Liqui Moly DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid, 250ml

Two hundred and fifty millilitres of Liqui Moly DOT 5.1 brake fluid, sealed bottle, is the standalone refill for the DOT side of the workshop drawer. Liqui Moly is a German fluid manufacturer with a DOT 5.1 formulation that meets the SAE J1704 and FMVSS 116 DOT 5.1 specs the major DOT-side brake manufacturers list. The 250 ml bottle is the same fluid that ships inside the SRAM Workshop DOT bleed kit; the standalone bottle is the refill version for the bench that goes through fluid faster than the kit re-orders.

Compatibility

The fluid suits every brake system spec'd for DOT 5.1 or DOT 4: SRAM Code (RSC, R, Ultimate, Silver, Bronze), Level, Guide, G2, Force AXS, Red AXS, plus the Avid Elixir and Juicy legacy and the older Formula hydraulics (Oro, C1, R1, R0, K24, K18) that share the SRAM Bleeding Edge port. It also covers Hayes and Hope DOT systems where the brake manufacturer lists DOT 5.1 compatibility. It is not compatible with mineral-oil brakes: Shimano (all generations), Magura's MT family, Tektro and TRP, Formula Cura, SRAM Maven, SRAM DB8. The DOT-versus-mineral split is the bench safety boundary, not a preference; a syringe that has touched DOT cannot then touch a mineral system without attacking the seal stack.

Why DOT 5.1 specifically

DOT 5.1 is a glycol-ether-based fluid with a higher boiling point than DOT 4 and the same chemical family; same seal compatibility, higher heat tolerance. The brake manufacturers running DOT-side hydraulic systems specify DOT 5.1 because the lever-to-caliper fluid column sees more heat under sustained descending loads than the older DOT 4 fluid was specced for. DOT 5.1 should not be confused with DOT 5 (silicone-based, hardware-incompatible); the numbering is a manufacturer-classification quirk, not a chemistry continuation.

Specs

• Volume: 250 ml
• Spec: DOT 5.1, meets SAE J1704 and FMVSS 116
• Chemistry: glycol-ether (not silicone; distinct from DOT 5)
• Sealed bottle
• Made by Liqui Moly (Germany)

Includes: one 250 ml sealed bottle of Liqui Moly DOT 5.1 brake fluid.

A note on fluid origin

Liqui Moly is a German automotive and industrial fluid manufacturer whose DOT 5.1 brake fluid Bleedkit.com has spec'd into the SRAM Workshop DOT kit. The fluid is the same supply chain that brings the kit's bottle and the standalone bottle to the North American market through Euro Toolworks; the same distribution path that brings Unior cycling tools to the US. Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The fluid is supplied alongside the Bleedkit catalog as the matched DOT 5.1 reference for the kits that don't ship with fluid included.

Pro tip from our mechanics

DOT 5.1 absorbs moisture from atmospheric humidity, and absorbed moisture lowers the fluid's boiling point; the failure mode is brake fade on a long descent, not a leak. The unopened bottle has a long shelf life; the opened bottle is on the moisture-uptake clock from the moment the seal breaks. A reasonable shop rule: write the open-date on the bottle with a Sharpie, replace once it has been open for 12 months even if fluid is left. The 250 ml volume is sized so a typical home or shop bench finishes the bottle inside that window.

Whether the SRAM kit you are running needs this DOT 5.1 refill (or whether your bike is on the Maven mineral side and needs SRAM Maxima instead) is laid out in our compatibility guide: Which bleed kit fits Shimano R9300, Ultegra R8270, and SRAM Maven Bronze →