Brakefluid life on the track?
 

So i gotta question for those that take their cars for lapping days. I understand brake fluid life can vary with how hard you are on your brakes. So, if you manage to go through a day without boiling your brake fluid, should you or can you keep using it?

And also, if you do manage to boil the fluid, and when it does, does the fluid overflow/boil over from the master cylinder?

any tips would be greatly appreciated! I'm looking to be completely prepared before i go out there and embarrass myself. Thanks

If you boil your fluid, you're done. The goal is to NOT boil your fluid.

Managing your brakes and managing your tires is an ongoing lesson.

- If you boil the brake fluid your brake pedal will most likely go to floor. Not a good thing.

- Using fluid for more than one event or in some cases for only 1 out of 2 days depends on the fluid you are using, condition of your pads, type of pads, track configuration and how hard you are on the brakes.

If you are just starting and are on street tires you could probably go a couple of events. But why not get familiar with the things that are going to make it possible to go home with your car in the same shape as when you started.

- I use Motul RBF600 and have had very good luck with it as have most of my track friends. I'm sure I could use the fluid for 2 events but the price of the fluid just isn't worth it to me. Others with lighter cars in the 2400 lb. range can run multiple events on one flush/bleed.

For the first part, I agree completely.

For #2...WOW....I ran about 20 track days a year on a single fluid fill. I was tracking a ~4000 pound car. But I am very easy on brakes.

takayuki----If the pedal fells a bit soft, all you normally need to do is flush the fluid out of the calipers, not necessarily the entire system. When I use a car for track use, I do a full flush before the start of each season.

Supposedly you should only get 2 trackdays out of the fancy stuff....it soaks in too much water from the air and gets ruined.

+1

I bleed out some fluid before every track day. It gives me piece of mind.

I do a complete flush at least once a year. Sometimes more, as I've always had multiple sets of calipers, and/or I regularly repowdercoat them and change colors, so they also get a full flush when i do that.

thanks for the tips guys! appreciate it

Is the Motul RBF600 silicon DOT 5 or a DOT 4 fluid? My temptation is to get the stuff that's best for the track, but the reality is I need something that will perform nicely for the long run on the street. I only have a couple track days each year.

RBF600 is DOT 4 compatible, and perfectly fine for all year street use. It's also a very popular track day fluid, and we run it in our track cars. As a habit, we give the system a quick bleed before each weekend's track event.

Brake fluid life, and bleeding requirments are directly related to how hard you brake, how much heat you are putting into the system, and the type of track. Is the track brutal on brakes, such as a short track, with a ton of turns, and short straights? Or is it a sweeping high speed track, with just a few stabs of the brakes?

Loosing your brakes on track, is one of the most dangerous things you can experience. Hence, a quick bleed before each track day is a prudent and inexpensive safety measure, IMHO.