Benifits of aftermarket brake pads

[JamesK]

IMHO or at the least have matching pads in the bottom of the RHS caliper and the Rear caliper, since these are the pads which are activated by the Rear brake only in the GenIIs.

Personally I totally agree with RZ that you should be using same type of pads all around (and have been doing exactly that as a rule).

 

[ian]

And I agree with changing brake and clutch fluids at least yearly. The clutch fluid is always nastier than the brakes.

I always thought that brake fluid deteriorated and took in more water than clutch fluid because of the high heat generated in the calipers.

Changed my brake fluid again after about 20,000 miles and it was coffee colored, changed the clutch fluid for the first time at the same time (92,000 miles) and it looked like new. Not to say that it hadn't absorbed water but no difference in clutch feel before or after. Ian, Iowa

 

[Fred W]

And I agree with changing brake and clutch fluids at least yearly. The clutch fluid is always nastier than the brakes.

I always thought that brake fluid deteriorated and took in more water than clutch fluid because of the high heat generated in the calipers.

Changed my brake fluid again after about 20,000 miles and it was coffee colored, changed the clutch fluid for the first time at the same time (92,000 miles) and it looked like new. Not to say that it hadn't absorbed water but no difference in clutch feel before or after. Ian, Iowa

The color of the fluid is not a particularly accurate indicator of how much water it has absorbed. It is more an indicator how much of the deteriorated rubber seals and brake/clutch lines are suspended in the fluid. So, it does indirectly indicate the fluid's age.

Also, the clutch and brake fluid will absorb water from the air at about the same rate. The heating isn't when the water absorption takes place. It actually takes place 24x7 whenever it is exposed to humidity in the air. So folks living in higher humidity climates (like the southeast or PNW) should be even more vigilant than their desert dwelling Arizona friends.

However, the brake fluid's heating is when you have the chance to feel the badness of how contaminated the fluid has become. That is when ithe fluid can boil, forming steam bubbles that feel just like air in the lines (total loss of braking). Since the clutch lines never get that hot, it's fluid will never do that. But if you let it go too long it can corrode the innards of the hydraulic system in both systems (brake and clutch) which can get really expensive.