Dot 5 vs Dot 4 brake fluid

[degreaser]

From google:
DOT 5 brake fluid is silicone based. DOT 3 (standard) and DOT 4 (heavy-duty) are glycol-based. It can be distinguished from conventional brake fluids by its purple color (which comes from a dye). Silicone does not absorb moisture.

my '05 800 is using dot 4, so has anyone switched from dot 4 to dot 5 on their scoot? any advantages to switching to dot 5? Did you have to flush the system? I see above that dot 5 does not absorb moisture, which for me is good because i'm on the moisture laden east coast. Should I switch to 5 or stay with 4?

[ray2]

Can dot5 and dot4 brake fluid be mixed?

[degreaser]

Google says:
Here you can see that silicone based DOT 5 is the odd one out and is not compatible with any other DOT brake fluid. By mixing DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluids, assuming it is fresh fluid, the worst thing that can happen is a drop in the boiling point of the whole fluid.

looks like you can mix 3, 4 and 5.1 but not those with dot 5

[degreaser]

from Goggle: Since DOT 4 and 5.1 are both glycol-based brake fluids they are compatible with each other, which means they can be readily mixed without harming your brake system. It is important never to mistake DOT 5.1 (glycol-based) with DOT 5 which is silicone-based and should never be mixed with any other DOT fluid.

[degreaser]

I am trying to find on google where it said to flush a dot 4 system with some cleaning agent before using dot 5

[ray2]

Thanks degreaser for the info. Think I will stay with dot4 it is more common if I have to add some when away from home.