May 20, 2024
Rhonium – Car & Truck Style + Performance

Gain Full Control with ACDelco Brakes

12 min read April 20, 2023 Roger Craig
acdelco brakes main

Having high-quality brakes is extremely important for safety and comfort during driving. While OE brake parts are relatively good, there is always room for improvement if you strive to achieve the best results in terms of performance, controllability, and safety. Certainly, there are hundreds of brake part manufacturers, but only a handful of them offers genuinely top-class products for the money they demand. Today we are going to review a company that proved to be a reliable manufacturer and supplier of the best brake upgrades and replacements in North America. 

ACDelco offers a wide range of brake parts and other upgrades for many popular vehicle manufacturers including Toyota, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Chrysler cars, and more! ACDelco manufactures parts for repairs and upgrades so that each customer can order the exact parts they need for specific situations. 

If you seek brake replacement parts that meet OE standards, ACDelco creates them following the constructional and performance design in detail. If your goal is to maximize braking performance and response and achieve the shortest stopping distance, ACDelco creates brakes and brake parts of the highest class that will serve the lifetime of your vehicle.

ACDelco is proud of its manufacturing principle to release asbestos-free shoes and pads. The company strives to provide vehicle owners with safe products both for vehicle performance and people’s health.

ACDelco Brake Parts Review

Brake products released by ACDelco are divided into three series: OE brakes, Silver series, and Gold series. 

OE series have brake parts that meet GM OE standards and can be purchased to replace broken parts without changing performance characteristics. 

Silver series offers advanced brake parts to get an advantage on the road in complicated situations. With these ACDelco high-quality brake parts, you’ll upgrade your braking performance up a few steps. You’ll get more control, and comfort, and will enhance the reliability of your vehicle’s braking performance.

Gold Series offers brake parts and upgrades of a professional level that can and should be used in professional, demanding driving. These are the best products ACDelco manufactures, with the price and quality that can satisfy even the most demanding customers. 

Now, let’s review these products in detail, and find a brake upgrade that matches your needs!

ACDelco Brake Calliper and Rotor

Brake Parts from ACDelco Gold Series

In this series, you can find top-quality professional brake pads, calipers, rotors, drums, and shoes. Let’s review why they deserve to be called Gold Brake Parts. 

Professional Brake Pads from the Gold Series

1. The first release from this series is Gold Disc Brake Pads which are designed to be a premium replacement for OE parts without the need to change anything in the vehicle’s system. ACDelco’s team designs Gold Brake Pads as a perfect fit for General Motors vehicles, but also compatible with other modern and older vehicle manufacturers. This means that Professional ACDelco Brake Pads are constructed to fit each chamfer and slot of your OE system.

ACDelco Professional Ceramic Front

ACDelco Gold Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
  • Perfect fitment with the OE system ensures excellent performance and noise reduction. 
  • Depending on your vehicle make and model, ACDelco will offer you semi-metallic or ceramic professional brake pads, this is important to follow OE friction material. 
  • With these upgrades, you’ll get a significant reduction in the vibration and noise of the brakes, which positively affects comfort. 
  • Professional ACDelco Brake Pads are protected by black powder coating and highly resistant to deterioration and corrosion.
ACDelco Gold Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad
ACDelco Gold Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pads
  • These brake pads undergo meticulous independent durability, noise, harshness, wear, and vibration tests. 
  • These are copper-free LeafMark, low-dust brake pads that provide smooth braking performance.

Ceramic Brake Pads from the Gold Series

ACDelco offers ceramic brake pads to those customers that want to replace their OE pads with something more durable, resistant, and long-lasting. Ceramic Brake Pads from the Gold Series are highly resistant to corrosion and wear. At the same time, they significantly improve braking performance and comfort by reducing noise and vibration. A professional level of noise and vibration reduction is achieved with premium shims, slots, and chamfers.

acdelco brakepads
  • ACDelco Ceramic Brake Pads come with noise-dampening shims for some vehicle fitments.
  • SAE J2784 type of testing is applied to each product to ensure that you’ll get reliable, safe, and high-standard brake upgrades. Ceramic Brake Pads by ACDelco undergo meticulous wear, noise, durability, vibration, and harshness tests.
  • Each model is ready to be installed right out of the box, with no curing or changes to the vehicle’s system required.
  • A wide range of applications are available with ceramic, semi-metallic, and organic constructional designs. 
ACDelco Gold Enhanced Performance Semi-Metallic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
ACDelco Gold Enhanced Performance Semi-Metallic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
  • Bond integrity of these pads is ensured with integral molding technology which molds friction material to a backing plate. 
  • Premature wear is reduced by utilizing a stamped backing plate design. 
  • These are copper-free low-dusting brake pads that will provide your car with professional braking performance. 

Ceramic Brake Pads for Severe Duty and Enhanced Performance

ACDelco has designed these brake pads specifically for the demands of fleet and police vehicles. These gold series ceramic brake pads provide the quietest braking performance and a long time of service without wear and deterioration. 

