've gotta either get a grip or quit the interwebs.


You decide whether I accept stupidity and mediocrity? I think not.
 
Originally Posted By: SonicMustang

You decide whether I accept stupidity and mediocrity? I think not.


This approaches the ultimate in irony...
 
Originally Posted By: MCompact
I wish the US Safety Nazis hadn't outlawed Super Blue; when you alternated it with Type 200 it made it easy to tell when the fluid was changed out.


First of all, FMVSS 116 predates Super Blue by decades. The law was passed in 1972.

Second, the can said DOT 4 even though it didn't meet the standards (due to the color). Companies are NOT allowed to write "meets DOT 4 except for the color: or anything similar. If it doesn't meet the requirements, they CANNOT mention the standard on the container!

Had they just labeled it "For off-road use only" or "meets SAE J1703 and J1704 except for color" they would've been ok (the SAE is not a governmental organization).

non-silicone DOT 3/4/5.1 is easy to distinguish new from old because the old fluid is black while fresh fluid is clear. You really don't need the blue [censored] to tell when the old stuff was flushed out; besides, it stains everything anyway, defeating the purpose of the color-change. Even 2-3 flushes later with non-blue fluid, there's still some blue remaining!

DOT 5 silicone is purple, to quickly identify that it's different and NOT suitable for most brake systems.
 
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