ATE Superblue Warning

[STRBramley]

Got some of this today in preparation for fitting my brakes and I noticed it comes with a warning that it cannot be used on roads. Why is this? Just because of the colour?

 

[Alex Conway]

Because legislation is much more lax if they write that. Same reason most pads aren't for road use, even if better than road counterparts. It will be fine, I've gad sone in my car for a year and a half

 

[imprezaworks]

You will be fine mate, I've used it for ages

 

[Cub.]

You will be fine mate, I've used it for ages

This. Been in mine for ages.

Just done a flush with it last week, MOT'd today all fine and dandy. It is also much better than the DOT4 it says on the Tin, but IIRC because they have only had it tested up to DOT4 so can't put on the tin that it is higher grade.

 

[...]

The actual reason is that while race brake fluids have very high wet and dry boiling points dispite being only dot 4, they are very hydroscopic.

They absorb water and deteriorate much more quickly than fluids normally in a car for road use.

Race fluids are designed to perform under extreme conditions but be replaced often.
Castrol SRF is THE best there is.

So all the it will be fine brigade , did you ACTUALLY know why the warning is there .

 

[imprezaworks]

I kind of know with regards boiling points etc but after speaking to various people over the years about what good fluid to use on the road and the occasional trackday this came high on the list of ones to use.

 

[...]

I kind of know with regards boiling points etc but after speaking to various people over the years about what good fluid to use on the road and the occasional trackday this came high on the list of ones to use.

You will not get better than SRF , period , you might get cheaper.

However more to the point is why the warning is there , its not designed to sit around in a car like regular fluid , its designed to be changed often.

Every 3 months we used to do , alot of people do it every race meeting

 

[Austin-182]

Why do people bother putting this in their road cars anyway? Im sure its just like every other typical bandwagon, for some reason on CS a lot of people use this and it seems to catch on and people presume this is the best fluid/ only fluid to use. Il be changing all my discs and pads this year along with the fluid and all will be genuine standard Renault.

 

[Midnight]

OEM fluid EASILY boils...

A hard spirited drive boiled my previous cars fluid.

 

[bloke]

Il be changing all my discs and pads this year along with the fluid and all will be genuine standard Renault.

don't forget though renault will buy from the best priced supplier, genuine doesn't always mean best

 

[Austin-182]

don't forget though renault will buy from the best priced supplier, genuine doesn't always mean best

My 55 plate 182 has never had the fluid changed yet, and only one change of front and rear discs/pads and it has been and still is fine. As mentioned though i will be changing it all this year.

I bet the super blue would cause problems if it was in the car without being changed for the same length of time the standard stuff has been.

Its all my opinion only. I just think a lot of people make pointless "track" upgrades to their cars that never go on track.

 

[Robmarriott]

It's all down to the fact that it's blue. It used to be legal in America until the DMV said that brake fluid MUST be amber or clear, no other colour, since that point ATE had to state that it's not suitable for road use.

 

[...]

OEM fluid EASILY boils...

A hard spirited drive boiled my previous cars fluid.

Utter bollox , your fluid had absorbed water and needed changing.
Oem fluid does NOT easily boil , i have used it on track and not boiled it with standard genuine renault fluid changed by the dealer the day before.

If you can drive that hard on the road your not very bright. As it would be lunacy

 

[Midnight]

Utter bollox , your fluid had absorbed water and needed changing.
Oem fluid does NOT easily boil , i have used it on track and not boiled it with standard genuine renault fluid changed by the dealer the day before.

If you can drive that hard on the road your not very bright. As it would be lunacy

A) You're wrong.
B) You're wrong.
C) You're wrong.

The E46 had extremely poor brakes when they come off the line let alone 5-6-7-8 years on. A quick browse of the owners club would also show I wasn't the only owner that thought this as a lot now have larger caliper upgrades or at least more focused pad compound.

