Torque RT700 - DOT 4 Racing Brake Fluid - Review
 

Torque RT700 - Racing Brake Fluid (DOT 4)

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Torque RT700 Testing
Ever wondered why your brake pedal got mushy and unresponsive after a panic stop or a spirited drive? Were you ever curious about better brake fluids in hope of curing your brake pedal issues? Have you ever wondered why your brake pedal continues to get mushy, even though you're using a "performance brake fluid"? Look no further!

CSG has tested brake systems to ensure the highest quality and performance setups. We have tortured our brake setups to the point of failure to define the absolute maximum capacity each brake system offers. We discovered that despite having the best brake pads available, the brake pedal feel would diminish significantly over time with spirited driving. Frustrated at having to constantly flush brake fluid through our BRZ and S2k over the course of a track day, we've hunted for years to find a solution to our frustrations with DOT 4 "racing" brake fluids.

In order to meet the harsh demands of our track setups and the safety of our drivers, Torque RT700 was tested in the most extreme conditions we could form. Testing was conducted in a 390hp S2000 on a (purposely) stock brake setup. Lap after lap, the brake pedal continued to respond consistently, and throughout an entire day day of hot lapping in 112ºF desert heat, Torque RT700 Brake Fluid never deteriorated.

We have concluded that Torque RT700 is the finest DOT 4 brake fluid on the market. The results are summed up in a picture. Even faced with the task of surviving fiery hot brakes, Torque RT700 stood strong.

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Looks great, how's the price on it compared to the other typical go to's?

The price per bottle is $33.95 and is a direct competitor to Castrol SRF, which is considered the gold standard for brake fluids. If based on that particular track day alone with undersized brakes like the S2000 and using 5 sessions per track day as a metric, here's how the fluid would actually hold up:

Pricing is approximate MSRP and does not necessarily reflect sale prices. :)
ATE200/ATE Blue (1L) ~$19 (0.1 track days - give me 2 laps)
RBF600 (0.5L) ~$21 (0.2-0.5 track days - can fade in a few laps if you were really going for that hot lap)
RBF660 (0.5L) ~$32 (1-2 track day - hint of fade at the end of each session, but pedal feel continuously gets worse per session)
PMU (1L) ~$56 (2-5 track days - hint of fade end of each session but the pedal feel somewhat comes back)
RT700 (0.5L) ~$34 (still no changes after 6 solid track days and lots of spirited mountain runs)
Castrol SRF (1L) ~$80 (Gold standard for brake fluid...use has been varied and no exact data was found on how long this fluid lasts)

We were very skeptical at the brake fluid claims. For all we knew, it could have been snake oil, however, we bit the bullet even after knowing how well PMU worked for us and decided to try the brake fluid out. Torque has been marketed as the brake fluid of choice to Flying Lizard and other famous race teams. With this in mind, we had to test this out to verify the findings and to do so, we employed a few test vehicles to test the fluid out. That list includes the BRZ, GTR, M3, RSX-S, and S2000 over the course of 4 months of testing in hot weather conditions.

What is not easily noted on paper or results is the pedal feel and the extremely favorable modulation you get from the compressibility of the fluid. :thumbup:

A disclaimer for every car owner in general, your brake fluid degrades sufficiently enough over the course of the year even when you park it full time that service/owner's manuals will recommend you to replace your brake fluid every year for optimal brake performance for even daily driven cars like Camrys, etc. :)

It's on par with RBF660 for cost, and way less than SRF so that's definitely well priced. I haven't had any boiling/fade issues with ATE Super Blue, but that's definitely due to how hard I'm (not) working the brakes.

At the moment, anyone who requires (or desires) more than RBF600, we recommend Torque RT700.

The Project Mu G-Four is a great choice in that you get a visual indicator for when your fluid needs changing; it turns from teal to brown as it wears out, and is a close 2nd choice for us.

good to know. Haven't tracked the frs yet, but i fully cooked my old STi brakes with rbf600's and ebc yellows on 3-4 hot laps in laguna seca. Nice to know there's a better product.

Based on the number of times we replace brake fluid, the RT700 actually pays for itself after we realized how many bottles of RBF600 were used to regularly change the brake fluid. That brake pedal feel allows you to modulate the brakes a little more precisely as the compressibility and the consistency of the fluid does not change as you beat your brakes the brakes. This is actually the greatest benefit from RT700 over the RBF line up.

