🏎️ What Is the Best Racing Brake Fluid?

📅 Original by Motek Brakes | May 1, 2020

Before diving into what makes the best racing brake fluid, it’s crucial to understand its function and how things can go wrong. On the track, your brakes are subjected to far higher demands than they face on the streets. Aggressive driving heats them up quickly, and once they get too hot, performance drops drastically. You've probably heard people mention "brake fade"—this refers to the brake pedal going soft or even sinking to the floor, accompanied by a substantial loss in stopping power.

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🚦 How Brake Fluid Works
Your brake system is filled with hydraulic brake fluid. When you press the brake pedal, it forces the fluid into the master cylinder, then down through metal pipes to the brake calipers, pushing the brake pads against the rotors to create friction and slow the car. Because fluid is incompressible, it ensures a consistent pedal feel and reliable performance.

🔥 How Brake Fluid Causes Brake Fade (or Failure)
Most brake fluids (99.9%) are glycol-based and hygroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Over time, even a tiny amount of moisture in your brake lines can cause problems.
🌧️ In just two years, glycol-based brake fluid can absorb up to 13% water.
When the fluid heats up above 100°C (212°F), the water turns into steam, which is compressible. This results in the soft pedal feel—what you're compressing is vapor, not fluid.

⚠️ If your brake fluid is old and full of moisture, this can lead to severe performance issues, especially on the track. Even flushing your old brake fluid with a fresh, standard one can make a huge difference.

📊 Dry Boiling Point vs. Wet Boiling Point
Every brake fluid (DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1) has two boiling points:

Dry Boiling Point: For fresh fluid directly from the bottle.
Wet Boiling Point: For fluid after absorbing moisture over time.
If you frequently flush your brake fluid, focus on the dry boiling point. If you don’t replace it often, the wet boiling point is more important.

👉 On the track, higher boiling points are always better.

🛠️ DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5, and DOT 5.1 – What's the Difference?
DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5.1 are all glycol-based brake fluids, controlled by the Department of Transportation (DOT) standards. The key difference between them is their boiling points:

DOT 3: Basic standard, suitable for everyday use.
DOT 4: Higher boiling points, ideal for track and performance use.
DOT 5.1: Even higher boiling points and compatible with DOT 3 and DOT 4.
⚠️ Do NOT confuse DOT 5.1 with DOT 5, which is silicone-based and NOT compatible with glycol-based fluids.

🚀 What Is the Best High-Performance Racing Brake Fluid?
Racing brake fluids are almost always DOT 4, but they are more refined and designed for higher dry and wet boiling points than standard DOT 4 fluids. We’ve compiled a table of high-performance racing brake fluids with their dry and wet boiling points.

💡 Pro Tip: While some products may exceed your car’s needs for daily use, remember that brake fluid is a vital consumable (second only to engine oil) for your car’s safety. If your budget allows, always choose a premium product.