Paging Todd @ TCE...

Myself I just use some DOT 4 and skip all the overpriced "racing" fluids. :dunno:

 

Myself I just use some DOT 4 and skip all the overpriced "racing" fluids. :dunno:

Same here. I don't plan on racing the bitch at Laguna Seca anytime soon... :dunno:

 

Dry boiling points are great to compare number between right? But there are a couple of things to consider;

First, if you are not boiling the fluid in your car now there's no need for higher boiling point fluid. Short of flushing the system to clean out the older fluid and get it at least the freshest you can, there are NO advantages to higher numbers. Higher BP fluid won't make your brakes work better, or the car faster...

Second, the wet BP is more in tune with what many of you need to keep in eye on. This number may better represent the level at which you operate your car. Especially if you live in the wetter parts of this fine country. Wet simply means the temp the fluid will boil after being contaminated by moisture in the air- humidity.

All fluids break down over time. Generally the higher the dry BP, the faster the fluid will fall of when exposed to moisture.

So, what to do? If you live where it snows or rains a lot pay more attention to the wet number, if you really track the car a lot then the higher number has more meaning for you. But you'll be flushing and replacing it more often too.

Think of it this way; 600* fluid will be great for heat (if you see it really) but over time will over no protection above the more common 285* number of the less priced fluids. Unless you buy more of it and replace it more often.

IMHO, if you simply run any reputable fluid with a DOT3 or 4 rating you'll be fine unless you hit the road courses on a regular basis. If you've not flushed the stock system lately to freshen it up then start with that and some Valvoline or Castrol LMA or similar before you dump $10qt into some 'race' fluid.

 

I see. It's for my GSX really. Fluid has not been flushed for a while also the ABS seems to kick in early, perhaps one of the speed sensors is bad.

 

Can't say that, but I can tell you it's not the fluid. Still, not a bad idea to flush it every year or two. Good luck!

 

fyi, i sell the crap out of both ate 200 and super blue. they are both the same, the blue is dyed. years ago, there WAS a difference, but i think dot regs changed, and all the fluids had to be recertified, or something like that. anyway, ate didnt want to recertify the super blue, so all they do is put in dye. ate 200 is cheaper. both have the same ratings. i have found that ate 200 seems to last a lot longer than any other fluid i have ever used, but i also flush my fluids(brake, coolant, clutch) yearly. once you can TELL the difference in color, your fluid is contaminated. your clutch will go way faster than the brake fluid, i flush that at least 2x/yr. i dont track anymore, but when i did, it was flush before each event, ESPECIALLY if you road race. ate fluid costs more than a lot of the dot 4 fluids. if you flush your fluids yearly or before every race, you can use anything.

 

cheep alternative

I've been using Valvoline dot 4 synthetic (cheep $4.00-5.50 for 32oz or 950ml) for a few years now and never had any problems with boiling at the track. It's dry boiling is over 500 and wet is 343. Never had a reason to try the high price stuff yet. It is also sold at almost all autoparts stores so you don't have to order of make a special trip to a store 50 miles away to get it.

 

Paging Todd @ TCE...

Myself I just use some DOT 4 and skip all the overpriced "racing" fluids. :dunno:

Same here.

 

Re: cheep alternative

I've been using Valvoline dot 4 synthetic (cheep $4.00-5.50 for 32oz or 950ml) for a few years now and never had any problems with boiling at the track. It's dry boiling is over 500 and wet is 343. Never had a reason to try the high price stuff yet. It is also sold at almost all autoparts stores so you don't have to order of make a special trip to a store 50 miles away to get it.

Ditto... used it on my subaru that I tracked for years. Stuff is great, easy to find (no waiting for mr UPS man to bring you your super blue), and cheap so no crying over spilled brake fluid.