Top 5 Best Brake Fluid and Buying Guide

In general, most types of brake fluid are synthetic hydraulic, which is used to transfer the pressure and power throughout all components of the brake.

In other words, they are often applied to transfer force to pressure.

And this is the way that your foot apply pressure on the brakes to stop a car. Therefore, it is especially important since fresh brake fluid would be compressed, which helps to provide quality pressure for your brake system.

In most of car models all over the world, brake fluid would be one of the most overlooked fluids. Generally, a couple of automobile manufacturers suggest that car owners should replace the best brake fluid for every three years.

To help you have a better understanding as well as the importance of brake fluid in a car, we will show you useful information on some aspects of brake fluid and some short reviews. After reading, we hope that you could find the most suitable type of brake fluid for your car.

Top 10 Best Brake Fluid Recommendations

Name Product	My Rating	Price
ATE 706202 Original TYP 200 DOT 4 Brake Fluid – 1 Liter	4.9 / 5.0	$$
Motul 8068HL RBF 600 Factory Line Dot-4 100 Percent Synthetic Racing Brake Fluid – 500 ml	4.8 / 5.0	$$
Pentosin 1204116 Super Dot 4 Brake Fluid, 1 Liter	4.8 / 5.0	$$
Prestone AS401 DOT 3 Synthetic Brake Fluid – 32 oz.	4.7 / 5.0	$
MAG1 120 Premium DOT 3 Brake Fluid – 32 oz.	4.7 / 5.0	$

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Top 5 Best Brake Fluid Reviews

1. ATE 706202 Original TYP 200 DOT 4 Brake Fluid – 1 Liter

You would not need to be worried about the braking system when using this brake fluid simply because it meets or even exceeds all standards of DOT 4. In addition, it also has a very reasonable price for those who have a tight budget. This product is especially suitable for drum, disc or ABS brake systems in car.
The ATE 706202 is also made with perfect water-binding features so that you do not need to think of a significant decrease in the point of boiling, thereby protecting the brake system for a long time.

2. Motul 8068HL RBF 600 Factory Line Dot-4 100 Percent Synthetic Racing Brake Fluid – 500 ml

RBF600 of Motul would be one of some brake fluid types that has the greatest wet and dry point of boiling in the market. In general, one important factor that make it outstanding from the others is the introduction of nitrogen elements in a bottle instead of air, which would help to remove contamination and increase the shelf life of this product. Last but not least, RBF600 is not only used as a type of brake fluid for racing, but could also be applied for hauling cars and trucks with light range.

3. Pentosin 1204116 Super Dot 4 Brake Fluid, 1 Liter

1204116 brake fluid of Pentosin is a product with superior quality, which is often used universally in brake system of modern cars and especially suitable for models with ABS system. In addition, it would help to prevent valor lock or vaporization so that you could use it safely. In other words, this Pentosin brake fluid is made with perfect resistance to retaining as well as absorbing water in the air and offers car owners with great ability to resist corrosion.

4. Prestone AS401 DOT 3 Synthetic Brake Fluid – 32 oz.

This type of brake fluid could be used on either disc or drum brakes and is especially suitable for any light trucks. In addition, Prestone AS400 is also made with stability in high temperature, which would be a decisive element when you are going for any types of brake fluid. What really makes this version different from the others is its ability to move eve at low temperature as well as prevent the water from going into the hydraulic fluid.

5. MAG1 120 Premium DOT 3 Brake Fluid – 32 oz.

In brake fluid industry, MAG1 has always been a famous brand for making car accessories with high quality over the past few years. And this 120 product is not an exception, which is quite popular thanks to its effectiveness, dependability, and affordability.
With dry point of boiling at 4940 F, you could keep this liquid for a long time. In other words, you just need to replace brake fluid for every two years, which really helps you to save a lot of money on maintenance.

Types of Brake Fluid

Viscosity Limit

The classification of brake fluid is based on different range of temperatures which the fluid would still maintains its corrosive and stable features. In fact, there are more features that would be taken into account, but we are only going to pay attention these 2 factors.

Viscosity is especially crucial to those models which are made with ABS system mainly because the volume and pressure of brake fluid would be not transferred. It means that car manufacturer’s recommended viscosity limit is essential to take into account.

In general, there are 4 main types of brake fluid based on the viscosity limit that the brake fluid is created.

DOT 3

DOT 3 brake liquid is made from glycol ether, which has high point of boiling and low molecular weight. In fact, it is one of 2 brake fluid types that would be able to absorb water in the air. Thanks to its economical use in terms of meeting the requirements of the government, DOT 3 is one of the most common types of brake fluid used in the market.

DOT 4

Apart from DOT 3, this is another type of brake fluid which could absorb water in the air. Therefore, limiting its exposure to the air is really important. In addition, do not spill any of DOT 4 fluid on a vehicle due to its chemical elements (glycol ether).

Just open the reservoir of brake fluid if necessary and always make sure that you close the plastic bottle firmly. When DOT4 fluid is new, it has high point of boiling and stability. This boiling point would decrease quickly, even greater than DOT 3 if this type of brake fluid is absorbed with water.

DOT 4 is often considered as a performance or race brake fluid thanks to its viscosity limit. Thus, it is essential to replace the brake fluid more often in terms of performance car.

DOT 5

One of the biggest advantages of DOT 5 brake liquid is that it is made from silicon, which means that it will not chip paint when you spill liquid on the vehicle.

Always bear in mind to pour DOT 5 brake liquid slowly. This is simply because it would generate air bubbles when you pour it too fast, which would put more gas in the brake lines and put your car at risk.

In sunny days, you would definitely need to bleed this type of liquid after each time letting it idle for a long period.

DOT 5.1

Unlike DOT 5, DOT 4 and DOT 3, DOT 5.1 brake liquid fluid does not absorb water in the air.

In addition, DOT 5.1 type is also considered as hydrophobic, which indicates non-absorbing and is often applied thanks to its lower possibilities of corrosion. In fact, DOT 5.1 is exclusively used in the high performance manufacturing simply because this type of brake fluid needs so much special attention.

Brake or hydraulic fluid (hydraulic means powered or moved by fluid) is one of the most overlooked elements in your car. Many people do not even know what it is.

In general, brake fluid helps to move all components in the braking or clutch system of a vehicle, especially used for car, light truck and motorcycle. Brake fluid is really important since it needs to work hard and perfectly under frequent pressure and high temperature. This is the reason why it is so essential to keep the brake fluid in good condition so that your braking system would work effectively and safely.

In fact, it is really a bad situation when your car suddenly runs out of brake fluid mainly because it would make the braking system to stop operating, which could lead to a serious car accident. Generally, most mechanics often suggest that brake fluid need to be changed for every 30000 miles. In case you think that your vehicle is leaking the brake fluid, then you would get it examined by a professional mechanic to find out the problem because it would lead to any serious problems with your car due to lack of brake fluid.

By transferring great pressure into the braking system, the brake fluid is particularly important in the following situations:

Those drivers who travel long distance under warm weather condition. When the brake fluid reaches its boiling point, it would vaporize and put a braking system at risk.
In a car with cadence or stutter braking system, you need to press the brake repeatedly to keep it from being locked up.
Most modern models of car are made with ABS or anti-lock braking system. If there is no brake liquid in a break line, there will be no pressure, which means that this system would not contribute much to the car.