The importance of brake fluid for road safety

The brake system is an important part of a car that ensures safety and must always work properly. Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid that is used to stop the wheel from spinning and stop the car from moving. It works as follows: the pressure on the brake is transferred to the fluid, which presses the brake pads against the brake discs. The brake discs are attached to the wheel bushings, and this pressure helps to reduce the speed of the vehicle. Brake fluid is the key component that creates this pressure, meaning that without good brake fluid, your braking system will work less efficiently and possibly not work at all.

Types of brake fluid

Now that we understand the importance of brake fluid for road safety, let’s take a look at the different types of brake fluid and which one to choose for your vehicle.

• DOT 3 brake fluid: This type of fluid is ideal for car owners who live in flat areas and mostly drive under normal conditions. It is a polyglycol fluid with a boiling point of 140 degrees Celsius when wet and 205 degrees Celsius when dry. It is known for its ability to absorb moisture by about 2 percent of its volume over the course of a year;
• DOT 4 brake fluid: DOT 4 is similar to DOT 3, but is designed for use in mountainous regions. Both of these fluids are polyglycol-based and absorb 2 percent of moisture annually. The difference lies in the higher boiling point for DOT 4: 155 degrees Celsius wet, 230 degrees Celsius dry;
• DOT 5 brake fluid: DOT 5 is not intended for daily use. It is specially designed for racing cars and other high-performance vehicles. It has a silicone base with a synthetic additive, which means that it does not absorb moisture, but can also cause corrosion in the brake lines if not taken care of. DOT 5 brake fluid has a boiling point of 180 degrees Celsius when wet and 260 degrees Celsius when dry;
• DOT 5.1 brake fluid: DOT 5.1 is also designed for racing cars and high-performance vehicles, but it is compatible with vehicles that use an anti-lock braking system. Its performance is similar to DOT 3 and 4, and it can also absorb 2 percent more moisture annually.

What to consider when choosing brake fluid

When choosing brake fluid for your vehicle, it is important to consider the following aspects:

• Boiling point: First of all, you should pay attention to the boiling point of the brake fluid. Since the brake system generates high temperatures, it is possible that the brake fluid turns to vapor, resulting in a loss of brake performance. A dry boiling point indicates a new fluid, and a wet boiling point is a fluid that contains water after a period of use;
• Corrosion resistance: Brake fluid should repel corrosion in places such as anti-lock brake control valves, master cylinders, brake cylinders wheel brake calipers. Some brake fluids contain various additives to help fight corrosion;
• Viscosity: Viscosity is also important because it helps in high temperature performance, ensuring that stabilization, traction control and anti-lock brake systems work properly;
• Compatibility: Brake fluids are designed for specific brake systems, including disc and drum brakes. Make sure you understand which system is installed in your vehicle and choose a fluid that is compatible with your vehicle.

Choosing the right brake fluid is an important part of ensuring the safety and efficiency of your vehicle’s braking system. After considering the boiling point, corrosion resistance, viscosity and compatibility with your brake system, you can make an informed choice of the brake fluid that is best for your vehicle. Remember to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and keep your brake system in good condition. Road safety is always a priority!

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Now a few words about the construction of the pad. It consists of two main parts – a metal base and a friction material (the pad itself). But some pad manufacturers install a layer between them: for example, Ferodo has a ThermoQuiet line – these are ordinary pads that have an “anti-noise” friction composition, as well as a layer (between the pad and its base) that prevents the transfer of heat from the heated pad to the brake caliper and fluid. The pads themselves are baked from various materials (some manufacturers have up to 150 types – carbohydrates, graphite, borate, oxides, etc., and about 20 additives designed to prevent the pad from squeaking during braking), interconnected by special resins. If the pad was not baked properly, these resins are further baked during braking and brake heating, which is why you need to brake smoothly for the first 500-1000 km, and the pads themselves may smoke. Most often, the pad is reinforced with aramid fibers (Kevlar), less often with steel (used mainly for sports), and modern high-quality pads are necessarily free of asbestos (although sometimes it is included in cheap export pads).

