Brake Fluid Comparison Chart

Updated Jan 22, 2024. 125 fluids now listed.
Changes:  Added Orthene Halo P1 fluid (thx to Jason).

Here is a comparison of all auto performance brake fluids showing cost per ounce, SKU unit size, wet and dry boiling points, compatibility with other fluids and Google Shopping links. Each column is sortable, making it a lot easier to figure out not only the best performer but the best buy for your needs.

• Prices on the chart are roughly current as of the update date. Shipping cost is not considered in pricing.
• Be sure to scroll down underneath the chart. There is a complete informational article describing brake fluid terms and concepts.
• Out of necessity, mobile phones show fewer data columns. Complete results are visible in your desktop browser.

Have a suggestion for an addition to this page? Contact me from my byline link below.

NOTE: This resource faithfully represents published specifications from fluid vendors in the marketplace. Such information is a valuable sales and marketing tool. Trust, but verify. The enthusiast auto community talks (thats all you forum-posting track rats). Ask. Discuss. Listen.

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Mfr	Type	DOT	Wet  Boil	Dry  Boil	Mix?	Oz  Qty	Price  / Oz	SKU  Price	Shopping Link	MSDS/ Mfr Link	Notes
	DOT3 Min.	3	284	401	Yes
	DOT4 Min.	4	311	446	Yes
	DOT5.1 Min.	5.1	356	500	Yes
Pentosin	Super DOT 5.1	5.1	356	500	Yes	16.9					Not sold in U.S.?
The Brake Man	Super Man 577	3	300	577	¹						Discontinued
ATE	G	3	302	473	Yes	33.8					Not for sale in U.S.?
ATE	Super Blue	4	396	536	Yes	33.8					US DOT: 'cease and desist' due to blue color
Gulf	Super DOT 4	4	311	446	¹	16.9					Not sold in U.S.
Gulf	Racing Brake Fluid	5.1	356	500	¹	16.9					product discontinued
Ipone	Brake DOT 4	4	320	518	¹	16.9					motorcycle. New in mkt from France
Motorex	Super DOT 4	4	338	509	Yes	16.9					5 liter cans. Low viscosity. Not available in U.S.
Rowe	Super DOT 4	4	356	500	Yes						Germany. Limited US availability
Rowe	Super DOT 5.1	5.1	361	518	Yes						Germany. Limited US availability
Rowe	DOT 4	4	320	500	Yes						Germany. Limited US availability
FVP	Heavy Duty DOT 3	3	284	450	Yes	32	0.14	4.47
Rowe	DOT 4 LV	4	338	509	Yes	169	0.16	27.69			Germany. Limited US availability
Super Tech	DOT 4	4	¹	450	¹	32	0.18	5.74
Gunk	DOT 3	3	284	401	Yes	32	0.19	5.99			also branded 'Motor Medic'
Mag1	DOT 4	4	340	490	Yes	12	0.21	2.47
Gunk	DOT 3 ABS	3	311	450	Yes	32	0.22	6.99			also branded 'Motor Medic'
Gunk	DOT 3 Super HD	3	284	450	Yes	12	0.22	2.61			also branded 'Motor Medic'
FVP	Heavy Duty DOT 4	4	320	475	Yes	12	0.24	2.87
Gunk	DOT 4	4	311	446	Yes	32	0.25	7.99			also branded 'Motor Medic'
Hightec	DOT4 LV	4	338	509	Yes	33.8	0.30	10.29
Champion	DOT4 / 4054K	4	322	494	Yes	12	0.30	3.58
Prestone	DOT 4	4	311	510	Yes	12	0.32	3.87
BMW	DOT 4 Brake Fluid	4	347	509	¹	12	0.32	3.89
Jegs	Racing Brake Fluid	4	410	579	Yes	12	0.33	3.99
