What Is Brake Oil?

In this article, we tell you why you should buy the best brake oil for your vehicle. Brake oil is one of the most basic factors of the brake system, which moves various parts as a hydraulic liquid. Brake oil is a non-condensable liquid that flows through the vehicle’s system and transfers the force on the brake pedal to the four wheels of your vehicle. This pressure is transmitted to the wheels and eventually drives the pads and reduces the speed or stops the vehicle.

From the moment you press the pedals till the vehicle is stopped, the following steps occur:

1. The driver pushes the brake pedal.
2. Pressing the brake pedal compresses a piston into the caliper.
3. This compression of the piston increases the pressure inside the brakes pipelines and moves the brake oil to the pads.

Why Should We Care About Brake Oil?

Imagine that you’ve used professional brake pads such as ELIG, and the rest of your vehicle’s system is quite healthy. Now, if you use a poor-quality brake oil, in addition to reducing the performance of the vehicle’s brakes, it will also damage other parts. Brake pistons, brake pads, calipers, hoses, wheel discs, and other parts of the system are only affected by the brake oil’ bad or defective operation and will not operate as required.

Types of Brake Oils and How to Choose a Good One

 There are two types of brake oils. Glycolic brake oils and silicon oil.

Glycolic brake oils are commonly used in vehicles with ABS braking systems, while silicone-based brake oils are used only in vehicles and trucks without ABS technology.

If an ABS vehicle has ever used glycol-based brake oil, you cannot change its oil to silicon because a small amount of previous oil has remained in the brake system and is not chemically compatible with the previous oil.

Glycolic brake oil is classified into 5 categories, which indicates the boiling point of this oil. A higher DOT number indicates better quality because it can withstand higher temperatures.

To find out what the best brake oil is for your vehicle, see the vehicle’s manual or consult with a skilled mechanic.

When to Change Your Brake Oil

Brake oil absorbs air humidity over time, which makes the brakes do not work properly. For this reason, you should periodically evacuate the oil and replace it with a new one. Methods are different, but most mechanics suggest that you change your brake oils every year or every two years.

Vehicle manufacturers also propose replacing brake oils every two years or every 40 to 50 thousand kilometers. If you live in hot and humid cities, do this every year, or every 20-25 thousand kilometers. Again, keep in mind that humidity has a great impact on the quality and performance of brake oil.