To add to Gumball's list

Valvoline SynPower................480 / 330

I've been using this stuff for years & you can get it just about anywhere for about the same price as most "off the shelf" brake fluid.

James

 

There's also option #6, which are big reds. (I chose this option but honestly at the time more for the cool look). Or option #7 - F50 Brembos.

I mainly use Motul RBF600, which has the same dry boiling pt as SRF but it's a lot cheaper. Downside is that you can't leave it in there for a year. However I'd rather change the fluid more often and maintain the 595º dry boiling point.

 

SRF is about $75 per liter.

And this is why it is so expensive:

All conventional brake fluids used in cars and motor cycles are hygroscopic, that is, they absorb water from their surroundings. Strange though it may seem, the flexible hoses incorporated in braking systems are permeable to water and in time enough, water can find its way into the system via the hoses, and seriously affect the brake fluid's performance. This water reduces the boiling point of the fluid (ie, it lowers the temperature at which gas bubbles begin to form). When these bubbles form, they turn a virtually incompressible liquid into a mixture of gas and liquid which can be compressed quite considerably, thus severely reducing the efficiency of the brakes. In this situation, a driver finds that the brakes feel spongy. Brake-pedal travel will increase and it may be necessary to 'pump' the pedal to get the brakes to function effectively. However, when the brake fluid reaches a temperature at which the water in the fluid causes gas to be produced, which is equal to the volume swept by the piston in the brake master-cylinder, vapor-lock occurs and the brakes become inoperative. When this happens, the first indication the driver has that something is wrong is when he applies the brakes. The pedal goes down to the floor and the car carries on at an undiminished speed.......

The silicon ester technology in Castrol SRF addresses this problem in two ways. Firstly, Castrol SRF is less hygroscopic than conventional brake fluids - it absorbs less water in a given time. Secondly, unlike conventional glycol ether fluids, Castrol SRF reacts chemically with the absorbed water to reduce its adverse effects, thus preventing the fluid's high temperature performance and safety margins from deteriorating as rapidly as they would otherwise do.

 

Ken wrote:


It's been awhile, but in thepast I've seen sheets of titanium at the Boeing Surplus store which is pretty close by. If Ti is Ti, (meaning there aren't different grades or whatever that would affect its ability as a heat insulater) I'd be happy to see if there is any available and cut out a bunch of inserts.

What thickness would it have to be?

 

No, it is not according to the various things I've read.

Okay, found some link-age; from here:

http://www.takspeed.com/shop/index.p...id=1&chapter=1

states:

"Titanium 7.4-22.0 (Depending on alloy and temp) Usually roughly equivalent to Stainless Steel."

 

Reading the link raises the quesiton if the heat isn't radiated to the caliper via the pistons, where does the heat go? Doesn't matter as long as it doesn't get to the fluid?

Boeing surplus is open Wed-Sat, and I wasn't able to get out there today. I'll see what they've got next week in the way of Ti stock.

 

I was just searching for pad advice and found this thread. It's a good read.

Adam, any luck on the titanium safari?

 

you forgot option 7. Drive the brakes later?

Remember, i was able to run a 1979 4.5 with 200rwhp to a time of 2:10 at Thunderhill (with the hill), IN a race! have you ever seen 79 brakes before. the brake pads are the size of silver dollars!

good pads (pagid orange), late, harder, shorter braking, and super blue fluid.

With the 84 brakes, it was pretty darn good as well, but there was some issues with soft pedal in heavy traffic situations. But, i was always able to slow down without too much extra effort.

Scot is running 1:41s at laguna on S brakes and Pagid oranges with not much issue.

Mk

 

Mark, did you find any Ti stock at Boeing surplus? If so, get with Adam and let him know what you are doing with it.

[read the question][read the question][read the question][read the question][read the question][!!!!!]

....

 

Matt & Bob,

I got side tracked on getting out to Boeing Surplus before, but I may be able to head out tomorrow.

Anyone want to venture a guess how thick a sheet would be optimal?

-Adam

 

Thinner is better. Yiou are looking for insulation value to keep heat that radiates at the pad rear surface from being absorbed to the caliper body I'm guessing. Heat will still transfer directly to the pistons through the sheet.

My two cents, and worth every penny!

 

i think we need an asbestos pad!

mk

 

Does the stock S4 front have brake ducts for cooling?

 

I found a reference to some being .062" thick on sprint cars. Maybe it's just coincidence but Racer's Edge's part numbers for their backing plates are MC-62x0.

 

So why not just make them out of stainless stock?