The M3 fluid is also PRONE to overheating. Again a little time searching would show I'm not on my own there either...

August last year we managed just over 5 laps before we boiled the OEM fluid, yes the car gets 'punished' more on track however OEM fluid simply isn't the best for that type of use.

I'm not arguing OEM fluid has it's uses, I'm also not arguing there is better than ATE however I would state that ATE is much better than OEM with the only drawback I found is like you have already said it needs replacing a lot sooner. For for £15 and a hours labour the increase efficiency is well worth it.

A lot of your posts at the moment seem to be on very argumentative so I'll leave it there for now we each have different opinions however trying to argue that OEM is as good as aftermarket fluids is pretty pointless.

 

[Advikaz]

My 200 had better feel & durability with comp fluid in it. I used to have super Blue in it but it made the clutch cylinder squeek. Changed to Motul & it solved the issue instantly.

Different fluids have different boiling temps, naturally the higher the boiling point the more stick it can take. Pretty simple really.

 

[...]

1 Oem fluid does not easily boil
2 we are talking about a clio
3 we were talking about the road
4 i haave driven on track all bar the latest e90 m3 on track standard and not boiled brakes.

I did not say don't use race brake fluids i warned of what you need to be aware of .

If you boil fluid on track often can i suggest some tuition.
I am not saying you wont boild fluid but fresh standard fluid is fine depending on how you brake.
If you find what i say which are true and proven facts then i suggest you wont accept facts.

Ask sam ,tony,ash etc for there opinion on what i have said those whose driving ability i have faith in.
Yes you can boil oem fluid

Does oem fluid boil easily NO

 

[...]

My 200 had better feel & durability with comp fluid in it. I used to have super Blue in it but it made the clutch cylinder squeek. Changed to Motul & it solved the issue instantly.

Different fluids have different boiling temps, naturally the higher the boiling point the more stick it can take. Pretty simple really.

And did standard fluid easily boil on the road ?

 

[Advikaz]

1 Oem fluid does not easily boil
2 we are talking about a clio
3 we were talking about the road
4 i haave driven on track all bar the latest e90 m3 on track standard and not boiled brakes.

I did not say don't use race brake fluids i warned of what you need to be aware of .

If you boil fluid on track often can i suggest some tuition.
I am not saying you wont boild fluid but fresh standard fluid is fine depending on how you brake.
If you find what i say which are true and proven facts then i suggest you wont accept facts.

Ask sam ,tony,ash etc for there opinion on what i have said those whose driving ability i have faith in.
Yes you can boil oem fluid

Does oem fluid boil easily NO

I'd tend to agree with your comments within the parameters mentioned. Although the current M3 does cook brakes on track, but then where we talking about track or M3's?

On the road, you need to be hammering the brakes an awful lot to boil fluid & another thing to mention is that comp fluid needs changing more often than your handbook states.

 

[Advikaz]

And did standard fluid easily boil on the road ?

Never boiled it on the road.

 

[...]

I'd tend to agree with your comments within the parameters mentioned. Although the current M3 does cook brakes I do agree.

On the road, you need to be hammering the brakes an awful lot to boil fluid & another thing to mention is that comp fluid needs changing more often than your handbook states.

Which is what i said about it at the top , and under what was being discussed and road use i think Midnight is wrong in what he has said

Also how the average billy brakes on track has huge influence on brake temps

 

[Midnight]

SRF has a life of around 18 months correct?

18 months close to 2 average services?

If that's the case SRF suggest similar life to if you were to swap the OEM brake fluid every two services to keep it "fresh".


So depending on how you look after your car it could indeed be the case that SRF and similar last as long and perform better than OEM.

I never mentioned Clio in my first post in this thread as ATE or similar isn't specific to the Clio, would you not agree...


Yes fresh OEM would certainly be better than 12+ month used however would still boil under EXTREME conditions I don't doubt that the names you mention have great driving ability however the average driver WOULD be better having a more focused fluid than OEM for performance efficiency.

