The big difference is that DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5.1 are glycol based and DOT 5 is silicone based. My understanding at this point is that it should not be used unless you have a show car and can't afford to have the paint in the engine bay damaged at all, or you drive a tank in the Army at -60F.ĭepending on which brand you buy, DOT 3 and DOT 4 can have different boiling points. If that water pocket ends up in your lines or any other part of the system, it could cause corrosion, if it ends up in your calipers, then your brake fluid boiling point just dropped to 212F, and that is very bad. With DOT 5, it will not be in suspension, it will be in pockets. The numbers I have found say around 2% to 4%. But reality is that water will get in your brake fluid just from the air. Well, I did alot of googling after talking to Brian and what I discovered is that DOT 5 does not absorb any water, which sounds like a good thing. Hope this saves someone the trouble I had. I will do a google search next time before I listen to the speed shop. Please save yourself the trouble and DO NOT USE DOT 5! It is only for show cars (Won't eat paint) and vehicles that operate in very cold weather. Did the same with the back calipers as they are staying on the car.įinally got it cleared out, but it took 4 hours and was no fun. We ended up dismantaling the whole master cylinder etc bench bleeding it and then pushed about 60 CC's of brake fluid through each individual brake line with a syringe and tubing to get it all cleared out. We thought we would just pour in enough DOT 3 to run it all out the brake lines at each corner, but DOT 5 is lighter than DOT 3 or 4 so it just keeps perculating up in little globs in the resivor. I couldn't really remember whether I had DOT 5 or DOT 4 till I checked the bottle I had left over and it was 5. I consulted with Brian at Goodwin Racing and he said it was a no no. After my track day I decided a Big Brake Kit was in order so I got one. I put it in before my first track day at the suggestion of the local speed shop. You will have to refer to your vehicle’s manual for confirmation.Just wanted to hopefully save someone else the pain and suffering I got to experiance today. It depends on your vehicle’s mileage or time. What you need is to change the fluid and replace it appropriately.Ĭan I change my vehicle's brake fluid twice a year? When it does that, your brake system will be unresponsive. When brake fluids begin to absorb too much moisture from the brake system's seal, it can lose its potency. What can affect the effectiveness of brake fluid? It is one of the best brake fluids you can get in the market. Motul DOT 5.1 brake fluid is an excellent and high-power brake fluid that ensures your hydraulics braking system is super responsive and working optimally. However, you can mix DOT 5.1 with DOT 3 and DOT 4 without causing your brake system any harm. Mixing them will corrode the components of the braking system and will cause brake failures. This means that they are not compatible and can not be mixed. The answer is a big NO! Like earlier explained, DOT 5 is silicone-based fluid, while DOT 5.1 is glycol-based fluid. That is one advantage silicone-based fluids like the DOT 5 have over glycol-based fluids.Ĭan you mix DOT 5 brake fluid with DOT 5.1 brake fluid? Once they spill on automotive bodywork, it will damage the paint. DOT 5 is silicone-based and is not commonly used because it's not mixable with water.ĭOT 5.1, DOT 3, and DOT 4 are glycol-based fluids. DOT 5.1 is widely used in the automotive industry. What is the difference between DOT 5.1 and DOT 5 brake fluid?ĭOT 5.1 is glycol-based and has a different wet and dry boiling point when compared to DOT 5 brake fluid. However, it's always better to adhere to your car manufacturer's manual for the recommended type of brake fluid. Since they are glycol-based fluids, you can use DOT 5.1 in place for DOT 3. So in most cases, some DOT 4 brake fluids are DOT 5.1.ĭOT 5.1 has a higher boiling point when compared to DOT 4, but that doesn’t mean it’s superior to DOT 4. However, some manufacturers classify their aftermarket DOT 5.1 brake fluids as DOT 4 because they have the same boiling point. That’s because it has the same chemical properties as other mineral-based brake liquids with lesser wet and dry boiling points.Īll DOT 5.1 brake fluids are the same. DOT 5.1 has the highest wet and dry boiling point, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best brake fluid out there.
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