Ford Brake Fluid Review

[dale863@bellsouth.net]

Many have pointed out that this poor review is puzzling - to which
I totally agree.  The boiling point on the Ford is actually higher
than the ATE I used, so I am somewhat confused.  There were several
PCA club racers there that heard my story too and were puzzled as
they used the Ford stuff in their race cars as well.

Here are some thoughts:
1. I got the fluid from a local Ford dealership and it came in
white plastic bottles that said "high performance brake fluid" on
the outside.  From everything I read, I thought the stuff was called
HD truck fluid and came in a metal can.  In either case, the fluid
I purchased indicated it had a dry boiling temp of 550 degrees.

2. I am running the NX2000 brake upgrade with full R4 (not the R4S)
Porterfield pads.  I've ran through nearly a dozen sets of Porterfields
w/o a fade problem in the past.  These particular pads were a set
I had previously run on the track last year with about 50% of the
material left.  Other than the brake fluid the car was setup exactly
as it was last year.

3.  I may have not bled the system as well as I should have with
the Ford fluid.  I used the two person approach just like I did when
I switched to the ATE in the parking lot, but I know that bleeding
brakes is not as easy at it appears.  It is possible that the Ford
stuff wasn't totally bled.  Although the pedal was firm before
during and after the first session.  It got soft in a hurry during
the 2nd session.

4.  I didn't back off after changing fluids and was braking harder and
running ever closer to the "edge" throughout the rest of the weekend.

I am as puzzled by this result as anyone & I am going to give the
Ford stuff another try one weekend when I have plenty of time to swap
fluids if it doesn't work out.

Dale Hinson
91 Classic