The silicone fluid that I buy from Roadster Factory or from any Harley sales
counter is kind of clear fluorescent purple.
I use silicone in my TR3A but I don't race it. I never had any problems
with silicone for regular touring. Many have said that filling silicone oil
into the master reservoir entrains air bubbles with it and these take a long
time to float out. When I restored my TR3A from 1987 to 1990, I changed all
the rubber in the brake and clutch systems because I was told to do so. But
after re-filling the system with silicone, it was about a year before the
car was finished and I suppose the air bubbles had enough time by them to
flaot out.
For guys changing brake fluid between races, you won't want to wait that
long.
When I went to VTR in Colorado (3434 miles) I left with normal brakes and
clutch. At 12,000 feet altitude, I think these tiny air bubbles got larger
( a bit like a deep-sea diver coming up too fast) and the tiny bubbles were
now larger and there I was pumping 2 or 3 times before I had any pressure
build-up.
Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A, Montreal (Sea Level), Canada
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Munson" <fasttrs@mindspring.com>
To: <WEmery7451@aol.com>; <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 5:14 AM
Subject: RE: Brake stuff
> If you will be racing the car and generating REAL heat stay away from
> silicone fluid. I have lost my brakes several times (hard pedal but no
> brakes) and was told by several SCCA racers that know their stuff that
> silicone gels under extreme heat. I learned the hard way.
>
> Mike Munson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-fot@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-fot@autox.team.net] On
> Behalf Of WEmery7451@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 11:41 PM
> To: BillB@bnj.com; timmurph@execpc.com
> Cc: robertallred@aros.net; mjb@autox.team.net; fot@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Brake stuff
>
> In a message dated 3/12/03 6:24:31 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> BillB@bnj.com
> writes:
>
> << What I really meant was that Silicon brake fluid sucks. I've never
> heard
> any racer have a good thing to say about it except that it stays very
> clean.
> >>
> From a recent Western PA TR Club technical brake seminar, Jack Wheeler
> used
> silicon brake fluid and recommended it to others. It is harder to
> effectively bleed the brakes using silicon brake fluid. I was always
> afraid
> to try it, and the Castrol fluid seems to work for me. Once during my
> earlier years, I used American brake fluid, and dissolved every seal in
> the
> system. I am not sure if the rebuild kits are still sensitive to
> American
> made brake fluid, or not.
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