Is a slightly compressible fluid considered a benefit? That seems at odds with the idea of swapping braided lines, but I've always thought that a little flex in the system would help modulation with hard pads.

Every fluid is slightly compressible. When you press the pedal 3 times and hold, does that pedal remain in the same general position or does it feel like the pedal feel like it's losing pressure and sinking? Are those pedal pumps solid and somewhat linear each time? These are some things that you can feel and understand that there is a range of travel that is proportional to how hard the pads are depressed.

Fresh fluid that has been flushed gives you that confident feel. Brand new cars some times exhibit that excellent feel. The point at which the fluid starts to absorb some moisture (or lacks the ability to absorb moisture) is where the different fluids begin to differ greatly.

Stainless steel braided lines are different. They do firm up the brake pedal by decreasing the amount of line expansion, however, you can never really fix the feel of boiled fluid without changing it out. On top of that, brake lines are much more "rigid" compared to the brake lines of yester-years. Brake lines are a consumable in which they must be replaced every so often and that goes for the same for SS lines as well.

In terms of modulation, the confident pedal feel and lack of brake fade also contributes to excellent connection between you and your brake pads. Certainly brake pads plays a large role in modulation as well. :thumbup:

Some updates on the RT700 brake fluid at 3 months and 10k miles of hard use.

I installed some Project Mu Type NS400 brake pads to simulate a street driving experience for those who are interested in top end brake fluid and OE upgrade brake pads. With a spirited run, the Type NS400 hold up well with upgraded bite over OEM brake pads, but these pads will fade without proper brake management. They are the perfect OE upgrade brake pads that dust very little and have absolutely no noise. Fade resistance is increased for street driving over OEM brake pads.

At no point did the RT700 ever show evidence of drop off despite extreme weather changes and constant heat cycles. Pedal feel continues to remain confident and modulation feel is a slight increased sensation over previous brake fluids. RBF600 appears to have some drop off over time for street driving and a potential to boil brake fluid is actually quite high during spirited runs. OEM brake fluid is a joke when it comes to this type of fun. With high end brake fluid, this is not an issue. RT700 still remains the top choice for confident braking performance. :thumbup:

@CSG David,

I'm considering changing out my brake fluid but I haven't been able to find how much fluid I need to purchase. Would I be safe with two 500mL bottles or do you think I'd be fine with just one?

Also, your advocacy for this fluid is encouraging. Is there any drawback to this fluid besides maybe the price?

That's what they're sending me for my complete fluid change.

1. 2-500mL bottles is sufficient to completely flush your brake fluid system. You will effectively flush our your brake fluid extremely well with 1.5 bottles.

2. No drawbacks. This is like advocating the use of 100 octane at the racetrack when you're driving a boosted/FI car tuned for 91-octane in 100F weather. 100 octane is simply safer and better for your engine, but just cost more to run.

This is a long awaited updated.

It has been over a year since I've used this brake fluid in my personal car (S2000 CR). I've cracked multiple rotors and overheated the brake system multiple times. My car runs on 255/40/17 RS3s and was boosted once upon a time with no brake ducting.

Throughout those multiple track days and in cold and intense heat conditions, RT700 has held up to abuse. I have had a slight hint of fade at one point when I repeatedly abused the brake system beyond its operating limitations. With other brake fluids, I would feel the brake pedal degrade over time. If I boil standard DOT4 brake fluid, the brake pedal feel almost never really returns. With the RT700, the brake pedal feel recovered quickly. Even after a slight mushy feel after several back to back to back sessions in 110ºF heat, the pedal would spring back to life after a proper cool down and resting period in the paddock.

That, to me, has been the most impressive thing about RT700. While I would have repeatedly changed the RBF600 brake fluid every track day, I wounded up never having to change or top off the brake fluid with RT700 for over a year. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the update.

So, based on that data, when do you think you'll change it?

It's probably not good forever so at some point you're going to do a bleed/flush.

It's time to do it now; we generally recommend that cars that are driven hard bleed their brakes once a year as a precautionary measure, even if the fluid doesn't seem to have degraded.

It's like doing regular oil changes; you want to keep the fluids in your car fresh.

The fresh fluid makes sense.

You guys track your cars a lot more that we do up here because of winter. I put in Project Mu fluid in the spring before my first track session and I will probably end up with 4 sessions this season.

Doing a full flush next spring is probably a good idea.

Some time attack series or lapping groups up here require fresh fluid ever year just because of how fast some fluid degrades, that's the big reason I can't swallow SRF. I think the next fluid I order will be this stuff.