 

[Advikaz]

Which is what i said about it at the top , and under what was being discussed and road use i think @Midnight is wrong in what he has said

Also how the average billy brakes on track has huge influence on brake temps

Yep, billys love to hold that brake!

 

[JackJack]

How regularly would you need to change super blue or other track focused fluids compared to road fluid?

 

[Advikaz]

How regularly would you need to change super blue or other track focused fluids compared to road fluid?

Depends on use really.

Fully synth fluid needs changing a lot more often from experience. I would tend to change the fluid every few meetings on average if we are talking racing or heavy track work, depending again on the car & the meeting, but bleed them every meeting if it was me.

Obviously again depends on the above.

 

[Midnight]

How regularly would you need to change super blue or other track focused fluids compared to road fluid?

ATE around 12-18 months
OEM around 48 months

However I would of thought most people swap there fluid more than once every 4 years to keep it "fresh".

Most people swap OEM fluid every 8-12 months and aftermarket fluid depending on use 6-12 months.

Myself I swap the fluid every 3-6 months depending on usage.

 

[Midnight]

Depends on use really.

Fully synth fluid needs changing a lot more often from experience. I would tend to change the fluid every few meetings on average, depending again on the car & the meeting, but bleed them every meeting if it was me.

Obviously again depends on the above.

ATE around 12-18 months
OEM around 48 months

However I would of thought most people swap there fluid more than once every 4 years to keep it "fresh".

Most people swap OEM fluid every 8-12 months and aftermarket fluid depending on use 6-12 months.

Myself I swap the fluid every 3-6 months depending on usage.

Beat me too it!

 

[George182]

'Most' people never change their fluid! IME

 

[Midnight]

'Most' people never change their fluid! IME

Then complain about there brakes not working correctly lol.

 

[George182]

Yep.

 

[Budgie]

Brake fluid every 3-6 months?!

f**k me, that's overkill.

 

[Advikaz]

Brake fluid every 3-6 months?!

f**k me, that's overkill.

Is on road, not for track stuff it's not. Depends in what forum.

 

[Midnight]

Brake fluid every 3-6 months?!

f**k me, that's overkill.

Used to regular servicing every 2-3000 miles or 6 months ( which ever came first ). So I guess its a force of habit. If the car actually saw track days rather then sitting in the garage I would guess after every other track day so every two 2 months possible.

Not to everyone's taste but like I say force of habit.

 

[George@RTR_Parts]

Just to clarify, they have started putting that warning on the front of the Ate Superblue tins due to it recently been deemed it not suitable for road use in an American state (Florida iirc) due to the colour

I appreciate people saying that the more race focused fluids need changing fairly regularly. But the Superblue says up to 3 years on the tin, although I'd personally advise people to change brake fluid at least every two years/every other service.

But imo annually would be better , especially if doing track days. More if doing a lot of trackdays, for the cost of the fluid it's not worth worrying about to have fresh stuff in there

 

[ben lee]

you can get a tool to check the boiling point/moisture content of brake fluid so know what condition it is in.
anyone good garage will do it part of a full service.

 

[M.C..]

I had standard Renault DOT 4 in my 250 and did a track day, afterwards my brakes was not great so I had thought I had boiled my fluid so got it changed and they were still the same (so the fluid was fine) I turned out to be the pads.
So unless you are doing long stints it is probably fine but it does not hurt to put better fluid in, if you are prepared to change it more often.

 

[sprintcup]

How regularly would you need to change super blue or other track focused fluids compared to road fluid?

I use Super Blue and change every 12 months that's the longest I would leave it, again it depends what you do I sprint and drive to events, so normal speeds to the event and then take it out of the car on the track, and I need to drive home
I've never boiled standard brake fluid on the road to my knowledge only had brake fade soft pedal once in the 205 on a track day at Anglesey years ago.
I'd do what your happy with tbh.
Regards Russ........