Brake fluid

[graham.hilder@domain.elided (Graham Hilder)]

In a posting about silicone brake fluid (DOT 5), Bernie wrote:

>>>
.........our training menntioned one of the advantages of silicone was it =
was NOT hygroscopic i.e. did not readily absorb moisture......  Hype? I =
don't know. Other advantages are that it won't damage your paint.  I know =
also on the negative, I've seen discussions by racers indicating a minor =
sponginess in the pedal they don't like. Graham Hilder ?=20
>>>>

Well, I think I probably have sent in some posts about silicone fluid, but =
it wasn't a comment or a report since I've never used it myself.  However =
I was toying with the idea at one stage, and I think I sent in a query =
asking for comments. A comment I've seen from several sources was the =
possible sponginess which Bernie mentions above. Another thing was that to =
swap from regular fluid to this stuff, it's recommended that you change =
every single seal in your hydraulic system.... a bit of a drag.  I didn't =
fancy either of these issues so I kept clear of silicone.  But I did start =
using DOT-5.1 instead of the DOT-4  I'd been using until then. I found =
this to be very good for road and track (although by track, I only mean =
entry-level club racing in a standard car, nothing serious). The DOT-5.1 =
keeps its cool longer than the DOT-4 did in a race.  Also it costs only a =
little more than DOT-4, and it's compatible with DOT-4 (so, no seals-change=
out required), and it's supposed to work better with age (i.e. after some =
moisture uptake) than does DOT-4.  So it's DOT-5.1 for me these days.  =
Having said that, though, I do know of one NZ AROC member who really likes =
the silicone fluid, using it on several Alfas I think, and finding that he =
can leave it in place for years with no sign of corrosion in the system =
(he's inspected some specifically).  And I think that in one car he simply =
changed from Dot 3 or 4 to silicone without changing all his seals, and =
didn't have any problem with that either. So maybe the silicone is =
perfectly OK..... but I feel uncertain about it, and the DOT-5.1 is just =
fine for my needs, so that'll do me. =20

Regards to all,
Graham H,
New Zealand.
(Alfasuds, GTV, Alfetta GT)

P.S.  I wonder if any of you Americans over there use Hawke brake pads at =
all?   They'e a US company but we can buy their pads here in N.Z.   I find =
their Fast Street version just wonderful for entry-level racing.   Don't =
fade, don't wear the dics, work fine when cold, don't need heavy pedal =
pressure,   don't wear out in a hurry, don't cost an arm  and a leg.   =
What more could you ask for? (ANSWER: a better exchange-rate between US =
and NZ dollars, so the Hawkes would cost us even less).

GH.

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