Help me choose a brake fluid for Tibby

[optimummind]

Hi all,

I'm planning to do a brake fluid bleed & replacement in the near-term future but I have a question about what type of brake fluid I should use--synthetic or non-synthetic. Talking to the local Hyundai dealer parts manager, he said my car came with non-synthetic brake fluid and that I should stick to the same type instead of switching over to synthetic. The sales manager at Autozone told me the same thing.

Is what they are saying correct or can I just bleed out my current non-synthetic brake fluid and use synthetic? I don't want the introduction of synthetic brake fluid to damage or deteriorate my brake system prematurely.

If I can go for synthetic, what brands do you guys recommend? If I have to stick with non-synthetic, which brands are good?

TIA,

Optimummind

[wilburisthecoolest]

Sure you can use synthetic, but you will have to COMPLETELY bleed the entire system untill there is not a single drop of non-synthetic. And not to be rude, everyone is lazy, you dont want to do that. There is no real gain from switching. Its a street car so IMHO there is no use. Just stick with your DOT3 or whatever your dealer recomenmds and be happy

[optimummind]

Thx for the info. I went ahead and bought some non-synthetic brake fluid from a Hyundai dealer and bled and replenished the brake fluid today. Some guy told me I had to take off my wheels first but I did it by jacking up all four corners of my car and crawling underneath to bleed it. It was pretty easy except that it started to rain here when i was on my last wheel!

I still managed to finish the job though.

-Optimummind

[Robert1955]

Originally Posted by wilburisthecoolest

There is no real gain from switching.

Actually there would be. A Synthetic fluid does not attract water the way a conventional fluid does and since it attracts less water over the same period of time it will last longer. And a Synthetic has a higher boiling point so fading would be postponed in a stop and go situation in heavy traffic. Having said that in a normal day to day street car situation it is not necessary to use a Synthetic but anything that improves the safety margin in your car is a good thing.

[grimmy]

If you want an upgrade - switch to Motorcycle DOT4 fluid. Just the regular cheap stuff. Bel-ray or Motul are both good. Should be less than 7 bucks per 500 ml bottle.

[optimummind]

Originally Posted by grimmy

If you want an upgrade - switch to Motorcycle DOT4 fluid. Just the regular cheap stuff. Bel-ray or Motul are both good. Should be less than 7 bucks per 500 ml bottle.

Can you explain to me the reasoning behind using motorcycle brake fluid and why it is NOT bad to use it in a car?

-Optimummind

[grimmy]

Because last I checked a Sport bike has far better braking than yours or any tiburon. DOT 3 cannot be used in most modern bike braking systems on bikes due to the lower boiling point of the fluid. Hense almost all bikes now use DOT4. Full synthetic gets into the retardedly high boiling points. Superbike racers "might" think of using it. I've raced with DOT 4 and had no issues - even when coming down from 260 kph hard on the brakes.

Why safe? Bike brake systems are exactly the same as car, just that they use far superior components. Ultimately the metals and rubbers are the same.

Any other questions?

[optimummind]

Originally Posted by grimmy

Full synthetic gets into the retardedly high boiling points. I've raced with DOT 4 and had no issues - even when coming down from 260 kph hard on the brakes. Ultimately the metals and rubbers are the same.

So you're saying that:

(1) Synthetic DOT4 bike brake fluid has high boiling point.
(2) You used bike DOT4 in your car and had no problems.
(3) The components in the bike and car braking system components are the same.

There are car brake fluids that are DOT4 synthetics with higher boiling points than regular car brake fluid. If the components of a bike's and a car's braking system is identical and both devices have the same DOT4 synthetic fluids available for them, then why do manufacturer's market DOT4 synthetic brake fluids, one for cars and one for bikes?

There must be some difference, no? Or is the difference simply that the DOT4 synthetic for bikes has a bit higher boiling point than a car's DOT4 synthetic brake fluid?

As for my driving style, I don't race and I hardly go over 80 mph on highways.

And as another member pointed out, I don't want to spend money at some shop to have them completely flush out my old non-synthetic fluid so that I can add in new synthetic brake fluid. I've had people tell me it's bad for my braking system to mix non-synthetic with synthetic.

-Optimummind

[grimmy]

Bike specific fluids are not far different from Automotive, however typically have higher tollerances and such in comparison to auto products.

Since you drive relatively non excessive, and do not race (and I presume no lapping days either) It is senseless to have a discussion about using high end products in your vehicle - synthetic or not.

Go to your local Hyundai Dealer and buy some Hyundai DOT3 brake fluid. It will work just fine, and exactly to specification. Part number is 084na26032 I believe. Comes in 500 ml bottles. A full litre to 1.5L is recommended to do a complete flush of the entire system.

[optimummind]

Originally Posted by grimmy

Go to your local Hyundai Dealer and buy some Hyundai DOT3 brake fluid. It will work just fine, and exactly to specification. Part number is 084na26032 I believe. Comes in 500 ml bottles. A full litre to 1.5L is recommended to do a complete flush of the entire system.

I don't think you've noticed yet but I did my brake fluids already last week and I posted about it several posts topside.