desoto

Follow up to my earlier post.

What are some recommendations for the proper brake fluid to use for a 1987 911 Carrera?

The PPI for my car stated that I should not have any silcone base or silicon additive in the brake fluid?

Any thoughts?


Desoto

Will

ATE Super Blue is a popular choice. It's an inexpensive DOT 4 fluid that is good for both street and track use. Silicone-based fluids are definitely not a good choice.

JackOlsen

I'll second that. ATE Super Blue is not too exepensive, and very good.

Ed Bighi

I would also recommend Motul 600 brake fluid. It has a dry boiling point of 585 degrees farenheit. Probably the highest number I have ever seen. I have used it with no problems. Another great fluid is Castrol SRF. The stuff costs a lot of money, but it has the highest wet boiling point in the industry. I actually had to buy the $70+ can of the stuff once since everyone in town ran out of Motul 600 and ATE super blue.

Adrian

I use the Castrol GTX DOT 4 brake fluid. Costs 11.50CHF for 1/2 litre here in Switzerland. I imagine it would be cheaper in the USA.
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

Bill Gregory

There's an article on brake fluid that may be of interest:
http://tech.rennlist.com/911/pdf/brakefluidbg.PDF

desoto

Bill and all others on this thread -

Thank you for your advice. I now have stumbled across an article by Bruce Anderson that gives a few reasons to have silicon based brake fluid - see:
http://www.911handbook.com

choose articles and under the magazine 911 & Porsche World there is an article on silicon brake fluid. In reading it, Bruce states in the 3rd to the last paragraph that one should disassemble the brake system when adding silicon brake fluid. The silicon was added to the car in Febraury 2001.

My question is: why is silicon bad for the car? and if I really should replace it should I disassemble the braking system to insure the silicon is completely flushed out?

It seems like a lot of work but I am not sure of the value. Thanks for your help.

Desoto

Adrian

Sometimes you have just have to believe the people that designed the 911. Porsche do not recommend DOT 5 silicon based products so why try and use them. The specifications of the fluid are outside the design specifications of the system. If you read the whole article you will see that problems were had in the bleeding and the feel of the brakes.
Obviously it is a matter of choice but ignore ANY manufacturers recommendations at your own risk.
I would advise that this DOT 5 fluid be removed from your system, the system througly flushed and then refilled.
I wonder if this article was ever published in the USA. Porsche 911 world is a UK only magazine. Hard to get outside of the USA. Was it ever published in Excellence or Panorama. If not I wonder why.
Let me share another example. This has happened more than once. The power steering systems of Porsche pre 1993 use non synthetic hydraulic fluid. Dextron II or III. Somebody I know decided to try the new synthetic Dextron IV or V I cannot remember which. It must be better he told me afterwards. We know synthetic hydraulic fluid as Skydrol. it melts gaskets and o-rings that were designed for mineral hydraulic fluids. Guess what, within 15 minutes of refilling with the new fluid it was all over the garage floor.
Stick to the owners manuals recommendations for fluids or equivalent for your own 911,
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

PS: Replace very two years.