Brake Fluid Recommendations

[Don Giovanoni]

I have always used Castrol in my sports cars including the VW toys. It is getting hard to find - will regular brake fluid work in my Siggy based on a 69 Beetle?

[Gene-C]

In a word , YES.....use DOT3 or DOT4.........they will be fine...just do NOT use DOT5 as it's silicone based and requires a different rubber formula for all the "soft" parts.

[Don Giovanoni]

:hello: I have had too many English cars in the past that REQUIRED the special Castrol fluid because of their fragile rubber parts. It will be a pleasure to use American type DOT 4 brake fluid.

[newmanx59]

I have been running silicone based brake fluid in my varga master cylinder for 4 years so far with no problems. Am I an exception to the rule? I guess ignorance IS bliss

[mightymanx]

I also have been using the silicone base in my brakes for the past three years. When I read this post I went and looked on the bottle and it said that it was a replacement for either DOT 3 or 4, and said nothing about being DOT 5. So I guess I am confused is it DOT 5 or not? Should I change out and flush the system or not?

[jsturtlebuggy]

I use to use the Castrol LMA (Low Moisture Activity) in my buggies because of the Neal and CNC brake components using Girling seals inside. Have had good luck using DOT 4 now. There is a DOT 5.1 brake fluid that is not silicone based. Is compatible with DOT 3 and 4. Has a higher boiling point. There is also synthetic brake fluid in DOT 3,4, and 5.1 Type in silicone brake fluid in a search engine and pages and pages on brake fluid come up. Problems that show for silicone based brake fluid is will not absorb water, sit in lowest spot and cause spongy pedal. When switching back to standard brake fluid system has to be completely disassembled to remove traces. Problems with regular brake fluid is it absorbs water and lowers the boiling point and causes components to rust. Use what ever brake fluid you want to, both have their pro and con in uses. Which ever you use needs to be change out every so often to get rid of water and impurities.

[shaky]

I use automec brake fluid and it seems to be just fine. http://www.automec.co.uk/frame_set.html this is waht they say about it: [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Silicone Brake and Clutch Fluid DOT5 [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Made in the USA-used exclusively by the US Military and specified as standard by Harley Davidson. Non-toxic and long-life, silicone fluid is safer and more user-friendly than glycol. It never needs changing, will not catch fire easily and does not damage paintwork; neither will it boil below 260?C (500?F), even after 5 years. Non-hygroscopic (i.e. will not pick up moisture, thus reducing corrosion), silicone fluid retains a virtually stable viscosity through most temperature extremes. [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Conforms to US DOT5 standard and US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 116 (FMVss116). High-visibility green/yellow packaging includes tie-on-tag to prevent user from inadvertently topping up with glycol. I'll let you know if and when I get a spongy pedal. I have it in my hydraulic clutch as well!

[shaky]

I use Automec in my buggy and it seems to be fine. It was built using all new parts so no contamination. I'll let you know if and when i get a soggy pedal. I have it in my hydraulic clutch as well. This is what they say on their website: http://www.automec.co.uk/frame_set.html [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Silicone Brake and Clutch Fluid DOT5 [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Made in the USA-used exclusively by the US Military and specified as standard by Harley Davidson. Non-toxic and long-life, silicone fluid is safer and more user-friendly than glycol. It never needs changing, will not catch fire easily and does not damage paintwork; neither will it boil below 260?C (500?F), even after 5 years. Non-hygroscopic (i.e. will not pick up moisture, thus reducing corrosion), silicone fluid retains a virtually stable viscosity through most temperature extremes. [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Conforms to US DOT5 standard and US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 116 (FMVss116). High-visibility green/yellow packaging includes tie-on-tag to prevent user from inadvertently topping up with glycol.