ATE Super Blue Racing vs Shell Dot 4 ultra

I have gone through gallons of ATE super {blue/gold} in my F355. As good as it gets until you want LMA or something with a 600º boiling point.

 

I use it w/o problems 575m

 

The ATE fluid will be fine, it is a high quality product.

As you noted, the key technical approvals for both the ATE and Shell products are pretty much the same. The technical sheets are attached (I am not sure if the Super Blue is the type 200 (think it is) or the super-dot formula) in case others want to compare.

There are some brands with higher wet boiling points, here is a comparison, the wet measure is the most relevant.

Brand Wet Boiling Point Dry Boiling Point
Castrol SRF 518°F 590°F
Motul RBF600 420°F 593°F
AP-600 410°F 572°F
ATE-Super Blue 392°F 536°F

Valvoline 333°F 513°F
Castrol LMA 311°F 446°F
Ford HD 290°F 550°F
Wilwood 570 284°F 570°F
PFC-Z rated 284°F 550°F
AP-550 284°F 550°F

Some of the formulations have longer service life, ie. slower moisture absorption, and different anti corrosion additives to deal with the inevitable moisture that all the fluids absorb and which degrades their performance. But the basic chemicals they use are all the same. The racing formulas may have the best temp data, but are expected to be changed frequently, so may absorb moisture more quickly and means they are not as suitable for the daily driver with the more typical longer change interval. All fluids will absorb water within about 90 days. As with all these things, the "best" depends on the application. I think the Super Blue has a long history of being a very good fluid for high performance applications balanced against regular use attributes.

The most important is to change the fluid every two or three years (or more if you do track days), and get the product in a metal can as that keeps the product water free before its use notably better than the plastic containers. You never know how long some products sit on the shelf before you purchase, so the metal can is worthy insurance that you are starting off with as little moisture in the fluid as possible.

 

When we were road racing we changed brake fluid after every event, Sometimes during the event.

 

When I was racing we changed the fluid before each event, mostly within an hour of the event--and thus we did not have to deal with the wet boiling pint.

 

Indeed, that is why racers change all the time, to get the best boil protection possible that only new fresh fluid can guarantee. Even if you don't flush after every race, a bleed is a good idea as even a bit of overheating and fluid boil can result in some compressible bubbles left in the system (although this usually rights itself after the fluid cools). And once you have to bleed, to bleed a bit more to replace all the fluid is no incremental effort, so that's what most do. Also means you inspect the brakes while doing the bleed for any signs of possible stress failure risk, so its a good practice all around.

 

I use ATE Type 200 on all my cars, including my 16M. No problems

 

Castrol SRF or nothing.. (In my race cars.)

 

Castrol SRF has a unique patented chemistry that contains silicone esters, and does not absorb water easily, but is still a DOT 4 fluid. (actually technically it is not DOT rated as it is a racing fluid). It is a proven fluid used for motorsports, exceptional wet boiling point. Heavy cars tracked frequently would probably benefit from it.

It does mix with other DOT4 fluids, but the performance is reduced significantly with the mix, so it is not a fluid you would use sometimes and revert back to regular chemistry fluids.

Regardless of fluid, for street cars changing out every two or three years is required. None of the racing fluids would extend the change interval, most have lower change intervals if specified at all verses OEM fluids.

There is nothing magic about ATE 2000, it just has a long history of street/track usage, is priced reasonably, and satisfies the braking needs for most cars.