BrakeFluid-EverythingYouNeedtoKnow
Brakefluidisanessentialcomponentofanyvehicle'sbrakingsystem.Itisahydraulicfluidthatplaysacriticalroleintransferringtheforcefromthebrakepedaltothebrakepadsorshoes,whichthenapplypressuretotherotorsordrumsandstopthevehicle.Thefollowingparagraphswillexplainwhatbrakefluidis,itstypes,howitworks,andwhyit'simportanttochoosetherightoneforyourvehicle.
WhatisBrakeFluidandItsTypes?
Brakefluidisatypeofhydraulicfluidthatisspeciallyformulatedtowithstandtheextremetemperaturesandpressuresinvolvedinbraking.Therearetwomaintypesofbrakefluid:DOT(DepartmentofTransportation)andmineraloil.DOTbrakefluidisfurtherdividedintothreesub-categories:DOT3,DOT4,andDOT5.1.
DOT3isthemostcommontypeofbrakefluidusedinvehicles.Itisaglycol-basedfluidandhasaboilingpointofaround401°F(205°C).DOT4isanimprovementoverDOT3andhasahigherboilingpointofabout446°F(230°C)duetoitsadditionalborateestercompounds.DOT5.1isahigher-gradeversionofDOT3andhasaboilingpointofaround509°F(265°C).
Mineraloil,ontheotherhand,isanon-glycol-basedfluidcommonlyusedinbicyclediscbrakes.IthasalowerboilingpointthanDOTfluidsbutislesscorrosiveandlessharmfultotheenvironment.
HowDoesBrakeFluidWork?
Brakefluidtransmitstheforcefromthebrakepedaltothebrakecalipersorwheelcylindersviathebrakelines.Whenyoupressthebrakepedal,theforceistransferredtothemastercylinder,whichappliespressuretothefluidinthebrakelines.Thefluidthentransferstheforcetothebrakecalipersorwheelcylinders,whichapplypressuretothebrakepadsorshoesandstopthevehicle.
Brakefluidisdesignedtobenon-compressible,whichmeansitdoesn'tcompressorexpandunderpressure.Thisensuresthattheamountofforceappliedatthepedalisthesameastheforceappliedatthebrakepadsorshoes,resultinginefficientandconsistentbraking.
WhyisChoosingtheRightBrakeFluidImportant?
Choosingtherightbrakefluidiscrucialtoensuresafeandeffectivebrakingperformance.Usingthewrongtypeofbrakefluidcanleadtobrakefailure,whichcanresultinaseriousaccident.Forexample,usingDOT5inavehicledesignedforDOT3or4cancausetherubbersealsandhosestodeteriorate,leadingtoleaksandpotentiallydangerousbrakefailure.
It'salsoimportanttochangethebrakefluidregularlyaccordingtothemanufacturer'srecommendedinterval.Brakefluidabsorbsmoistureovertime,whichlowersitsboilingpointandreducesitseffectiveness.Dirtyorcontaminatedbrakefluidcanleadtocorrosionanddamagetothebrakingsystemcomponents.
Inconclusion,brakefluidisavitalcomponentofanyvehicle'sbrakingsystem.Choosingtherighttypeandchangingitattherecommendedintervalscanensuresafeandreliablebrakingperformance.Ifyou'reunsureaboutthetypeofbrakefluidyourvehiclerequiresorwhenitneedstobechanged,consultyourowner'smanualoraqualifiedmechanic.
