View Full Version : Hydraulic Reservoir options
DesertSn8ke
05-05-2023, 07:22 PM
Like others here, I've decided I want separate reservoirs for front/rear brakes and clutch master cylinders. There are numerous options out there. My question is, how much does the capacity matter, if at all. Some are as little as 1oz per reservoir, others are more in the 3-8oz range. For example, on a track day when the brakes are getting used hard, does a larger reservoir do anything to help keep lower fluid temps?
Mastertech5
05-05-2023, 11:32 PM
The brake fluid doesn't circulate so reservoir size shouldn't matter except, with disc brakes, you need the capacity of the reservoirs to be enough to be able to fill the space of the caliper piston bores as the pistons move out as the brake pads wear. I have 2, about 6 ounce ones, for the brakes and a 3 ounce one for my hydraulic clutch.
lance corsi
05-06-2023, 04:56 PM
Tilton has a nice 3 reservoir unit.
GoDadGo
05-06-2023, 06:01 PM
Tilton has a nice 3 reservoir unit.
Ditto & I'm running this unit on my MK-4.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/til-72-576
Jacob McCrea
05-06-2023, 09:47 PM
I would be surprised if the larger reservoirs had any effect on fluid temperature under heavy use. As for choices, I would go with a Tilton. Whatever skill is required to make the Wilwood units not leak, I don't have it.
mikeinatlanta
05-07-2023, 07:27 AM
Just my opinion.
These cars are not daily drivers going a year without checking all fluids. Unless endurance racing, high reservoir capacity only serves to give longer service intervals and do nothing to improve performance. If wanting some redundancy with front and rear systems then separate reservoirs provide that, but adding a third for the clutch serves no purpose beyond driving up cost and more importantly weight.
My route? Front is served by one reservoir while rear + clutch are served by a second. If I had it to do over, I would buy a nice (CNC) single, take off the top, weld in a 1" tall divider, and convert to a two outlet design. This would provide the redundancy without the need for a second reservoir.
DesertSn8ke
05-07-2023, 01:15 PM
One of the goals is redundancy. I just feel like running the entire brake system on a single reservoir is the greatest idea in terms of safety. I hadn't considered running a dual though, and utilizing one for clutch/rear brakes. The Tilton is a nice unit and reasonably priced, but it just looks too modern/plastic for the rest of what is under hood. The FFR billet units are nice, but I can't mount three of them where I want to, the clamps take up too much space. The Wilwood billet units/clamps are a bit excessive in terms of price.
I like the looks and finish options of these units from Scotts Hotrod's (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sxh-rr-1003) on Summit, and the cost is only slightly more than the Tilton. They are offered in single, double, and triple configurations, three finishes, and two capacities. I like the compact one I linked to, but I originally thought it was 3oz per reservoir, but they are 3.3 oz total, 1.1 per. They do offer an XL size though, which is 3oz per reservoir. The only thing I don't like as much is that the outlets are 1/8 NPT instead of an ORB, as I'm thinking of plumbing with AN line. But that isn't a deal breaker.
mikeinatlanta
05-07-2023, 06:38 PM
Keep in mind that pretty much every OE application uses a single reservoir to feed both sides of the master. The 1" tall divider in-between front and back half in effect makes it a dual reservoir.
TBull
05-07-2023, 07:41 PM
I used these
https://scottshotrods.com/remote-reservoirs/
CaptB
05-09-2023, 06:51 AM
x3 for Tilton here.