EBC	DOT 4	4	329	500	Yes	8.8	0.34	2.99			motorcycle
Quicksilver	DOT 4	4	336	521	¹	12	0.34	4.02
Brembo	DOT4 LV Class 6	4	338	500	¹	33.8	0.35	11.95			viscosity 750 cSt max
Valvoline	DOT 3 & 4	4	311	480	Yes	12	0.37	4.49
Johnsen's	Premium Synthetic DOT 3	3	283	450	¹	32	0.37	11.99
ATE	SL.6	4	338	509	¹	33.8	0.38	12.95			ultra-low viscosity
ATE	Typ 200	4	388	536	Yes	33.8	0.41	13.95			'Amber'
ATE	SL	4	329	500	Yes	33.8	0.41	13.95
Pentosin	DOT4 LV	4	338	509	¹	33.8	0.41	13.99			ultra-low viscosity
Fuchs	Silkolene	4	311	446	Yes	16.9	0.41	6.89
Lucas Oil	DOT 3	3	339	478	Yes	12	0.42	4.99
Comar	GS610	4	417	626	Yes	16.9	0.44	7.40			Mfr website is now Chinese gaming site. Out of business?
Brembo	DOT4	4	329	500	¹	33.8	0.44	14.95			viscosity 1400 cSt max
Galfer	Super DOT 4	4	¹	509	¹	16.9	0.45	7.65			motorcycle
Lucas Oil	DOT 4	4	325	476	Yes	12	0.46	5.49
Pentosin	Super DOT 4	4	329	509	Yes	16.9	0.47	7.99
Castrol	Super DOT 4	4	365	507	Yes	33.8	0.47	15.99
Putoline	DOT 4 Brake Fluid	4	327	507	Yes	16.9	0.47	8.00			motorcycle
Liqui Moly	Brake Fluid DOT 4 SL6	4	356	514	Yes	16.9	0.47	7.99			low viscosity
Castrol	DOT 4	4	329	509	Yes	33.8	0.50	16.99
AFCO	HT	4	¹	500	Yes	12	0.50	5.99
Drag Specialties	DOT 4	4	¹	470	¹	12	0.50	5.95			motorcycle
Champion	DOT5.1 / 4056	5.1	356	530	Yes	12	0.51	6.08
PFC Brakes	Z-Rated	3	284	550	Yes	16	0.53	8.42			Discontinued
Bosch	ESI 6	5.1	365	518	Yes	32	0.53	16.99
Motorcraft	PM20	4	338	509	¹	16	0.56	8.99			LV formula
Bel-Ray	Super DOT4	4	311	446	Yes	12	0.58	6.99			motorcycle
Maxima	DOT 4	4	332	510	Yes	12	0.58	6.95
Repsol	Moto	5.1	356	500	Yes	16.9	0.59	9.95			motorcycle and auto
AP Racing	Radi-CAL R1	3	284	516	Yes	16.9	0.59	10.05			magnesium compatible. Formerly '551'
Liqui Moly	Brake Fluid DOT 4	4	311	500	Yes	16.9	0.59	9.89
Motul	DOT 5.1	5.1	365	522	Yes	16.9	0.62	10.49
Johnsen's	Synthetic DOT 3 & 4	4	¹	470	¹	32	0.63	20.00
Wilwood	570	3	313	573	Yes	12	0.66	7.89
Amsoil	Synthetic	4	368	520	Yes	12	0.67	8.00
Ferodo	DOT 4	4	316	478	Yes	8.4	0.70	5.99
EBC	BF 307+	4	386	586	Yes	16.9	0.74	12.44			motorcycle
Yacco	Racing Brake Fluid	4	¹	572	Yes	16.9	0.74	12.57
AP Racing	Factory R	5.1	356	516	Yes	16.9	0.77	12.99			Formerly 'Formula DOT 5.1'
Brembo	DOT 5.1	5.1	356	500	¹	33.8	0.79	26.75			viscosity 900 cSt max
Gulf	RF800	4	401	581	Yes	16.9	0.81	13.73			Not sold in U.S.
Galfer	Super DOT 5.1	5.1	419	572	Yes	16.9	0.83	13.99			motorcycle
Peak	DOT 4	4	311	446	Yes	12	0.83	9.99
Brembo	Sport.EVO 500+	4	336	520	¹	8.4	0.88	7.50			motorcycle
Motorcraft	PM1-C	3	284	500	Yes	12	0.88	10.59
Gulf	RF1000	4	401	617	Yes	16.9	0.88	14.93			Not sold in U.S.
Motul	RBF 600	4	401	594	Yes	16.9	0.89	14.99
Summit Racing	Racing Brake Fluid	4	383	572	¹	16.9	0.89	14.99
Putoline	Ultimate Racing Brake Fluid	5.1	383	608	¹	16.9	0.89	15.00			motorcycle
Tilton	TBR-1	4	383	590	Yes	8.4	0.92	7.86
Liqui Moly	Brake Fluid DOT 5.1	5.1	356	500	Yes	8.4	0.94	7.89
StopTech	STR 600	4	404	594	Yes	16.9	1.00	16.95
Endless	S-Four	4	369	563	Yes	33.8	1.01	34.00
