silicone hydraulic fluid, why not DOT5 silicone? Options

[worn]

We run silicone brake fluid in our LBCs (Little British Cars) and this is widely accepted among that crowd. This week I am putting new front wheel cylinders in the 47 Dodge P.U. truck cause we don't run it enough and they pitted.

So why not use the silicone fluid in a 914? Yes, there is a slight compression you can feel in the pedal, but in my TR6 you can hardly feel it. I now have enough toys so that routine maintenance is a pretty big chore. Keeping up with batteries and tires is bad enough. Yes, I know that you should bleed out the old fluid, but frankly I doubt that would have helped me with the truck. The problem was the lack of movement of the seals over the cylinder. My time flies!

So - what do you think?

Thanks,
Warren

[GregAmy]

DOT 4 is fine for any applications, even racing. And in my experience DOT 5 creates a funky pedal, and that was after running multiple cans through the system. And it costs more.

There's just no value in DOT 5. I run ATE Blue (while I still have some) and Amber/Gold in everything, street and race.

[worn]

DOT 4 is fine for any applications, even racing. And in my experience DOT 5 creates a funky pedal, and that was after running multiple cans through the system. And it costs more.

There's just no value in DOT 5. I run ATE Blue (while I still have some) and Amber/Gold in everything, street and race.

The value that the British crowd sees is reduced damage due to humidity in the fluid, a process that starts the moment you open the bottle. I agree that it isn't suitable for racing. With six toy cars I found I couldn't do big restoration and conversion and keep track of bleeding the brakes on time. Also, I am old with a bad back. Unfortunately that 47 Dodge truck is in truth hard to drive, so it sort of languished. That thing is so hard to steer and stop I wouldn't consider experimenting with silicone. On the other hand my TR6 with silicone stops quite a bit better than my 914 with DOT 4 - but then the TR has a vacuum booster.

I am not trying to talk anyone into this, but I am a scientist, so I want the reasons people have, including subjective ones, and in Wisconsin we are required to Sift and Winnow the ideas. Sometimes.

Thanks to all who responded.

[McMark]

The value that the British crowd sees is reduced damage due to humidity in the fluid, a process that starts the moment you open the bottle.

Starts the moment you open the bottle and takes 30-40 years to really do damage to the system? Okay, maybe that's overstated, but even at 10 years the moisture in the brake system isn't a significant issue on a properly maintained brake system.

Use whatever you want (obviously), there's nothing wrong with DOT5 if you like it. But as far as "Why don't P-car people use DOT5?" You've seen why. For most of us, the DOT4 satisfies our needs better than DOT5. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)