do u need to flush brake system with alcohol b4 switching to DOT 5.1 or drain and bleed?

do u need to flush brake system with alcohol b4 switching to DOT 5.1 From DOT 4? or Standard drain and bleed and flush with 5.1. Was on sale got 1.5L was going to run it all thru and due clutch too? Thanks all

 

As long as it's DOT 5.1 and not DOT 5 (the slilicone based stuff), you should be fine to just replace. 5.1 and 4 are both glycol based and should be compatible.

I'd really avoid using DOT 5 in any brake system requiring DOT 4.

 

Not a good idea......Dot 4 changed every 2 years is fine, no real need for anything else.

 

i know not to use dot 5 @ all but i heard that if u dont flush the system with alcolhol geling can still occur... i kinda thought that it was a load of Sit but wanted to make sure, i'll just end of flushing the Sit out of it with the 5.1 to b safe and for piece of mind thanks

 

y's that i heard that it b better with a higher boiling points?
whats the issue?
P.s on another note the Engine ice coolant is the shit

 

Im sure there no need for it but there was also no need for the new paint job and vynal wrap i put on it or the TFI, or the fan blade mod,ehaught, Patching over the 5thgen signals body work and repaint ...ect...ect.....ect.... Engine ICE ...... premium fuel......ect...ect..It cause it is way better for it, i treat it awesome....untill i start it they i drive the piss out of it .... and it puts a smile on my face

 

ANSWER
...i'm sure there will be debate but..................
DOT 5.1 works with DOT 3/4

NOT DOT 5

All Changes dot 3/4 to 5.1 Flush as per regular change

DO NOT USE Alcohol UNLESS A) u r racing and want the ton of Matience that comes with DOT 5.0
B) The Alcohol is 99% Icyprobal whatever contains water

 

Hey toomuch:

Just flush with DOT 4 and use DOT 4 or you'll be having 'nofun'.

Unless you are racing you won't be wearing out your DOT 4 anytime soon.

BZ

 

as per my driving style. ........ i went thru 2 rear wheels and one front in the 5-6 months of riding this summer.......... and spend bout @ 1375.00 in photo radar...Least one or two trips a month to Race City in Calgary.... And one big smile all winter..... 5.1 it is switch will not make a different to feel or braking......BUT will resist more moisture and has a high boiling point.... so if u go thru 1 set of brakes pads every summer like i do, Dirve it like ya stole it,,, Then 5.1 will last longer....OR AS LONG AS YOUR WEAKEST AMOUNT OF DOT FLUID before Breakdown boiling and brake failure...... If u ride your bike in the slow lane have a chicken line bigger then 1/2", ride your bike on the weekend then use 4.0 or tell me a disadvantage about using it as apposed to 5.1

 

Oh man, this thread is awesome! Thank you.

 

So what your telling me is you wear out your tires and brake fluid by dragging your brakes in the 4 to 5 month riding season you take part of?

Posts like yours are shit and heres why. You offer no logical explanation for the change in brake fluid. If you made the statement that you switch your DOT 4 brake fluid every season and the old stuff stinks to high heaven and is nasty, well it obvious your ‘boiling’ the fluid and really working it. You say nothing about spirited rides, until someone offers you some basic advice, and even then is this on the street or track? Are you getting brake fade?

In addition, if you had taken a moment to review my profile I do know a little about high performance riding. Not much, but a little. What little I know is I have yet to burn up my brake fluid that is DOT 4 in a season of track days and general riding combined.
Your mind was made up way before you posted your query on VFRW.

I recommend posting your question on the WERA race forum. Much better ‘experts’ their…

BZ

 

At least nobody mentioned Slick 50...

Oops!

 

[FONT=helvetica, arial]I didn't know there was a 5.1 glycol based brake fluid. So I went looking for a description of it. I found some interesting info at Understanding Brake Fluid - RPMnet.com tech articles - by AFCO racing.

Here's a cut & paste of some of the info. Notice what they say about Silicone base fluids. The myth out in the real world is DOT5 is some kind of super fluid. In reality it's probably the worst. I didn't know that. Now I does................................ Makes your think about changing your brake fluid yearly. But then again if your using your brakes your not going fast enough, they just slow you down.


