2. At the brakes of your bike,
you can use brake fluids or mineral oil for cars or motorcycles
. However, it is recommended that you use specific BTT products so that the guaranteed one stays valid. 3.
What brake fluid Do bicycles use?
There are two different types of hydraulic fluid used in bicycle disc brakes;
DOT fluid and Mineral oil
. DOT fluid is the standard hydraulic fluid used in brakes, and mineral oil is exactly what you think it is- very similar to the stuff you’d buy at the pharmacy.
Can you use automotive brake fluid in a mountain bike?
Yes it’s the same
. Car branded fluid is usually cheaper than bike branded stuff too.
Can I use DOT 3 brake fluid in my bicycle?
Compatibility Between Brake Fluids
As you can see
all of the glycol- based DOT fluids (3, 4 & 5.1) are fully compatible with each other
and can be readily mixed or swapped without adversely affecting the brake’s performance or its characteristics.
Can I use any DOT 4 brake fluid?
Since DOT 4 and 5.1 are both glycol-based brake fluids
they are compatible with each other
, which means they can be readily mixed without harming your brake system. It is important never to mistake DOT 5.1 (glycol-based) with DOT 5 which is silicone-based and should never be mixed with any other DOT fluid.
Can you use car brake fluid in a dirt bike?
Is automotive and motorcycle brake fluid the same? Yes.
You can use automotive brake fluid in a motorcycle
. If you want to pay more for a smaller bottle, be my guest.
What can I use instead of Shimano mineral oil?
Baby oil
has a lower viscosity and has fragrances in it for obvious reasons. You can get just about 100% pure mineral oil at Walmart or probably any other pharmacy. It the viscosity is relatively high but it doesn’t have anything else in it like Shimano or Magura would put in for seal longevity.
What cars use DOT 4 brake fluid?
What is DOT 5.1 brake fluid?
BRAKE FLUID DOT 5.1 is
a brake fluid for hydraulic brake and clutch systems with a boiling point of at least 260 °C and an extremely high wet boiling point of at least 180 °C
. Because of the low viscosity at low temperatures, particularly suitable for additional systems, such as ABS and ASR.
Can you use baby oil in bike brakes?
Can you use baby oil on bike chain?
Be sure to use bicycle lubricant, not WD40 or another solvent
. Putting anything other than bike lube on your components can cause them to corrode faster. I’ve had customers tell me they’ve used motor oil, baby oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, etc.
How do you put brake fluid on a bike?
What brake fluid does Shimano use?
Broadly speaking, hydraulic disc brakes designed for bicycles will use either a mineral oil fluid, or an automotive DOT fluid.
Genuine Shimano Mineral Oil
is the only fluid compatible with Shimano brakes.
Does it matter what kind of brake fluid I use?
YES! It’s very important–
the fluid specified by the original vehicle manufacturers must be used
. DOT 3 & 4 brake fluid is a mineral based fluid. DOT 5 is silicone based.
What brake fluid should I use?
By far,
DOT 3
is the most popular. It’s been in use for a very long time. Fresh DOT 3 has a boiling point of 401 degrees Fahrenheit; fully degraded, it drops to 284 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes your brake fluid much more likely to boil.
What happens if I mix DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake fluid?
Can you mix Dot 3 and Dot 4 Brake Fluid? Yes, Dot 3 and Dot 4 brake fluid can be mixed. It’s because both these are glycol-based brake fluids, which means that
they are compatible with each other
. If your car has Dot 4 from the factory, it’s not recommended to fill it with Dot 3, though; but the other way is fine.
Can I use DOT 3 instead of DOT 4?
Yes. DOT 3 brake fluid is compatible with DOT 4 brake fluid
. However, DOT 4 offers a higher boiling point. DOT 5.1 is used in high-performance and heavy-duty applications due to its high boiling point.
What brake fluid does a mountain bike use?
There are two types of brake fluid used in mountain bike brakes today.
DOT fluid and mineral oil
. Which one you use is not up for discussion, you should only use the fluid your brake was designed to use.
Can you use any brake fluid?
There are multiple different types of brake fluid that can be used for your vehicle
. However, these are grouped into two headings: Glycol based – this includes brake fluids such as DOT3, DOT4 and Super DOT4. Silicone based – an example of a silicone-based brake fluid is DOT5.
Can I add new brake fluid to old brake fluid?
You can’t do a complete brake fluid flush yourself, but you can do the next best thing—
a fluid swap
. This procedure won’t replace all the old fluid with fresh, but you’ll introduce enough new fluid to make a difference.
What brake fluid do you use on dirt bikes?
Off-road bikes usually use either
DOT 3, 4, or 5.1-grade brake fluid
. Use what your bike is spec’d for, but in general, the higher the number, the better the quality and the higher the boiling point (yes, brake fluid can boil under extreme conditions).
Can you use baby oil for brake fluid?
Shimano use mineral oil in all their brakes. The proper stuff is pretty thin, and specially formulated (so Shimano claim anyway) to have a quite high boiling point.
Baby oil could be used in an emergency, but its higher viscosity could affect performance, and may have a lower boiling point than the proper stuff
.
Can I use DOT 4 brake fluid instead of mineral oil?
Is mineral oil the same as Dot brake fluid for hydraulic disc brakes?
No, mineral oil and DOT brake fluid are different and are NOT compatible
.
Can you use power steering fluid as a substitute for brake fluid?
Brake fluid and power steering fluid are both liquids used in a hydraulic system in modern vehicles, but the similarities don’t go much farther than that. Brake fluid and power steering fluid were designed and refined over the years to serve very different purposes within vehicles, and
they are not interchangeable
.
What happens if I use the wrong DOT brake fluid?
Using the wrong fluid can cause
poor lubrication, overheating, and possibly transmission failure
. A mechanic might not be able to reverse the damage, even by flushing the transmission. Mistakenly adding motor oil or brake fluid can also destroy your transmission.
What is DOT 5 used for?
DOT 5 is
silicone-based brake fluid
and is used in most new cars today. DOT 5 is expensive, but it has a dry boiling point of 356 degrees. Newer brake rotors tend to be smaller and thinner, which means they disperse heat a lot less efficiently. Also, DOT 5 does not absorb any moisture.
Can you mix brands of brake fluid?
Since
DOT 4 and 5.1 are both glycol-based brake fluids they are compatible with each other, which means they can be readily mixed without harming your brake system
. It is important never to mistake DOT 5.1 (glycol-based) with DOT 5 which is silicone-based and should never be mixed with any other DOT fluid.