Next, you need to pay attention to the operating temperature of the pad and its coefficient of friction. For civilian driving and even fast driving, pads with an operating temperature of up to +300-350 deg. Sports pads are able to operate up to a temperature of +800-900 deg. C, but their heating occurs only at 100-200 deg. C, which means a complete impossibility of working in urban conditions. Therefore, there is no point in installing racing brake pads on a civilian car, even if their friction coefficient exceeds 0.5 units – after all, in civilian cars it is +150 degrees. C, it can barely reach 0.2. The average value of the coefficient of friction of civilian pads is in the range of 0.3-0.5 units, depending on the company and the pad (0.25-0.35 for ordinary Aftermarket pads, 0.35-0.5 for premium OE pads). And the higher this figure, the better the braking. However, this coefficient often decreases with repeated braking, and the pad needs to cool down to restore its shape.

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FERODO

If you have the opportunity to talk to experienced car owners who have also gone through their cars themselves, you will hear “ferodo” as the name of the pad in general. Americans have been producing them for over 100 years. The pads are produced in one Eco-Friction series, which replaced the Premier series (it remained only for trucks). The pads do not contain copper. According to the manufacturer, they are 20% more efficient than competitors (albeit on certain models). They have been used in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class since March 2014 and in the Audi A4 since September 2015.

TRW

Another American company that helped build the automotive industry. Since 2014, they have been part of the ZF group. Their products were installed on car assembly lines so widely that one of the types of brake systems was named TRW. The COTEC series is considered basic, but it has an advantage over competitors – during the “running-in” period, they brake 7 meters faster than their counterparts. The DTEC series is the same COTEC, but with low dust emission technology. This is a real advantage for cars with alloy wheels. For example, brake pads for Renault Kangoo 2 or brake pads for Renault Megane 3 from TRW are supplied to the assembly line.

ZIMMERMANN

Otto Zimmermann may not have such a rich history, but the quality of their products has been appreciated by many German automakers and they use these parts “in the original”. The basic series of pads is installed on the BMW assembly line and guarantees comfortable braking and long service life. The rd:z series are dust-free pads. Not only do they leave less dust on the rims, but they also brake twice as well.

REMSA

The only manufacturer on this list that is not considered a representative of the premium class. Perhaps, in terms of status and historical achievements, it really does not reach the others, but in terms of product quality it does not lag behind. And given that the price of these pads is at the “average and above average” level, this makes them simply ideal in terms of “price-quality”. Remsa is one of the two brands of the Spanish company Eurofren. The pads are manufactured at 12 plants around the world. Up to 130 million pads are produced annually. The pads are tested on mountain roads in the Alps, where braking systems are tested for all possible types of overloads. Additionally, the pads are run in tests on rotating dynamometers that simulate 10,000 hours of operation. Remsa brake pads are more often purchased by owners of Volkswagen cars, as their price is much lower than that of competitors. A good example is the brake pads for Passat B7, this manufacturer is 30% cheaper than Ferodo or TRW.

Brembo

A manufacturer that needs no introduction. Italian brake calipers Brembo, excite the soul of everyone who is fond of super and sports cars. By the way, Brembo started producing pads relatively recently – only in 2010. The pads are represented by three series – Original, Xtra, and Sport. The first series consists of 1400 pads. The second was introduced in 2018 and is designed for sports and powerful cars. The Sport series is designed for driving on the highway in sport mode. The mixture can withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius (while conventional pads heat up to 400). Brembo brake pads are bought mainly by owners of Japanese car brands, because their cost is much lower than that of their closest competitors. For example, the front brake pads on a Mitsubishi Lancer 9 are 15% cheaper than Ferodo.

Textar

This German company has been working on brakes since the days when leather belts were used instead of pads. And today it is a premium manufacturer, widely represented in the original equipment of both ordinary cars and supercars. Textar pads are represented by a basic series of 1600 articles and the EPAD series, which promises virtually silent braking with low dust emission.

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