Replacement Calipers?

Beamie · June 29, 2020

Are Raybestos calipers as good as AC Delco? Seeing various grades of AC Delco, I guess just to make things confusing for us.

The current winter road treatment around here has the bleeder screws disintegrating and I haven't seen any restoration services for the bleeders so it might mean new calipers.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Beamie

CamGTP · June 29, 2020

I've used them all. Napa, O-reillys, Autozone etc etc. 80-90% of the stuff you are using are AC delco cores that are rebuilds with new pistons and seals. Same for all the other brands like ford/mopar.

Just the other day I bought a rear caliper from my dads 2012 Mazda 3. Guess what is stamped right on the caliper, a giant FORD logo because Ford/Mazda were still partners back then. The caliper I bought from Napa was a Ford part rebuilt to run on a Mazda.

If the part has a warranty, I don't even care for the most part. You could buy a reman AC delco part or the AC delco reman in a Napa box and the chances of either failing are the same.

Edited June 29, 2020 by CamGTP

Grumpy Bear · June 29, 2020

1 hour ago, CamGTP said:

I've used them all. Napa, O-reillys, Autozone etc etc. 80-90% of the stuff you are using are AC delco cores that are rebuilds with new pistons and seals. Same for all the other brands like ford/mopar.

Just the other day I bought a rear caliper from my dads 2012 Mazda 3. Guess what is stamped right on the caliper, a giant FORD logo because Ford/Mazda were still partners back then. The caliper I bought from Napa was a Ford part rebuilt to run on a Mazda.

If the part has a warranty, I don't even care for the most part. You could buy a reman AC delco part or the AC delco reman in a Napa box and the chances of either failing are the same.

Begs a question Cameron. GM has Advantage (good), Professional (better) and OEM Direct Replacement (best) for brake parts. Are you saying there is no difference? It honestly would not surprise me.

Ex use to work for Hybertech in El Paso Texas. Company was the supplier for electronic ignitions for all OEM's. (Cira 1985).

They had a 90 day warranty, (good). A one year warranty (better) and a lifetime warranty part (best). The difference in the three was about $100 USA and the color of the plug so that the company could keep track of which warranty was to be enforced.

Serious question sir. Please, a serious answer.

CamGTP · June 29, 2020

I'm just not sure how there can be such a big difference. If say we are talking about a brake caliper in this example. Like how can they make the boots, sliders, pistons so that is going to perform better? They aren't using a different material or things like that. It's all the same stuff because the piston can't rust away in one winter, can't be lower quality so that the fluid eats the rubber seals.

The better/best stuff from what I see comes down to the coatings and the warranty you want. I see lots of stuff where it may not be painted or has no corrosion protection on it but the "best" one will. Then you also pay the extra money for the warranty. I feel that these companies are banking on the fact that there is a low failure rate and because of that they get to make a little bit more on the part.

Other parts like electrical components I always steer clear of the "enter level or good" because they do tend to be made cheaper. Sometimes coming from different countries than the "better" parts. Even putting them side by side the quality can look different.

Beamie · June 29, 2020

Title has been corrected to "Calipers". Not sure what I was thinking about writing rotors.

I've bought a few AC delco things that were less than optimum in QC. The latest was the oem grade AC Delco spark plug wires. Three of the wires had the boots misaligned, like someone having their head on backward. Obviously the plant worker was just that.

Thus the question Raybestos vs AC Delco on the calipers.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Beamie

Grumpy Bear · June 29, 2020

39 minutes ago, CamGTP said:

I'm just not sure how there can be such a big difference. If say we are talking about a brake caliper in this example. Like how can they make the boots, sliders, pistons so that is going to perform better? They aren't using a different material or things like that. It's all the same stuff because the piston can't rust away in one winter, can't be lower quality so that the fluid eats the rubber seals.

The better/best stuff from what I see comes down to the coatings and the warranty you want. I see lots of stuff where it may not be painted or has no corrosion protection on it but the "best" one will. Then you also pay the extra money for the warranty. I feel that these companies are banking on the fact that there is a low failure rate and because of that they get to make a little bit more on the part.

Other parts like electrical components I always steer clear of the "enter level or good" because they do tend to be made cheaper. Sometimes coming from different countries than the "better" parts. Even putting them side by side the quality can look different.

Okay calipers I can see but rotors can be allot different. Right?

CamGTP · June 29, 2020

Rotors can be different. I know with the Napa products the Premium to the Ultra Premium there is a different in quality. The Premium rotors only have a top hat coating where as the UP's are fully polymer coated. The UP's also have a tighter tolerance for lateral run out than the regular Premium rotors. The warranty is also lifetime on the UP's.

The better rotors should be made with a specific metallurgy in mind as well, they are application specific where as the cheaper rotors are going to meet just whatever the minimum spec is required to make a rotor. The better rotor will have a higher tensile strength and be higher on a hardness scale.

I'm sure if you dig hard enough you can get that information from various brands and I'm sure that is how AC Delco does their good, better, best too.

Grumpy Bear · June 29, 2020

Wife got 75 K out of the OEM rotors on her Terrain. Then 15 K out of the replacement Power Stop. Warped. They warrantied those. She now has 30 K on this replacement set and we have a rapid stop pulse. She drives like she always has so nothing has changed there. We're going to turn on the vehicle and re-pad at next service. If that doesn't work then back to GM OEM Direct Replacement rotors. This stuff is to important to be chintzy with materials. Whatever happens from here on out, it's OEM direct replacement rotors and pads.

Anyway, back to the OP. Thanks for the help Cameron.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Grumpy Bear