Brake fluid choices

[fz4k98]

Yesterday i did my 2nd track day and after about 15 minutes on the track, the pedal needed alot of pressure to slow the car. It would go away after cooling and come back on the next run again after brakes got hot. I have high performance pads and rotors and using a high performance fluid.

The pedal didn't fade but required alot of effort when hot.

Any suggestions for good fluid for track days?

[FASTFATBOY]

What brake pads are on it?

I used to run Motul fluid.

[fz4k98]

Hawk hp 5.0 street pads with slotted rotors. The reason i thought fluid was an issue was the clutch pedal was real light at the same time and would grind going into 1st gear coming off track. The clutch and brake fluid share the same reservoir on my car. Clutch felt normal when brakes felt normal and light when brakes were hard to slow car.

[FASTFATBOY]

Originally Posted by fz4k98

Hawk hp 5.0 street pads with slotted rotors. The reason i thought fluid was an issue was the clutch pedal was real light at the same time and would grind going into 1st gear coming off track. The clutch and brake fluid share the same reservoir on my car. Clutch felt normal when brakes felt normal and light when brakes were hard to slow car.

That is a street pad, put a track pad on the car.

[sports car fan]

Motul RBF 660 Factory Line was recommended to me, it is a Dot 4 synthetic fluid with a dry boiling point of 325°C and wet boiling point of 205°C. I have no idea what kind of pads the Hawk hp 5.0 street pads are, but I agree with fastfatboy that in general, pads can probably make the biggest difference.

[ss camaro-monte]

Motul is pretty good stuff. I use their diff fluid for my tru trac as well. That or I think castrol makes a good one also.

[J35Y2]

Originally Posted by fz4k98

Hawk hp 5.0 street pads with slotted rotors. The reason i thought fluid was an issue was the clutch pedal was real light at the same time and would grind going into 1st gear coming off track. The clutch and brake fluid share the same reservoir on my car. Clutch felt normal when brakes felt normal and light when brakes were hard to slow car.

Why not install the 04-06 Pontiac GTO OEM clutch fluid reservoir? It's one of the most popular and useful mods for the manual 5th gen Camaro models. There's a few companies that you can order from, since they make the actual mounting bracket, which goes to the original brake master cylinder. You just need to ditch the factory Phillips head screws and get some M6-1.0mm hex head bolts, in order to properly tighten down the mounting bracket.

If you track the car or find that you need more clutch/brake fluid in the reservoir, you can go with a Tilton or Wilwood master cylinder fluid reservoir kit. Only downside is that the Tilton and Wilwood clutch fluid reservoirs are a two-piece setup, and they use a crappy clamp. This can easily be remedied by using a more common worm gear hose clamp.

Some people install the larger fluid reservoir, since they aggressively drive the car a lot and end up heat soaking and boiling the brake fluid. I'm not sure if this inherently makes the color of the brake fluid go darker quickly within a single track session; but over time, clutch dust contamination certainly adds to this. I personally run the GTO remote clutch fluid reservoir, and I use a chicken baster to remove the old clutch fluid and cycle in new fluid every 3-6 months.

[J35Y2]

Anything that's a high performance DOT 4 brake fluid will work. The racing ones will usually have a wet boiling point that's higher than the standard 329 F or so, and a dry boiling point of 500 F and above. DOT 4 brake fluid is the most common and easiest brake fluid spec to find, apart from DOT 3; but finding a high performance DOT 4 brake fluid will be much easier than attempting to find a high performance DOT 3 or 5.1 brake fluid.

DOT 5.1 brake fluid will start with a dry boiling point of 500 F roughly, which can increase a bit for a few brands, but the wet boiling point for 5.1 usually starts above 330 F. From what I know though, the higher the DOT rating, the more hydroscopic the brake fluid is, meaning it will oxidize and also absorb moisture much more quicker than DOT 3 and 4 spec brake fluids.

I occasionally run Valvoline DOT 3 Max brake fluid, which has higher dry and wet boiling points than most basic DOT 4 brake fluids that are available out there. Most brake fluids will typically list the dry boiling point as a marketing strategy, which isn't necessarily a bad idea at all. If you don't track your car or drag race it, or maybe daily drive it often, stick to any kind of DOT 4 brake fluid.

DOT 3 probably isn't even worth running, unless you can't find any DOT 4 at all. It's not the end of the world if you choose to do so, as I mentioned how lower DOT ratings are less hydroscopic. I just wouldn't count on DOT 3 lasting as long as DOT 4 (due to heat soak/brake fade), especially if you drive more often and put more miles on the brakes/car.

[morepowerjoe]

That's one of the first things that I do when I get a 5th gen. Change all the fluids including changing the brake fluid to dot 4.

[DRC69]

I'm using Valvoline DOT 3 & 4 in the blue bottle.
I've used Valvoline for a long-time.
JMO

[CamaroCracka]

For the track, Castrol SRF. Pricey, but works great, even better than then Motul.

[J35Y2]

Originally Posted by DRC69

I'm using Valvoline DOT 3 & 4 in the blue bottle.
I've used Valvoline for a long-time.
JMO

I wonder if the V6 engine bay gets as hot as the V8 models... Either way, the Valvoline DOT 3/4 brake fluid isn't that bad. They advertise a 480 F degree dry boiling point, and a 329 F wet boiling point. Spend a few extra dollars and get Prestone DOT 3 or 4 MAX, which both have a 500+ F dry boiling point.

My local Autozone carries all of these, as well as Liqui Moly DOT 4 and SL6 DOT 4, which also have a 500 F and 514 F dry boiling point. These are all choices that are under $20 per quart. It's cheaper to get the single quarts, rather than the little pint containers.

[J35Y2]

Originally Posted by CamaroCracka

For the track, Castrol SRF. Pricey, but works great, even better than then Motul.

Have you ever tried VP Racing 622 DOT 4 brake fluid? They carry it at my local Autozone, but it's like near $30 per container (not a full quart, but more than a pint). It boasts the highest available dry boiling point, for a high performance racing DOT 4 brake fluid, which I somewhat believe.

I might go with this Bosch DOT 3/4/5.1 brake fluid that I saw on Amazon. I think it has a 520 F dry boiling point rating, which is really good for being a multi-DOT rated brake fluid. Sometimes, I'll mix different ratings, but often times, it will usually be like a cheap DOT 4, with a high quality DOT 4.

[Joe.G]

Currently in my Camaro I run ATE Original TYP 200 Racing Quality Dot 4 Seems to hold up well.


In my Daily's Car's to 2500 Diesels pulling trailers .I run Valvoline Dot 3/4 and my SXS/ATV/Dirtbikes and Snowmobiles. I find this to be an easy to get good all around fluid and would run in my Camaro if I wasn't doing track day's.


Motul In my street bikes.


I flush my fluids on a regular schedule typically every 2 years on most of my vehicles.