Castrol racing brake fluid

[hajes]

has anyone have an experience with Castrol racing brake fluid?

It suppose to have higher boiling point and better recovery.

Until, proper brake upgrade - I have big problem with brakes burning.

I managed to reduce brake burning with ceramic brake pads and grooved disc but main problem is one piston floating calliper.

I can burn brakes in no time - race style braking.

During my test, I measured 390deg C on brake pads - VAG DOT 4 brake fluid was already boiling.

Until, I improve brake cooling - I wonder about this brake racing fluid.

 

[dparm]

I assume you are talking about React SRF. It is a very good fluid if you plan to work the brakes very very hard. Castrol actually recommends changing it yearly to maintain maxmium performance.

A lot of folks have actually switched to Prospeed RS683 Xtreme (recently rebranded to Torque RT700) because of the even higher boiling points and improved ability to prevent water absorption. It's also about half the price of Castrol React SRF.

I put the Prospeed in my M3 in April and it has performed very well on the track and at Tail of the Dragon, a road that is very demanding on brakes. No complaints.

 

[tommygunn]

The boiling point is actually quite low for a racing fluid, under 600F

There are many cheaper fluids with a higher boiling point.

Also, SRF is bad news for magnesium.

 

[jaj]

Originally Posted By: hajes
has anyone have an experience with Castrol racing brake fluid?

It suppose to have higher boiling point and better recovery.

Until, proper brake upgrade - I have big problem with brakes burning.

I managed to reduce brake burning with ceramic brake pads and grooved disc but main problem is one piston floating calliper.

I can burn brakes in no time - race style braking.

During my test, I measured 390deg C on brake pads - VAG DOT 4 brake fluid was already boiling.

Until, I improve brake cooling - I wonder about this brake racing fluid.


Get some caliper temperature strips and see how hot they're getting. Chances are good you can switch to a better fluid and that's all you need for now. I use Castrol SRF for my track cars and it's always "just worked" for me. I change it once a year with the occasional bleed during the track season.

Something you might also want to consider is finding a driving coach that works with endurance race drivers and getting some coaching. The endurance guys use braking technique to stretch the life of the brakes for the long events they run. One group of retired pro's that I know consistently finishes in the top 3 in club races. They run plain vanilla DOT 4 brake fluid and stock brakes on their BMW 3 series race car, just to prove they can. It really annoys their competition.

 

[hajes]

I don't do endurance - I am more rally/hillclimb guy. My coach was ex-karting guy.

Decent bit point at cold and also at higher temperatures.

I know, I can break earlier but where is fun ;-) I am sure I don't brake hard enough - it is just stock one piston floating callipers...the worst you can have on car

 

[hajes]

problem with most US products is - expensive in Europe. I have to stick with available stuff.

For example Redline products are unnecessary expensive in EU. I doubt there is any difference between Motul, MOtorex

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
The (dry) boiling point is actually quite low for a racing fluid, under 600F

There are many cheaper fluids with a higher (dry) boiling point.


True, but it does have the highest wet boiling point of any fluid on the open market. (I added the above "dry" designations to your post.)

 

[hajes]

I will first work on air cooling of calliper and then pimp the brake fluid.

I also want to try EBC BSD discs. It suppose to be better alloy - disc is largest heatsink.

http://ebcbrakes.com/product/bsd-disc/

 

[tommygunn]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver

True, but it does have the highest wet boiling point of any fluid on the open market. (I added the above "dry" designations to your post.)

Yeah, but wet boiling point doesn't matter for racing/track use because it's changed so frequently; they aren't leaving it in the system for 5 years.

Also, doesn't it have compatibility issues? I've always though the the high wet BP relative to the dry BP means that it doesn't accept moisture all that well, like silicone (SRF is officially a silicon ester)

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
Originally Posted By: dailydriver

True, but it does have the highest wet boiling point of any fluid on the open market. (I added the above "dry" designations to your post.)

Yeah, but wet boiling point doesn't matter for racing/track use because it's changed so frequently; they aren't leaving it in the system for 5 years.


Absolutely, I was just pointing out where Castrol claims the SRF shines.

I will try the Torque RT700 at my next brake change/flush, since it seems to have a very high 'brake fluid TBN' (I KNOW there is no such official thing, but that is a very simple way to explain their fluid's great resistance to acid formation/etc.).

It also has a fairly high dry boiling point as well, with NO compatibility issues.