[zltm089]

Anyone recommend any good brake fluid for the e92 335i?


one that will "work" perfectly with oem disc and pads...

one that will provide "better" feel/ performance than oem...

one that has a "long life" service interval like oem....


or should i just stick with oem?

and any knows how much does bmw brake fluid cost?

[ans1215]

unless your consistently tracking your car stick with oem, the price is cheap enough and its designed specifically for your brake system

[Surly73]

ATE Type 200/Super Blue is really good stuff intended for longer intervals. If you DIY, alternate the two and the change in colour will tell you when you've bled it all through.

Despite Type 200 being designed for longer intervals, I would still change it every 1-2 years.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by zltm089

Anyone recommend any good brake fluid for the e92 335i?

BMW spec's DOT4 or better - there ya go.

If switching to silicone, completely remove gycol based fluid. Vice versa.

If track use, you might go for a higher boiler point.

Brake bleeding a simple affair - I do yearly. Cost insignificant.

Activating the ABS pump to remove air there necessary if reservoir allowed to empty some. Normally not but you might if completely removing one type for the other.

Don't get more complicated than that.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

BMW spec's DOT4 or better - there ya go.

If switching to silicone, completely remove gycol based fluid. Vice versa.

If track use, you might go for a higher boiler point.

Brake bleeding a simple affair - I do yearly. Cost insignificant.

Activating the ABS pump to remove air there necessary if reservoir allowed to empty some. Normally not but you might if completely removing one type for the other.

Don't get more complicated than that.

Please note that DOT5 is not "better" than DOT4. DOT5 is a silicone formulation which is incompatible with all of the other standard glycol based formulations (DOT3, DOT4, DOT5.1).

DOT5.1 is a "higher" spec than DOT4. Note that, in general, there are a few design factors in brake fluid which are ALWAYS in trade off:

1/ maximum wet/dry boiling temperatures
2/ how hygroscopic the fluid is (how aggressively does it absorb water from the air, reducing boiling point from the dry number to the wet number)
3/ service life
4/ price

I've found that DOT5.1 fluids with ridiculously high dry boiling point numbers usually 1/ have very short service life 2/ have a greater drop in boiling point from dry to wet.

Long-life but lower performance fluids usually have lower wet/dry boiling temperatures, but less of a difference between the two and tend to absorb moisture more slowly.

You can find fluid that's good at everything but it will cost an arm or a testicle.

Any DOT4 will "work", and changing annually with any DOT4 from a parts store is better than going 4+ years with the best fluid in the world. Find a balance.

That all being said, I really like the ATE Type200/Super Blue product.