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Re: Brake Fade
Posted by John Miller (more from John Miller) on Thu, 16 May 2002 00:36:59
In Reply to: , Kok Chen, Sat, 17 Dec 1988 12:00:00

>> Only idea I have is upgrading to DOT 5.1 fluid, but is it compatible?
>
> SAAB clearly warns that DOT 5 is not compatible with any of it's braking
> systems.

DOT 5.1 is not DOT 5. Completely different, in fact.

DOT 5 is silicone. Incompatible with other fluids, incompatible with some
seal materials, entrains air when poured so you'll always have a soft
pedal. Useful in some industrial applications but generally considered
undesirable for automotive braking systems.

DOT 5.1 is synthetic non-silicone, compatible with DOT 3/4 fluids,
compatible with automotive hydraulic system seals. This is good stuff.

There are other non-DOT-rated high-boiling-point fluids out there that are
compatible with OEM seals and fluids (e.g Motul 600, AP 550 and 600) and
ones that are not (Castrol SRF, but no one in their right mind would
consider using this stuff for anything but high-end race applications.)

> A better idea would be to get a hold of some Australian 'Metal Master'
> brake pads. The company that makes them used to be called Repco, then
> PBR, and now they are Axxis (I think).

The MetalMaster pads are good stuff, but they can be noisier than OEM, I
like them well enough in most applications. For some reason I did *not*
like them on our '92 9000T, and went back to the factory Textar pads, but
it's been so long now that I can't remember what the reason was.

> resisting fade, are hard wearing, and generate little dust. You could
> run one set for 5 or more years, and by the time they wear out, the
> rotors (disks) will be due for replacement as well.

I get typically ~35K miles (2-2.5 years) out of a set of front pads in
street use, doesn't much matter what car or what pads. Some pads are more
aggressive about using up rotors than others; our BMWs eat rotors about
every 1-2 sets of pads.

I won't go into track use here, where it's possible to use up a set of
rotors in a weekend or two.

If one is changing one's brake fluid every year or at least every two years
as one should, and one is running a decent pad (the OEM Textars are good,
the MetalMasters are similar, if you need something more aggressive than
that you're into Porterfield R4S pads or some such) and one is still
experiencing fade, then you'd better focus on airflow to the brakes.

John.
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