Automotive brake fluid has many responsibilities. Corrosion protection and lubrication of brake system components are only a portion of the role brake fluid must play. [/FONT] [FONT=helvetica, arial]All automobiles that have a hydraulic braking system must use brake fluid in order for the brake system to operate. The type of fluid used can depend on the type of vehicle and the demands of the vehicles brake system. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]The two most common brake fluids used in the automotive industry are fluids that contain Polyalkylene Glycol Ether and fluid that contains Silicone or Silicium-based Polymer. Both Fluids are common but very different in regards to the manner in which they perform. Fluids containing Polyalklene Glycol Ether are more widely used and are the only fluids that should be used in racing brake systems. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]Because brake systems may reach extreme temperatures brake fluid must have the ability to withstand these temperatures and not degrade rapidly.[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]SILICONE BASED FLUID
[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial] Fluids containing Silicone are generally used in military type vehicles and because Silicone based fluids will not damage painted surfaces they are also somewhat common in show cars.[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]Silicone-based fluids are regarded as DOT 5 fluids. They are highly compressible and can give the driver a feeling of a spongy pedal. The higher the brake system temperature the more the compressibility of the fluid and this increases the feeling of a spongy pedal. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]Silicone based fluids are non-hydroscopic meaning that they will not absorb or mix with water. When water is present in the brake system it will create a water/fluid/water/fluid situation. Because water boils at approximately 212º F, the ability of the brake system to operate correctly decreases, and the steam created from boiling water adds air to the system. It is important to remember that water may be present in any brake system. Therefore silicone brake fluid lacks the ability to deal with moisture and will dramatically decrease a brake systems performance. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]POLYGLYCOL ETHER BASED FLUIDS
[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial] Fluids containing Poly glycol ethers are regarded as DOT 3, 4, and DOT 5.1. These type fluids are hydroscopic meaning they have an ability to mix with water and still perform adequately. However, water will drastically reduce the boiling point of fluid. In a passenger car this is not an issue. In a racecar it is a major issue because as the boiling point decreases the performance ability of the fluid also decreases. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]Poly glycol type fluids are 2 times less compressible than silicone type fluids, even when heated. Less compressibility of brake fluid will increase pedal feel. Changing fluid on a regular basis will greatly increase the performance of the brake system. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]FLUID SPECIFICATIONS All brake fluids must meet federal standard #116. Under this standard is three Department of Transportation (DOT) minimal specifications for brake fluid. They are DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5.1 (for fluids based with Polyalkylene Glycol Ether) and DOT 5 (for Silicone based fluids). [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]MINIMAL boiling points for these specifications are as follows: [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Dry Boiling Point[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Wet Boiling Point[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]DOT 3[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]401ºF[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]284º F[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]
DOT 4[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]446º F[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]311º F[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]DOT 5[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]500º F[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]356º F[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]DOT 5.1[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]518º F[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]375º F[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]

[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]Racing brake fluids always exceeds the DOT specifications for dry boiling points. Wet boiling points generally remain the same.[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]WET VS. DRY BOILING POINT[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial]
[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial] The term boiling point when used regarding brake fluid means the temperatures that brake fluid will begin to boil. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]WET BOILING POINT[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial]
[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial] The minimum temperatures that brake fluids will begin to boil when the brake system contains 3% water by volume of the system. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]DRY BOILING POINT[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial]
[/FONT][FONT=helvetica, arial] The temperatures that brake fluid will boil with no water present in the system. [/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica, arial]
[/FONT]

 

LOL i read the same post.... Yes i could use the same old Dot 4 in the bike... and im sure it would b fine... there is nothing wrong with Dot 5.1 except the price..... DOT 5.0 IS THE DEVIL...Bla bla blah... ..but if i am going to do something it is going to be the best i can find.....there is nothing wrong with my brakes to begin with expect me doing stoppies...burn outs and wheelies and draging my rear brake while the front is off the ground......which have a tendency to wear parts out ect.... i didnt need the aftermarket racing pads too.....or the 54 tooth rear sprocket..... but hey only the best for me.... i put the shit in the track bike ( R1) Last summer and it worked awesome noticed a huge difference round lap 6 +.... I posted this to make sure there want some stupid thing with the VFR cause of the linked braking syltem i didnt know about.....and there isnt.
this says it all

MINIMAL boiling points for these specifications are as follows:
Dry Boiling Point Wet Boiling Point DOT 3 401ºF 284º F
DOT 4 446º F 311º F ******DOT 5 500º F 356º F *******DOT 5.1 518º F 375º F

F -u all Dry.... if ya dont like my riding style or attitude... Canada style
And thanks to the people who contributed something helpfull to this post

 

um the fluid in the VFr hasnt been changed in 3 yrs or more i just got it last summer for 2G to trash the shit out of... the VFr that is.... and am in the process or changing EVERYTHING...cause i kinda like the bike for the street, and who knows what has been done in the past to it, and mainly cause the R1 is silly in the city and i always get tickets cause of the bottle and the other illegal things i have done to it. Its ment for the track throw some signals and a plate and your good to go.. this is your logical answer on y i am changing it .... y do u care anyways... as someone looking for information on a subject anything is helpfull.... cept your jabber... my mind wasn't made up before the post ..... but no one has told me any other reason except..."Oh my god its new and im scared of it so stick with dot 4"... yes Dot 4 is fine for racing too...depend on how deep you wallet is, on the track all the fluids get changed AFTER EACH RACE, if ya new anything bout racing u should known that...or your weekend idea of race and mine r quite different.... I have 6 dirtbike trophy's on the wall and 2 track..and im only 27 and just got my racing license 2 yrs ago, whats yours look like? your just mad cause i patched over the signals in my VFR u can tell me... Yes i did look 2 your profile and pics ...drag a knee one and awile! and apply to the second last line of my last post

 

Holy Shit!

Elf800 moved to Canada folks!

 

Hey Toomuch...you have inspired me! When I grow up I want to be just like you!

 

this keeps getting better by the minute. this is better than the yut ugh guy.

 

You might be on to something here, BZ... I thought I recognized the writing(?) style.

 

Who was the yut ugh guy? I hate it when I miss out on these things!