| Author | Message | ||
| Dr Tommy Cosgrove (Vwalfa4re)
Member Username: Vwalfa4re Post Number: 583 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks, Rob. I always toss unused fluid right away. Good advice. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 260 Registered: 11-2002 |
An aside from a former Ford engineer: Ford and Dow developed this fluid to combat the Senior drivers riding the brakes on LTD's and Town Cars. They couldn't teach them how to drive, so they developed this brake fluid to help keep the systems healthy and reduce warranty claims.  | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 259 Registered: 11-2002 |
Dr. Tommy, 95% + of cars on the road never get the brake fluid changed, in spite of manufacturer recommendations. That's how. I'd never do it, you'd never do it, most guys on FC will not do it, but we're the exception to the rule. My point is that in Grandma's car you can leave the stuff in there, and/or use three week old Ford HD left over from the Ferrari to top up Grandma's car. BTW, always put a date on the cans when you open them and don't use all of the fluid. I'd relegate anything over a week old to the grocery getter. Rusty can, toss it. | ||
| Dr Tommy Cosgrove (Vwalfa4re)
Member Username: Vwalfa4re Post Number: 577 Registered: 5-2001 |
How can it be ok to leave it in ten years? Think about how much moisture it will soak up during that time. Sure it may not boil in my grandmother's Caddie the way she drives but what about the moisture rusting the brake components? | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 3645 Registered: 12-2000 |
Prices? I think the Ford HP is very reasonable. I go through about 12 Oz. a weekend of racing. | ||
| mike 308 (Concorde)
Junior Member Username: Concorde Post Number: 118 Registered: 8-2002 |
Quick examples of better min wet boiling points than Ford's 300F but still having higher than 500F dry boiling points. These are the brake fluid cans I happen to have here. But in any case, as I said before, wet boiling points aren't that important to most of us for our F-cars: ATE Super Blue dry: 536F wet: 394F Valvoline High Perf Synpower dry: 513F wet: 333F | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 3642 Registered: 12-2000 |
yep, use it for the race car, a well known "secret" among the racers. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 256 Registered: 11-2002 |
What are the wet specs you refer to? IME, the Dow exceeds most with the exception of SRF. | ||
| mike 308 (Concorde)
Junior Member Username: Concorde Post Number: 116 Registered: 8-2002 |
Yes, the Ford fluid has a great dry boiling point, better than most, but its wet boiling point isn't as good as several others. However, wet boiling point doesn't matter for most of us, as we won't leave brake fluid in for so many years that it reaches that level of moisture saturation. | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 255 Registered: 11-2002 |
Dow Corning Brake Fluid HD50-4. Specifications taken from Dow Chemical Company form 110-454B-990AMS "Dow Brake Fluid HD50-4 is a high-performance brake fluid that far exceeds the minimum FMVSS-116 requirements for a DOT3 motor vehicle brake fluid. It is used by OEMs as a factory-filled brake fluid. It is also used as a high-performance brake fluid for the aftermarket. Dry boiling point, min 568oF Wet boiling point, min 300oF" This is a three page document full of test specifications, and if anyone wants more information, email me or contact Dow. This fluid is most commonly available through Ford Dealers as Heavy Duty Brake Fluid. Also available from Performance Friction "Z Rated", Wilwood 570, but Ford is cheapest. I first learned of this from Jack Roush Racing in 1989 while I was running a Trans Am race car. This was before Castrol SRF was available and Roush only used the Ford fluid, and it had nothing to do with sponsorship. As a DOT3 fluid, you can use this in your mini van and leave it there for ten years with no worries, you cannot do that with AP550, and AP will tell you so. There are other great products out there, but I have yet to find one with better performance for the cost. If you truly need SRF in your road car, you best be replacing the caliper seals every couple of track events and contemplate an evaporative brake cooling system. If you use Castrol SRF because you can justify the cost, go for it, it's great stuff, just way more expensive for an additional 40 Fo dry boil specification. Caliper seals become brittle when consistently exposed to even 500oF, try baking one in your oven! Most soft brake pedal issues encountered at track events can be solved with flushing fresh fluid before the event, high temperature brake pads, and cool-off laps. Nothing exotic. Extreme cases can be solved with better cooling systems. Next solution is evaporative cooling, but I've only had to do this for F40's, no other Ferrari. |