ACDelco Gold Performance Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set

ACDelco Gold Performance Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
  • Shims for noise-dampening come with the order for some vehicle fitments. 
  • Quiet braking performance is achieved with rubberized adjustment clips. 
  • Perfect fitment with the OE system is ensured with premium slots and chamfers. 
  • In some models, where it is fit, Nucap Retention System is used. 
  • A variety of meticulous tests is performed on each product to ensure high levels of durability, resistance, and safety.
ACDelco Silver Ceramic Rear Disc Brake Pad Set

ACDelco Silver Ceramic Rear Disc Brake Pad Set
  • ACDelco Enhanced Ceramic Brake Pads are available as ceramic, semi-metallic, and organic products.
  • Integral molding is used to create a reliable connection between a friction material and a backing plate.

Semi-Metallic Brake Pads for Severe Duty and Enhanced Performance

Just like the previous model, Semi-Metallic Brake Pads from the Gold Series are professional brake upgrades that meet the demands of fleet and police vehicles. Premium-class braking performance is achieved with a steel-strand design that dissipates heat and strengthens brake pads. 

ACDelco Professional Durastop Semi-Metallic Front Disc Brake Pad Set

ACDelco Professional Durastop Semi-Metallic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
  • Semi-Metallic ACDelco Brake Pads are highly resistant to corrosion and premature wear. These are excellent brake pads for extreme performance.
  • These ACDelco Brake Pads offer premium slots and chamfers, and quiet-operation rubberized adjustment clips. 
  • SAE J2784 standards are met by meticulous testing of durability, noise, vibration, and wear.
ACDelco Gold Performance Severe Duty Brake Pad Set Semi-Metallic
ACDelco Gold Performance Severe Duty Brake Pad Set Semi-Metallic
  • Safety and reliability are ensured with semi-metallic, ceramic, and organic formulas. 
  • Integral molding technology is used in manufacturing these ACDelco brake pads to ensure a reliable, strong connection between the friction material and backing plate. 

Brake Calipers from the Gold Series

As of 2023, ACDelco offers four models of Brake Calipers for a professional level of performance. Each model undergoes a wide range of tests to ensure reliability and leak resistance. ACDelco Brake Calipers are engineered and manufactured with critical specifications, to provide customers with maximum levels of safety. 

ACDelco Gold (Professional) Remanufactured Coated Brake Calipers

ACDelco Gold (Professional) Remanufactured Coated Brake Calipers

1. Zinc-Plated Professional Brake Calipers offer high resistance to temperature changes, elements, and other types of harmful effects. Zinc-Plating provides extreme levels of protection against corrosion. Bracketed fitments are available for some vehicle makes and models. Binding is prevented by using pre-lubrication on critical areas of the brake calipers. 

2. Remanufactured Professional and Coated Brake Calipers are manufactured using iron casting and come without brake pads attached. This ensures customization freedom for the vehicle owner. Although these calipers are created using remanufacturing technology, they will provide your vehicle with a professional level of performance. Zinc-plated coating protection eliminates the risk of corrosion and deterioration. 

ACDelco Professional Rear Passenger Side Disc Brake Caliper Assembly

ACDelco Professional Rear Passenger Side Disc Brake Caliper Assembly

3. Uncoated Professional Brake Calipers by ACDelco offer a combination of iron and aluminum casting and EPDM rubber components that provide extreme levels of performance, durability, and reliability. Each order includes all the necessary hardware, copper sealing washers, and bleeder screws. These are friction-ready Brake Calipers that come without pads.

4. New ACDelco Brake Calipers from the Gold Series are released for those who don’t like remanufactured products. They include zinc plating for ultimate protection against corrosion and vehicle-specific tightenings of the caliper housing bolts. Bleeder Screws and Pistons are included with the order.

Professional Brake Drums from the Gold Series

Another upgrade for the professional level of braking performance is Gold Brake Drums manufactured from high-quality G3000 SAE materials. Each product undergoes meticulous TS/ISO 16949 performance and quality testing. 

ACDelco Gold (Professional) Brake Drums

ACDelco Gold (Professional) Brake Drums
  • Each ACDelco Brake Drum is designed to follow vehicle-specific vane configuration, chamfer angle, and plate thickness. 
  • Gold Brake Drums by ACDelco are balanced for ultimate smoothness of operation and reduced noise levels. 
  • High levels of heat dissipation ensure that these brake drums will serve a lifetime of your vehicle.

Professional Brake Rotors from the Gold Series

High-quality Brake Rotors by ACDelco offer zinc baked-on coating protection applied by robotic machines, a non-directional ground finish, and a modern heat-dissipation constructional design. 

