bcoffin23

Has anyone in here used the A1 Cardone Rebuilt Brembos from Parts Geek?

A1 Cardone Brembos

Looks like a better bang for your buck than buying used Brembos, and since this is for track application, paint doesn't matter to me.

Looking for a review/experience!

rancor

They are equivalent form and function so not actually rebuilt calipers but new calipers make by someone other than brembo.

I have had them for ~10k miles and have been happy with them but I have only done street and autocross driving. I did get a caliper with only partly tapped threads for some reason. I needed to finish taping the threads as they were too shallow to allow a bolt fit. I also noticed there was residue in the calipers and I think some other people have had the same problem. After the first and second flush it looked like I had small white particles in the fluid. It would probably be a good idea to pop the pistons out and check before you put the calipers in the car.

bcoffin23

Thanks for the response! I assumed they are Brembos since the photo has "Brembo" stamped into the caliper.

Overall have you seen an improvement in stopping force vs your non-brembos?

SpartaEvolution

Keep in mind that list price is after the core charge, and since you don't have a core to send back, the actual price per caliper is ~$150. This is still a pretty good deal, but it's not that much better than buying a used set of Brembos, since they will usually come with rotors + pads.

JMII

I've gotten rebuilt Akebonos from Rock Auto, branded as "PowerStop". Even if you ignore the core exchange they cost about 1/2 what a new set costs. I had the same issues mentioned above: they required tapping the threads (rears only) and I saw some white fluff during the fluid flush as well. Also they came unpainted (as pictured in the link). I've run them at the track multiple times without issue. Pads and other hardware fit perfectly.

rancor

I also assumed the same thing and called/emailed A1 when I got the calipers as I assumed they were fakes.

I can't give you much feedback on stopping power or pedal feel. I went from Hawk HPS pads to Carbotech AX6s and Z1 2 piece rotors so the major difference in feel and stopping power was probably the pads. I did notice a weight change in steering feel, it got lighter, but that was probably the rotors.