Wilwood	EXP 600 Plus	4	399	594	Yes	16.9	1.05	17.69
Ferodo	DOT 5.1	5.1	365	518	Yes	8.4	1.06	9.00
Red Line	RL 600	4	400	604	Yes	16	1.06	16.95
Ultra Lite	Hot Fluid	4	¹	600	Yes	32	1.09	34.99
IPone	X Trem	4	399	622	¹	16.9	1.10	18.62			motorcycle
Millers Oils	Racing Brake Fluid 300+	4	381	590	Yes	16.9	1.11	18.74
PFC Brakes	RH605	4	374	554	Yes	16.9	1.11	18.81
Ferodo	Super Formula	4	392	622	Yes	16.9	1.12	18.99
AP Racing	Radi-Cal R2	4	383	594	NO	16.9	1.18	19.95			Do not use with magnesium parts. Formerly 'Super 600'
AFCO	HTX	4	421	618	Yes	16.9	1.18	19.99
Motorex	DOT 5.1	5.1	356	500	Yes	8.4	1.18	9.99			motorcycle and auto
Motorex	DOT 4	4	329	500	Yes	8.4	1.18	9.99			motorcycle and auto
Brembo	LCF 600+	4	399	601	Yes	16.9	1.24	20.97			Do not use with magnesium parts. Motorcycle
Liqui Moly	Brake Fluid Race	4	383	608	Yes	8.4	1.24	10.40
Maxima	SYN High-Temp	4	410	600	Yes	12	1.25	14.95			motorcycle and auto
Bel-Ray	Racing	4	410	580	Yes	12	1.25	14.99			motorcycle
Fuchs	Silkolene Pro	4	383	572	Yes	16.9	1.27	21.52			motorcycle
IPone	Brake DOT 5.1	5.1	365	518	¹	16.9	1.30	21.95			motorcycle
Competition Motorsport	CMS RF1	5.1	399	622	Yes	16.9	1.30	21.95
Amsoil	Dominator	4	410	580	Yes	12	1.34	16.05
Cartel	580˚ Racing Brake Fluid	4	410	580	¹	12	1.38	16.58
Tilton	TSR-1	4	383	622	Yes	8.4	1.40	11.90
Ferodo	ESP DOT4	4	361	516	Yes	16.9	1.40	23.73			not sold in U.S.
Ferodo	Formula	4	401	590	¹	16.9	1.42	23.95			"Track Day Brake Fluid"
VP Racing	622	4	¹	622	¹	16.9	1.44	24.26
Motorcraft	PM21	5.1	356	¹	¹	16	1.44	22.99
Pagid	RBF	4	399	626	Yes	16.9	1.46	24.60
Carbone Lorraine	Racing Brake Fluid DOT4	4	¹	617	¹	16.9	1.46	24.72			Official name is now 'CL Brakes'. Primarily EU mktplace
Prospeed	RS683	4	394	583	Yes	16.9	1.48	24.99
TBM Brakes	Xtreme 6	5.1	400	612	Yes	16.9	1.48	25.00			mfr says wet boil is "over 400" Formerly 'The Brake Man'
Motorex	Racing Fluid	4	383	572	Yes	16.9	1.52	25.75			motorcycle
Neo Synthetics	Super Dot 610	4	421	598	Yes	16	1.56	24.99
Motul	RBF 660	4	400	617	Yes	16.9	1.60	26.99
StopTech	STR 660	4	404	622	Yes	16.9	1.65	27.95
Motul	Synthetic DOT 3 & 4	4	316	473	Yes	16.9	1.74	9.70			Not sold in USA
PFC Brakes	RH665	4	383	617	Yes	16.9	1.77	29.99
Project Mu	G-Four 335	4	430	635	NO	33.8	1.77	59.95			Changes color when boiled
AP Racing	Radi-CAL R4	n/a	383	644	Yes	16.9	1.77	29.99
AP Racing	Radi-Cal R3	4	383	617	Yes	16.9	1.78	30.00			Use inhibitor with magnesium parts. Formerly 'PRF660'
Red Line	RL 700	4	401	635	Yes	16.9	1.96	33.12
Torque	RT700	4	439	683	Yes	16.9	2.01	33.95
Brembo	HTC 64T	4	¹	635	Yes	16.9	2.01	33.97			Do not use with magnesium parts
Castrol	React SRF	4	518	608	Yes	33.8	2.07	69.99
Motul	RBF 700	4	401	637	Yes	16.9	2.08	35.23
Endless	RF 650	4	424	622	Yes	16.9	2.49	42.00
Wilwood	XR	4	432	645	¹	16.9	2.66	44.96
Orthene	Halo P1	4	403	646	Yes	20.2	3.37	68.00			Track Use Only
H E L P    = Sort in ascending order on a column. = Sort in descending order on a column.      = Reset grid to default display