ACDelco Professional Front Disc Brake Rotor

ACDelco Professional Front Disc Brake Rotor
  • Gold Brake Rotors are released as vehicle-specific fitments that can serve as top-quality replacements for OE rotors. 
  • Zinc protective coating covers all of the rotor’s surface, which eliminates the risk of it seizing to the hub, and provides amazing protection against rust, corrosion, and deterioration. 
  • Due to the coating, the rotors remain cleaner for much longer than standard OE rotors. 
  • Excellent performance and heat dissipation is achieved by multiple-alloy manufacturing technology.
ACDelco Gold Black Hat Front Disc Brake Rotor

ACDelco Gold Black Hat Front Disc Brake Rotor
  • Proper rotor function without the need for additional weights is achieved by mill-balancing.
  • ACDelco Brake Rotors from the Gold Series are vehicle-specific and meticulously tested to provide immaculate performance.

Professional Brake Shoes from the Gold Series

ACDelco offers high-quality brake shoes that are bonded and machined for perfect performance and high levels of noise reduction. Gold Brake Shoes provide high-shear strength that keeps the integrity of the bond intact. Cam ground or contour in this model helps with rear wheel lockup and chatter. 

ACDelco Gold Bonded Rear Drum Brake Shoe Set

ACDelco Gold Bonded Rear Drum Brake Shoe Set

Brake Parts from ACDelco Silver Series

This series offers high-quality brake parts designed to be one level up above OE parts. Silver Series Brake parts upgrade your braking performance to an advanced level. 

Advanced Brake Pads from the Silver Series

In this series, ACDelco offers Ceramic, Semi-Metallic, and Friction Brake Pads that can help you achieve advanced braking performance. Each model is released as a vehicle-specific fitment that perfectly replaces OE brake pads.

ACDelco Silver 14D1367ACH Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set

ACDelco Silver Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
  • Semi-Metallic ACDelco Brake Pads provide improved heat dissipation, Ceramic offer highly reduced noise levels, and Friction Brake Pads are released as economical and more standard brake replacements. 
  • All of the models are copper-free, which ensures low-dusting performance, and protected by a coating that reduces the risk of corrosion and deterioration. 
  • Depending on the vehicle make and model, ACDelco brake pads come with all the necessary hardware and electronic parts.

Advanced Brake Rotors Without Coating 

Brake Rotors from Silver Series can provide your vehicle with reliable braking performance with minimized noise and maximized safety. A level lower than Gold Brake Rotors, but a level higher than OE parts, these upgrades can provide your vehicle with advanced braking power at a reasonable price. 

ACDelco Advantage Non-Coated Front Disc Brake Rotor

ACDelco 18A925A Advantage Non-Coated Front Disc Brake Rotor
  • Vane configuration is vehicle-specific. Each model is tuned in such a way that your brakes will get improved heat dissipation, noise reduction, and enhanced safety and performance ratings. 
  • Silver Brake Rotors offer non-directional ground finish and mill-balancing. 
  • Multiple alloy manufacturing technology is used to create these rotors.
  • Improved strength is achieved by a rounded radius. 

Advanced Brake Drums from the Silver Series

G3000 material is used to manufacture ACDelco Silver Brake Drums that provide a balanced and smooth braking performance. Each model provides vehicle-specific plate thickness, vane configuration, and chamfer angle. After the purchase, you’ll get Brake Drums ready to install out of the box with no additional weights and machining required. 

ACDelco Silver (Advantage) Brake Drums

ACDelco Silver (Advantage) Brake Drums

Advanced Brake Shoes from the Silver Series

ACDelco also offers Brake Shoes a level higher than OE parts for better braking comfort. These brake shoes are available in bonded and riveted configurations depending on your vehicle’s make and model. 

Brake Parts from ACDelco OE Series

Together with General Motors, ACDelco offers OE-quality replacements for brake parts in GM vehicles. These are perfect if you want a replacement for broken parts at a reasonable price but manufactured by a company that is known to release reliable, high-quality vehicle parts. 

OE Brake Pads for GM Cars

ACDelco offers high-quality braking pads for General Motors vehicles with improved braking performance and reduced noise levels. These braking pads are manufactured using integral molding technology which ensures a strong connection between the friction material and the backing plate. Each brake pad has premium-quality chamfers, slots, and shims. These are copper-free, meticulously tested OE brake pads recommended by General Motors.

ACDelco GM Original Equipment Rear Disc Brake Pad Kit with Springs

ACDelco GM OE Rear Disc Brake Pad Kit with Springs

OE Brake Drums for GM Cars

ACDelco also offers top-class, balanced brake drums that can serve as an ideal replacement for your broken OE drums. ACDelco’s Brake Drums are recommended by General Motors due to their perfect design and vehicle-specific fitment. These drums will provide your GM car with smooth and noiseless braking performance. 

OE Brake Shoes for GM Cars

And the last brake OE replacement for General Motors vehicles offered by ACDelco is OE Brake Shoes. These brake shoes, recommended by GM, have a design that includes high-resistance coating, enhanced durability, and vehicle-specific fitment. All ACDelco GM Brake Shoes are rigorously tested to provide safe and reliable braking performance.