What brake fluid do the track junkies use?
Do you bleed the brakes before every track event?
What about weekend events?


I can't seem to remember where but i remember reading that with Motul 600 you don't need to bleed your brakes often and can go a few track days without bleeding...any truth to that?

 

Despite the huge calipers, our cars are actually pretty hard on brakes due to inadequate cooling and poor rotor design. I use high temp fluid on the track. Motul RBF600 is what I generally use as it's cheap and easy to find compared to some of the more exotic stuff.


RBF600 holds up pretty well to hard track use. However, you still need to bleed the system between events. Also, RBF600 is more hygroscopic than other brands, so you shouldn't leave it in your system for months and months (especially in the winter).

Emre

 

thanks but what do you mean by Hygroscopic.

I had initially gotten the brake fluid flushed last October and I just got it flushed again a week back and I haven't noticed anything.

Motul seems to have the highest dry and wet boiling points than the ATE Super Blue or any other brands that i have looked at so far.

 

I use Motul in mine. My theory is, if the pedal is hard your fluid is good. I regularly go 2 or 3 weekends without bleeding. Of course it doesn't hurt to bleed, but it isn't always necessary. I have had cars that would get the pedal soft on track. Those cars I would definately bleed, sometimes during the course of the day at the track. On my Evo, I get pad fade but usually not fluid fade.

 

I always recommend ATE Blue, for street and track driven cars. Motul for track only cars. Just bleed the system on a regular basis with either and you will have years of worry free service.

 

I use ATE Blue, bleed twice a year, do 3-4 track days a year, and daily drive my car. Never had a problem on the track with this schedule.

 

I've been having good luck with using Valvoline Synpower. It's a good budget BF. I've heard that it's almost as hygroscopic as a race fluid though. I squeeze in about a dozen track days a year and don't have any problems with the fluid. Of course I also do a fresh bleed before the season starts. I might do one more bleed half way through the season. Again this isn't a 100% track so I don't feel the need for anything more than the Synpower. If fade ever occurs it's from the pads not the fluid. If I was doing nothing but track in this car I would certainly step up to the better fluids like Motul or AP.

 

The stock fluid boils after my first track day and they pedal was soft until bleed everything out and use Motul 600. Never have fade since then

 

I ran the Motul for the time and was actually pretty impressed. I felt that it performed a bit better than the ATE. I had brake fade but the fluid never boiled. Did about 8-10 20min session with 5min breaks in between so you can see that the brakes got quite a bit of pounding. I was running the DS2500 pads. I think they performed a lot better than the oem pads but can anyone recommend a better street and track pad than the 2500.

 

I cooked ATE Superblue the first time I used it on the track in the Evo. Went to Motul RBF600, never boiled it once. Def bleed in between events, weekends should be OK. I don't think bleeding during weekend events will make any noticeable difference. But as mentioned above from Emre, the Motul needs to be bled much morefrequently if used for street as well. Not as "daily driver" friendly as others. SS lines will also help, and it sounds dumb, because usually I don't go for this random $hit, but the brace from Weapon R for the master cylinder actually helped pedal modulation a bit, since the cylincer does sway a little in hard cornering. I was impressed. Oh yeah, factory cooling ducts as well help a lot!

 

I use Motul 600. I change it every Spring. I never bleed it. I do 2-4 track days a year. It's my daily driver & I average 15K miles a year. Never a problem with the brakes or brake fluid.

 

SynPower is good stuff. The specs are almost exactly the same as Typ 200/Superblue but it's easier to find and a little cheaper.

You can check out this page for a nice table comparing wet and dry boiling point:

http://new.bmwquebec.ca/bmw/technical/brake_fluids

Emre

 

Good find Emre. You a BMWCCA member? I rep the Boston Chapter. Also, from the great north...you know Alex and Seb from PMI? They do a lot of BMW Club races. Sorry guys...off topic. I think unless you're all out on the track, anyone of those recommended above will work fine...

 

Go here. http://autorepair.about.com/library/.../bldef-058.htm

 

LOL. Thanks...look at the author name on that site.


Yes, I'm a Boston Chapter and NJ Chapter member. I'm also on the board of directors of the BMW Club of Quebec (I'm the V.P.). I think I met you at BAB6 last year. You were part of Joe Marko's crew, right? I had the silver Evo with NJ plates, which was totally stock back then.

Emre