¹ No data reported.

What Do The Boiling Points Mean?

Simply put, brakes work by converting forward momentum into heat: The brake caliper - mounted on the vehicle's suspension - contacts the rotor - mounted on the spinning wheel - and squeezes it. This heats the brakes up. A lot. Heat obviously transfers into the rotors and the vehicle's hubs. It also transfers into the brake pads and - from there - into the brake caliper... where the brake fluid resides.

So much heat is transferred that its possible to boil the brake fluid in your calipers. Once brake fluid boils, it creates air bubbles and, since air compresses much better than fluid does, when you press on the brake pedal you get a mushy pedal. That pedal gets progressively worse until - if you keep boiling the fluid lap after lap - the pedal goes all the way to the floor... while you keep going in whatever direction you are pointed in. At high speed.

Typically for a passenger car you have to be doing something pretty extreme (as in "crazy") to boil your fluid. However if you are towing a boat or trailer you can easily put yourself into a situation where your fluid is boiling and your braking is dangerously degraded. Heavy duty brake fluid is not just for weekend racers.

Further complicating the above story: Brake fluid is "hygroscopic" (commonly misspelled as "hydroscopic", which means something totally different). That means it pulls moisture into itself from the air. No matter what you do you can't stop this. Once you crack the seal on a bottle of brake fluid it starts absorbing moisture. Putting it into your brake system does not stop this process, and since water boils at a much lower temp than brake fluid does (a mere 212 degrees fahrenheit), the less moisture accumulated in your brake fluid system, the better as the boiling water in your brake fluid will create those aforementioned dangerous air bubbles.

Dry Boiling Point
This is the temperature that your brake fluid will boil when its straight out of the sealed bottle. When there has been effectively no time for it to absorb any moisture. If you are racing on a track, you are most concerned with this value, since the fluid in your lines is likely to be freshly added.

Wet Boiling Point
This is the temperature that your brake fluid will boil at when its been inside your braking system for a reasonably long time. How long it takes to get to this saturation point will vary by fluid type, but a good rule of thumb is the higher the dry boiling point, the faster the fluid will saturate (an informal sort of standard is - not always - used by fluid manufacturers: the wet boiling point is the reading taken after fluid has been sitting for one year in your brake lines). If you are a civilian driving on the street the wet boiling point is going to be the one you want to pay attention to since the fluid will typically stay in your brake lines for an extended period of time.

Fluid with a high dry boiling point is better suited to track use. Fluid with a low wet boiling point is less suited to long term street use. The trick is to pick the points you are comfortable with, coupled to the price you are willing to spend.

What Else Should I look For in Brake Fluid?

The information on this page is about as much as you'll need unless you're a professional mechanic for a racing team. The one exception to this is compressibility, and I'll tackle that briefly in a bit. Additional variables like viscosity, rate of water absorption and recovery rate after heating are all important when you are deadly serious about racing... but thats about it. For now this page will just acknowledge those things exist - and there is very little data available to publish on the subject other than a discussion of the general principles. Brake fluid manufacturers don't publish these specs as a rule. However, a couple of quick notes:

Price
For the typical weekend mechanic working on a daily-driver, simply sticking to the DOT spec recommended by the manufracturer is enough in terms of safety. You won't need to worry about esoteric things like boiling points or viscosity as the DOT standards ensure that whatever fluid you choose will meet your manufacturer's requirements. For most people the only real question is how much money they are willing to pay for their brake fluid. You can sort the chart on price/ounce to come up with your best buy.

