Understanding Brake Fluid

Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid used on hydraulic brakes and hydraulic clutch application in vehicles. It is used to transfer force into pressure, and to amplify braking force.

Brake fluids must satisfy certain requirements as defined by various standards set by organizations such as the SAE and local government equivalents. They require certain characteristics to meet specific quality standards in order to execute the braking system efficiently.

Boiling Point

Brake fluid is subjected to very high temperatures, especially in the wheel cylinders of drum brakes and disk brake calipers. It must have a high boiling point to avoid vaporizing in the brake lines. Vaporization of brake fluid can cause severe complications as vapor is highly compressible relative to liquid, which in turn negates the hydraulic transfer of the braking force causing failure to stop the vehicle.

Viscosity

Brake fluid must maintain a constant viscosity under a wide range of temperature. It is important in systems with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control, and stability control (ESP) as these systems may use a valve with a time-based approach rather than measuring pressure or volume to control the amount of fluid transferred.

Corrosion

Brake pipe corrosion will cause the pipe to break, leading to potential brake system failure. Additives like corrosion inhibitors are added to the base fluid to prevent metals used inside components such as calipers and master cylinders from corrosion.

Compressibility

The function of brake fluid is to provide an incompressible medium to transmit the driver’s foot pressure on the brake pedal through the master cylinder(s) to the calipers in order to clamp the friction material against the discs. The foot pressure is multiplied by the mechanical pedal ratio and the hydraulic ratio of the master cylinders, booster (if used) and caliper piston(s). To ensure consistent brake pedal resistance, brake fluids must maintain a low level of compressibility, even with varying temperatures to accommodate different environmental conditions.

Service and Maintenance

Most automotive professionals advise flushing and changing of brake fluids every 1 to 2 years under non-racing conditions to ensure reliability and safety of the braking system.

Brake fluids with different specifications should not be mixed as they contain different chemical properties. It is not advisable to mix different brake fluids even if they are of the same rating unless it is used for emergency top up purposes. This is to ensure optimal performance of the brake fluid.

Why TOTACHI DENTO Brake Fluid?

Totachi manufactures high quality brake fluid for various types of automobiles and motorcycles equipped with drum or disk brakes with hydraulic drive. DENTO Brake Fluid DOT 3 is based on complex mixtures of glycols (dihydric alcohols) while DENTO Brake Fluid DOT 4 is based on polyalkylene glycol ethers and esters of boron.

Both products are blended with highly effective inhibitors and additives. They provide excellent stability and resistance to high temperatures while preventing the formation of residues and deposits on surfaces even in severe operating conditions with frequent and heavy braking. Low volatility prevents vapor locks, thus it ensures excellent braking performance and additional reliability margin.

While providing long-term protection against corrosion of all materials used in brake systems, it is non-aggressive to rubber and polymer seals used in brake systems. Our brake fluids exceed many common quality standards for brake fluids, which are recommended by automotive manufacturers.

Click to download the Technical Data Sheet (TDS) for DENTO Brake Fluid DOT 3 and DENTO Brake Fluid DOT 4.

Totachi is currently developing DENTO Brake Fluid DOT 5.1 to complete the brake fluid series for automotive and commercial applications. This product will exceed the international standards set by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the United States. With this product, we look forward to offer high quality and reliable products that provide consumers a peace of mind.

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