OEM brake fluid / track days

[PhilH]

My car will be five months old when I go to the track next month. Should I get some new ATE brake fluid?

Is anyone sure of what the OEM brake fluid is? This post says it's ATE Typ200...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6468&highlight=oem+brake+fluid

I'd rather not go to the trouble of changing nearly new fluid if it's up to spec. However, I don't want to boil it either.

As for the event, it's my third driver's school, I should be in an intermediate class, and it will be two days at Jefferson Circuit and one day at Summit Point. Summit has a long straight where I should hit over 110 mph that leads into a hairpin, and you brake from about 90 to 40 twice a lap on Jefferson.

Suggestions? Experiences with the stock fluid on the track?

[The HACK]

Move it to the track forum if you want more responses...A majority here still do not track their car.

As far as the OEM fluid is concerned, it is CERTAINLY not ATE typ 200. Typ 200 has a much higher dry and wet boiling point than the OEM stuff. However, the OEM fluid IS ATE fluid, just their cheaper, crappier kind.

Now, if the track you're going is brake intensive then you may want to consider getting Typ 200 or superblue installed. Just keep in mind Typ 200 and Superblue NEEDS to be bled at least once a year, and twice a year is prefered.

[PhilH]

Originally posted by The HACK
Just keep in mind Typ 200 and Superblue NEEDS to be bled at least once a year, and twice a year is prefered.
Not a problem since they require brake fluid that is no more than six months old for track events, and I've been going Summit Point once a year recently.

If a moderator wants to move this thread to the track forum, go ahead. I thought it might get more traffic over here.

[ayn]

I highly recommend changing out the OEM brake fluid in your brake and clutch line... Not sure how how it gets over there, but it doesn't take much to boil up the OEM fluid. a couple 110->50 hard braking would do it...

--Andrew

[PhilH]

After doing some more searches (found quite a bit of stuff on e46fanatics actually :eeps: ) I just made an appointment to have some high temp fluid put in.

[rwg]

The 330i went to it's first track day at about 9 months old at Gratten - with a 115 - 120 mph straight followed by a hard turn. It's a brake intensive track and I didn't have any problems.

It's a good idea to change it, obviously, but it's not likely that you would have any problems. Of course, if you did, they could be catastrophic. Brake fluid is cheap!

[Raffi]

What HACK said.

If you were attending the track event as a novice, I would have told you to keep the OEM fluid since you wouldn't be driving very fast anyway. However, since you will be in an intermediate class and the fluid is 5 months old, you should change it. Keep in mind, though, that the dealer may b!tch about the non-OEM fluid later on - for that reason, I would get Ate Typ 200, instead of the Super Blue (which is discontinued anyway) as it is the same color as the OEM fluid and may not be noticed by the dealer. :eeps:

[The HACK]

By the way, if you're DIY'ing your own brake flush with a pressure bleeder, but are not using the alternate ATE blue/Typ200 method (alternate the Blue stuff and Type 200 to tell when fresh fluids are coming out) here's what you need to do:

Get 2 liters of Typ 200, fill the pressure bleeder, and hook up your bleeder hose at the right rear caliper. Pump the pressure bleeder until ~30psi, open valve and bleed the right rear caliper. Let fluid run through until the fluids bled out fills an entire liter container. Close right rear valve.

Move to left rear, hook up bleeder hose, open valve and bleed 1/4 liter into the container. Move to front right, bleed 1/4 liter. Move to front left, bleed 1/4 liter. Move to clutch, bleed about 1/8 liter to complete the flush. That will get out about 95% of your old fluid. If you want to make sure you get everything, get 3 liters of typ 200 and get in your car and pump the brake pedal as you bleed each corner, and go through about 1/3-1/2 quart for the two front corners and the rear left, as well as the clutch. That'll get about 99.9% of your old fluid out.

Since Typ 200 looks exactly like OEM fluid, it'll be hard to judge if all the old fluid has been flushed out. That's why I like alternating between Superblue and Typ 200, since once the blue fluid clears out or the yellow fluid turns dark blue, I know I've flushed through the reservoir. But it takes about 1 whole liter to flush through the reservoir with a pressure bleeder.