Can Brake Fluid Damage Tires?

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Although brake fluid may not damage your tires, it can affect your paint in severe ways. This is because all glycol-containing substances, which brake fluid contains, are not injurious to tires or rubber. In addition, their additive packages do not either damage or affect any rubber objects.

Luckily, there will not be any damage to even older rubber items with even a very high concentration of natural rubber, judging by the new DOT-rated brake fluids.

However, in just a few minutes, brake fluid can wreak unimaginable havoc on paint, and for this reason, older cars with a touch of low-quality paint or which may not have any protective cover are more at risk than all others, but certainly not their tires.

Rubber and rubber-dominated components are, for the most part, safe from any harm from brake fluids.

However, for what it is worth, brake fluid is known to transform fluid in some rubber components. In this regard, brake fluid will swell up non-compatible rubber substances, but not damage them.

First and foremost, brake fluid is not corrosive, but whenever its additive package is either depleted or breaks down for whatever reason, the brake fluid will no more have enough anti-corrosive inhibitors. As a result of this, the corrosion of internal hydraulic brake parts may occur.

Furthermore, rubber bands are known to expand when they are colder due to the abnormal polymer structure of rubber.

This is because, whenever the long chains of rubber get hotter, which makes them vibrate, they will shorten, and that can cause their material contents to contract or shrink.

However, when they cool down reasonably, they can relax and stretch out, thereby causing their materials to expand in the process as well.

Whatever the case may be on this issue, it will be good to know that different types of rubber differ in their reactions to various substances including petroleum products and other solvents too. Luckily, the rubber in tires is only slightly reactive to brake fluid.

This implies that if you wipe brake fluid right off, there should not be any complaints thereof. You can ascertain if there is any problem or not by just watching whether there is any swelling or cracks in the area where brake fluid has come in contact with your tire.

Should there be any, you ought to know that the rubber has reacted to the brake fluid, and hence, it should be replaced without any delay whatsoever.

In summary, brake fluids do not affect the rubber in tires. Most advisedly, to be on the side of caution, always make sure that you clean or scrub your tires with soapy water or other compatible cleaning agents whenever they come in contact with brake fluids, however inadvertently.

Table Of Contents

What causes brake fluid to damage tires?

To start with, brake fluids hardly affect rubber tires, but where that should happen, there are usually very cogent reasons to explain away this occurrence.

First, brake fluid can get denatured or contaminated over time. A process that can make it so concentrated that it can harm other substances to which it is harmless ordinarily.

For this reason, if you must safeguard your rubber tires from contaminated or ventured brake fluids, you should make sure that the brake fluid is changed at least once every 2 to 3 years with normal driving.

Whenever brake fluid is left unused, it can eventually become concentrated with an enormous moisture content too, which can cause the rusting and damage of major braking components internally. In addition, it can also affect certain types of rubber in tires due to their denatured properties.

In response, you should always inspect your tires for signs of swelling or cracks after contact with brake fluid at all times.

Luckily, unless there is some denaturation of the brake fluid or the rubber in your tire is kind of inferior or of poor quality, brake fluid may not have any effect on them.

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How does brake fluid damage tires?

From the outset, the article has repeatedly made it very clear that brake fluid rarely, if ever, harms the rubber in tires.

However, if something peculiar happens to the brake fluid such as very long storage and/or expiration of the product, then certain kinds of rubber may become vulnerable.

Although this possibility exists, it still depends on the kind of rubber you have in your tires, because some varieties of rubber are more susceptible than others. In any case, if your brake fluid has any effect on your tires, there are certain signs and symptoms you should look out for.

One, you are bound to observe cracks in the fabric of your tire(s). Second, you may also notice a slight bulge or swelling on the side of the tire.

Should you observe any of these signs, your tire is vulnerable to that brake fluid and hence, it should be replaced without any delay.

While subsequently, you should be careful whenever handling the product close to your tires, just in case. However, all things being equal, your tires ought to be very safe from injuries by brake fluid.

What does brake fluid do to a tire?

Ideally, brake fluid should not harm your tires. But, unfortunately, the rubber in your tires may not be of the needed quality that will enable them to withstand the onslaught of brake fluid on them.

This is basically because not all types of rubber are resistant to chemical denaturation or harm by brake fluid. Where the rubber in your tire is either weakened or is of poor quality or even your brake fluid is adulterated and denatured.

It can cause your tire(s) to either swell up, show visible signs of cracks in the sidewalls of the tires, or both.

When this happens, the structural integrity of the tire is compromised and hence, replacements should be sought without any undue delay whatsoever, for your sake, the sake of other road users, and that of the vehicle itself.(Read Also:Can Brake Fluid Cure Eczema?)

How can I protect my tires from brake fluid?

Since not all types of rubber are affected by brake fluid spills on them, you should make adequate research that will enable you to ascertain whether your particular tire is vulnerable or not.

This is the one most important protection attitude you should adopt. Second, always make sure that your tires are washed promptly with a good detergent the moment any brake fluids spill on them.

In addition, you should use a piece of clean cloth or rag to wipe off the surface of the tire clean of moisture after washing.

Finally, do not store brake fluids for far too long it will be healthy for your tires. The moment brake fluid changes in either color, texture, or viscosity, replace it promptly too.

Doing this will tremendously help your tires to last longer and stay free from the damaging effect of brake fluids.

How do I revive my tire from brake fluid damage?

Whenever tires are damaged, it is most advisable to replace them without delay rather than to put up any attempt for their revival. First, tire revival is not just safe.

Despite this all-important recommendation, if you observe that your tire neither has shown any cracks nor has it become bloated or disfigured anywhere, you should just wash off the brake fluid spill on the tire promptly.

This will do in most cases. Conversely, if you observe anything off with your tires, you are best advised to forget any revival effort and get the tires replaced with reliable ones. Make sure that any brake fluid spillage on tires is avoided as much as possible.

Frequently asked questions(FAQ)

What causes tires to turn brown?

When your tires turn brown, it is called tire bloom. The commonest cause for this anomaly is the presence of antioxidants. This antioxidant will push its way to the periphery of the rubber casing over time.

The moment the element comes in contact with oxygen, it leaves behind a brown residue on the surface of your tire. Any organic antioxidant assists your tires to last longer since it slows down deterioration from oxidation of its rubber.

Why do my tires turn orange?

In the case of your tire(s) turning orange in color, it is because of its threads starting to wear down, which will make its surface discolor and fade, showing a kind of orange hue or tinge in the process. This orange coloration is usually beneath the black casing of the tire.

As a result, in the beginning, this discoloration looked reminiscent of any standard tire. Furthermore, this orange discoloration will help any small, insidious tear or leaks, and for this reason, tire designers usually estimate that their tires will get over 12, 000 miles before they begin to develop any subdermal color changes, which will manifest visibly.