Fully ¼ of the words on the first page of my main DE club's tech sheet is devoted to the subject of the status of the driver's brake fluid:

ALL CARS will have the brake fluid tested at the track for moisture content. You will be required to provide access to the Master Cylinder when the vehicle is presented in tech. If you are not aware of the location of the master cylinder, consult your owner’s manual or ask the qualified individual performing the Pre-Event Safety Inspection to provide access to it.

...

__ 4. BRAKE FLUID: Must have adequate level and be in good condition. Brakes must be bled during safety inspection. We require that vehicles used for driver's schools have brake fluid NO OLDER than six months in the system. This includes all new vehicles regardless of date of manufacture. Any vehicle failing to pass the on-site moisture content test (>= 3%) or having discolored or obviously old brake fluid will not be allowed on the track.
DATE OFLAST FLUID CHANGE:________________


Failure to pass the test is not uncommon.

Tried RBF600 with AP Racing Sprint BBK at Watkins Glen this Mo/Tu, almost got the best of me a couple of times, never again, purchased RT700

RT700 is really excellent! I've done multiple track days and 5000 miles and it still looks like new at the front calipers!

Even with the best fluid, always consider the 1 year flush interval that the Owner's Manual recommends. DOT3 soaks moisture slower than the DOT4 fluids, but annual changes are still recommended.

I've kept the fluid in my car longer than a year for the sake of 3rd party review. :thumbsup:

Just got back from 2 days of tracking on the NJMP Lightning course. AP Racing Sprint BBK, Torque RT700 and Carbotech XP12 performed flawlessly. There are only two hard braking zones but they require slowing down by over 40 mph. RT700 is the only brake fluid I'll use from now on.

Ordered this morning along with some CR pads for the rear to balance things out a little better.

I did 9 track days this year (48 30-minute sessions) on RT700. AP Racing Sprint Kit, Ferodo DS2500 pads. Worked great - will be using this again next year!

48 sessions on the same fluid?

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Yep - braked just as well during the last session as the first one!

Did you bleed them during that stretch of 48 sessions?

Nope

I improved my best lap time on my local track by 1 second on the last session! Brakes were great (using @CSG Mike "pedal dance" helped as well :D)

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Man I NEED to get up to Calabogie next summer!!

Do you know any of the MCO guys?

@Slick is an MCO instructor.

Check the Ottawa thread for the barf bag that he puts in the car when taking passengers for a ride.

I know Pierre pretty well (dark grey BRZ, used to race a CRX), but that's about it.

Pierre is @CarGuy on this forum. There were about 8 twins lapping at the MCO track day in September.

Quite a few Ottawa members went on a cruise on Sunday and showed up at the track.
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I'm going to bump this old thread with a follow up question: is everyone still super happy with this fluid? The reason I ask is that I tried to order some of this fluid and here is the response I got:

I don't sell that product anymore. Combo of flaky company and my drivers were not overly impressed.

I can offer Gulf Competition 800 and 1000, as well as Motul 660 and Castrol SRF - all of the above exceed the RT700 performance.

With all the high praise I have read about this fluid I was very surprised. Any input anyone has is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

We've had zero issues, minus the product going into backorder at a wholesale level here and there.

On-paper specs, as well as actual use data, in our experience, still has Torque rated as the best DOT4 fluid available.

I'm using ATE and well that's no winner but better than oem. I feel after a month or so of use the brake pedal compresses more. The pads are oem so those aren't winners either but I really hate brake dust. I was looking to stiffen the pedal feeling without having to bleed every couple of months. I don't use this setup on the track, this is solely for street but its still less than inspiring. You think the fluid has anything to do with this? Also could you recommend a set of street pads with little to no extra dust and are better than oem. Already tried Stoptech street performance but dusts like a cummins diesel. Thanks

Just the man I was hoping for. Thanks, Mike!

Sounds like what you might hear from a dealer that was dropped, or has some special deals with others. The "performance" claim made here is pretty bogus. The drivers who don't notice the improved (reduced) compressibility are typically not found at the pointy end of the grid. RT700 is currently the best fluid money can buy in just about every category important to a competitive driver -- and it can be run longer between flushes.

Chris

I would believe that. It is a pain in my ass too, because they were 50% of the Canadian suppliers for RT700. The other 50% hasn't gotten back to me. :mad0260:

We can ship to CA via UPS Ground or USPS :)