At 10:23 PM 9/21/98 -0400, Unger, Larry G wrote:
>The following is a post that Roger Parker made to the MG BBS back in early
August ... the OEM's warning/recommendation certainly merits consideration.
>....
>>.... I have the current [LOCKHEED] brake parts books and there is a page
of information specifically on Silicone brake fluids. I reproduce it below
....
>>....
>> Our technical service department is receiving an alarming number of
calls from motorists reporting problems with silicone fluids.
>>
>> AP LOCKHEED NEITHER MARKETS SUCH FLUIDS NOR RECOMENDS THEIR USE WITH OUR
OWN OR ANY OTHER BRAKING SYSTEM.
>>
>> Virtually all the problems relate to:-
>>....
[big snip]
>> AP Lockheed glycol based fluids do not contain the adverse properties
described above. The recently introduced Supreme DOT 5.1, which exceeds the
performance criteria of DOT 5, is suitable for all conditions likely to be
encountered in modern driving conditions."
>>....
I may be simply stating the blatantly obvious here, but what else would one
expect a purveyer of fine products to say in an open market place? It
states very clearly that Lockheed does not market silicone brake fluid.
Would anyone expect Lockheed to go out of their way to hawk the
competitor's snake oil when they have a vested interest in selling their
own? Perhaps one should look for a report of similar style from a
manufacturer of silicone brake fluid, just for a fair comparison. There
are such things you know.
As for myself, I thought my original message was quite clear. I have just
finished running a MGA through a reasonable lifetime of service using
Silicone brake fluid, and have experienced absolutely none of the noted bad
symptoms. My car runs at high speeds on the highway in all sorts of
weather, tows a trailer for half it's travels, runs a generous portion of
gravel roads (ingested dirt), and does a lot of autocrossing on weekends.
And for those concerned about altitude problems, it has been up Pikes Peak
twice with no brake problems. If this silicone brake fluid has any bad
attributes at all, I would be pretty hard to convince.
Notice: This is not intended ot be a testimonial for silicone fluid, just a
plea for people to apply reasonable logic and not jump too high when
someone yells "wolf". And in the interest of fair comparison, I did say
that I had just switched my car over to DOT4 brake fluid. I feel pretty
impartial. At the moment I have nothing bad to say about either DOT4 or DOT5.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
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