Viscosity
By and large, this isn't something you need to worry about. However in areas subject to extreme cold, lower viscosity is better. Since viscosity is sometimes shown on MSDS sheets (if you can find them), I may add viscosity readings to the chart above... but by and large this is a nit that doesn't need to be picked. Recently, the market has seen the arrival of ultra low viscosity brake fluids. These fluids claim to work better with ABS systems (smoother, quicker cycling) and to interact better with ESP/DSC/traction control systems. Some late-model vehicles are initially filled and dealer-maintained with this type of fluid (for example Mercedes-Benz and BMW).

Compressibility
While the ordinary driver doesn't need to go here, your typical track rat knows this is a big piece of the puzzle. And if they don't... sooner or later they'll learn the hard way.

All brake fluid resists compressibility when heated. Some fluids do it better than others. The difference doesn't have any real practical application unless you are at the extreme end of the hard-use spectrum: We're talking laps around the race track here. With that in mind you will generally find only the top-end racing brake fluids even mention superior resistance to compressibility after boiling. In my personal experience, the highest performing DOT3 fluid will still let the pedal sink effortlessly to the floor after an extreme set of laps on a professional race track. When I switched to Wilwood EXP fluid, I still boiled the fluid (to a lesser degree) but found the brakes continued to work just fine. The fluid resisted compressibility quite nicely. Note: Many if not all racing brake fluids tout the same benefit and I only single out the Wilwood product as I have personal experience with it.

What is Brake Fluid Made Up Of?

Here's what you usually hear:

"DOT3, DOT4 and DOT5.1 fluids are glycol-based"

By and large thats right. Mostly. Actually whether it is true or not depends on the fluid, and insofar as consumers are concerned the difference may well be meaningless. Reality is that

• DOT3 fluid is glycol based (a mixture of glycols and glycol ethers)
• DOT4 fluid is like DOT3 fluid, with borate esters added into the mix - perhaps so much so that the fluid is now borate ester-based with glycols added rather than the other way around. Beyond the title of the specification, the SAE standard for DOT4 fluid makes no mention of preferred or required fluid composition.
• Like the SAE spec, the federal regulation that governs brake fluids (FMVSS116) says nothing about the composition of any fluid. What it does is dictate how the fluid must behave under a variety of specific circumstances.

What About Mixing Fluid Types?

Based on what we wrote up above (no regulations or firm standards on fluid content) brake fluid can be comprised of just about anything. Even so you can typically mix these fluids without damaging your braking system or compromising your existing braking performance (the list above notes some exceptions to this). BUT as nearly every brake fluid manufacturer will state: doing so is not recommended. Why? Mixing good new fluid and old bad fluid means you will retain the bad fluid's performance... its all mixed in together and the old fluid will still boil merrily away, giving you exactly what you had in the first place. You can't fortify it with an injection of the good stuff; you need to completely flush out what you have and replace with fresh fluid.

So, while you won't hurt anything by topping up your brake fluid (which you should do if it runs low for some reason), you aren't gaining the benefits that go with a complete flush of the system.

My Favorite Fluid Is Unique And Special, Right?

Mayyyyybe. Truth be told many of the fluids in the table above are made at this factory and put into different bottles with different labels. I'm not naming any names so don't bother asking.

About my Methodology:

There are a lot of brake fluid comparison charts out there on the web, on personal web pages and in innumerable forum posts (thats how this page started out life, back in 2009). Nothing on this list got here unless I was able to confirm specs on at least the manufacturer's site or, in the rare case that failed, multiple vendor sites.

In the few cases where I can see a brake fluid on a manufacturer's site but a) cannot find it for sale in the U.S. and b) the manufacturer is extremely vague on its properties, I may opt to leave the fluid out of the list.

I do not use vendor/seller web sites as primary sources of information - Over time I have found a LOT of them to be inaccurate - especially with regard to keeping up to date on specs that may have changed.

Beginning in 2016 this page receives so much traffic I am expanding the list to include general consumer automotive brake fluids, with the idea being a consumer with a nicely spirited street vehicle - not necessarily a track rat - might want to pick and choose the best brake fluid. With this in mind I have opted to exclude DOT 3 fluids in this addition.

Given the above this list should be the most accurate brake fluid comparison chart on the web. I would like to keep it that way so if you have different information than I put up here please let me know what you have found.

I am not including silicone-based DOT 5 fluids as they are outside the mainstream. Think I'm wrong? Feel free to drop me a line and convince me otherwise.