[Healeys] Brake Fluid

[Christopher Moog]

That about sums it up.

On 10/31/2022 7:56 PM, Simon Lachlan via Healeys wrote:
>
> I made myself some notes which I later submitted to our local AH mag. 
> Here’s the gist of them. May have posted this before….
>
>  1. “All brake fluid is “synthetic”…it’s not a “natural” product.
>  2. Most synthetic fluids are NOT silicone. They are polyethylene
>     _glycol_ ether based.
>  3. DOT 3 & 4, which can be mixed, are not silicone. They are glycol.
>  4. DOT 5, which cannot be mixed with 3 or 4, is silicone. Can’t be
>     mixed with anything!
>  5. DOT 5.1 is glycol based and cannot be mixed with DOT 5.
>  6. DOT 5.1 can be mixed with DOT 3 or 4, as both are glycol based.
>
> The word “synthetic” began to appear when manufacturers worked out 
> that it made regular brake fluid sound more special ie they could 
> charge us more money for the same old stuff.
>
> DOT stands for *_D_*ept. *_O_*f *_T_*ransport and relates to the 
> fluids’ boiling points. If a car brakes at high speed, the brakes get 
> hot. Some heat is carried away from the brakes by the brake fluid. Bad 
> news if the fluid boils! The faster you’re going, the higher DOT you 
> need. Higher DOT numbers indicate higher boiling points for “Dry” 
> fluid (has not absorbed any water) and “Wet” fluids (has absorbed 
> water). ie, the wetter it is, the more problematic it becomes. Mixing 
> 3 with 4 lowers the boiling points and vice verca.”
>
> Simon
>
> *From:*Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> *On Behalf Of *Mark 
> Donaldson
> *Sent:* 31 October 2022 22:06
> *To:* 'Bob Spidell' <bspidell at comcast.net>; healeys at autox.team.net
> *Subject:* Re: [Healeys] Brake Fluid
>
> DOT5 and DOT 5.1 are *NOT* compatible.
>
> I’ve have been using Bel-Ray DOT5 SBF in my BN2 and my tri-carb since 
> 1992.
>
> I’ve never had a problem.
>
> Mark
>
> Ardmore, NZ
>
> *From:*Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net>
> *Sent:* Monday, 31 October 2022 5:35 PM
> *To:* healeys at autox.team.net
> *Subject:* Re: [Healeys] Brake Fluid
>
> "... There is a newer Glycol Ester DOT5 ..."
>
> I think you're referring to 'DoT5.1'  I also think it was deliberately 
> named so as to confuse the issue.
>
> On 10/30/2022 8:05 PM, Christopher Moog via Healeys wrote:
>
>     I've used both. Currently prefer DOT4.
>
>     Also everyone is speaking of DOT5 but there are now two different
>     DOT5s. The first is the older silicone based DOT5. There is a
>     newer Glycol Ester DOT5 that is compatible with DOT3 and DOT4. It
>     has a lower viscosity than the DOT3 and DOT4 so it works better in
>     some ABS systems. It also has a higher boiling point than DOT3 and
>     DOT4. Don't see an advantage in Healeys.
>
>     On 10/30/2022 10:00 PM, Alan Seigrist wrote:
>
>         The best selling point for Dot 4 is you can mix any Dot 4 or
>         even Dot 3 if you need to fill up.  As I understand it with
>         Dot 5 you should be careful to always use the same brand to
>         fill up if necessary.
>
>         Also, neither Dot 5 not Dot 4 is great for sitting a long
>         time, Dot 4 absorbs water, Dot 5 will push any water down into
>         the components.
>
>         Dot 4, if the car is not used regularly, needs to be flushed
>         every couple of years.
>
>         On Mon, Oct 31, 2022 at 5:43 AM Michael MacLean
>         <springer.mike51 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>             At this point in the restoration I have a completely
>             rebuilt brake system with all new components and tubing. 
>             Now is the time to make the decision to use DOT 4 or
>             Silicone.  What's the consensus, if there is one?
>
>             Mike MacLean
>
>
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