ARB Brushless Compressor - First Impressions

[ChrisW]

So in the usual way of offroading being a cover story for acquiring shiny toys...I found enough excuses to buy the recently released ARB brushless compressor. I've been meaning for some time now to replace the wiring that runs power back to my onboard compressor at the rear of the vehicle, and decided to upgrade the compressor at the same time.

 

 

Background

The ARB twin compressor has been around for many years and is a well known, reliable and high performing compressor. I've had one fitted to my current and previous vehicle, and generally it works very well. I've had some sporadic issues with popping fuses, which I think could be a mixture of current in-rush and underspecified wiring. ARB's latest iteration of these compressors replaces the brushed motors with brushless motors - and promises higher compressor performance with like-for-like power consumption. The move to brushless motors also offers other benefits, like the ability for the control circuits inside the compressor to more easily throttle the compressor (to avoid excess heat or voltage drop) and stagger the start-up of the motors to mitigate current in-rush.

 

Installation

I have the compressor installed in the cargo compartment storage area (under the cargo floor lid). The first step was to replace the wiring from the battery to the rear of the car. I replaced the wiring with 4AWG (6AWG would be sufficient but this gives some room for drawing more power in the future if I want it), and ran it from the battery, down the inside-rear of the wheel arch, along the top of the frame, over the rear suspension, and then through a rubber grommet into the bottom of the cargo tray.

The new unit is a similar form factor to the previous one, but it is not 100% like-for-like swap. There are changes to the mounting solution (it sits on a base plate with a quick release clamp - and the bolt pattern is different), and to the wiring/switch connections (small changes to the setup of the grounds, and the wiring loom simplifies down into two plugs only - one for each compressor pump). The width and height of the unit is I think the same, but it has slightly more depth.

You will note from the wiring diagram that the fuses are now 60A per side. The compressor is specified to run at 45A per motor (90A total) steady-state, but the additional 15A being for current in-rush. I would suggest that if running a long wiring run, as I am, the wiring is sized to the 60A per side requirement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Impressions

• The installation was easy - the instructions are super clear, the included wiring harness, switch etc makes it all very easy. The hardest part was the cable routing! The unit is designed to use car chassis grounds, so you only need to run positive wires and then pickup on good chassis grounds local to the unit.
• It's loud! It's noticeably louder than the unit I replaced. You wouldn't want to sit in the car while it runs continuously.
• The clincher - performance! I did a back to back test of the old unit to the new. Taking my 35" KN02's from 7.5 PSI to 35PSI using a four-hose setup - ARB Twin Compressor (old): 609 seconds, ARB Brushless Twin Compressor (new): 407 seconds. This supports ARB's claim of 50% higher throughput (in volume). 

 

Conclusion

Another high quality product from ARB - again a very nice design, good quality of wiring harnesses and physical installation, and top-end performance. 

 

Is it worth the higher price point however...? If you already have the regular ARB twin, then I don't think it's worth a change at the moment. If you are installing onboard air for the first time and you're looking for a premium solution - then I can recommend this.

 

As always however...none of this is essential if you're just starting out...something cheap and effective from the usual outlets in Dubai will work just fine too!  

[Luke K P]

im impressed with the new airflow output!

nice that the instructions now explicitly call out cutting the provided wireharness to length instead of just coiling it like some install shops do... (and likley will still do! )

adding to the xmas wish list

[Aser]

Did you get it from ARB Abu Dhabi?

[ChrisW]

11 minutes ago, Aser said:

Did you get it from ARB Abu Dhabi?

No - I don’t think think it’s been released here yet. This was imported. 
 

I did notice some major price reductions from ARB UAE for the existing compressors, which makes me wonder if they’re clearing stock ahead of the new product arriving. 

Edited March 19, 2025 by ChrisW

[DP1011]

Thank you @ChrisW, my most useful take away is in second para of the conclusion😂😂

[ChrisW]

4 minutes ago, DP1011 said:

Thank you @ChrisW, my most useful take away is in second para of the conclusion😂😂

People never believe me when I tell them how you pump your tyres up after an offroad session…

 

😉😂😂

 

[Mike M.]

Hi @ChrisW thanks for sharing! I noticed you mentioned that if someone has a twin compressor already, it is not so much worth it. From memory, i think ARB promises around 50% faster output with the new brushless compressors. Did you notice a significant improvement (close to 50%) from your end?  Thanks in advance

14 hours ago, DP1011 said:

Thank you @ChrisW, my most useful take away is in second para of the conclusion😂😂

unless it is 50% faster !

[ChrisW]

13 minutes ago, Mike M. said:

Hi @ChrisW thanks for sharing! I noticed you mentioned that if someone has a twin compressor already, it is not so much worth it. From memory, i think ARB promises around 50% faster output with the new brushless compressors. Did you notice a significant improvement (close to 50%) from your end?  Thanks in advance

unless it is 50% faster !

Hey Mike - it was buried a bit further down in the write-up but I did a back-to-back comparison between the brushed twin and brushless twin:

 

[Mike M.]

6 minutes ago, ChrisW said:

Hey Mike - it was buried a bit further down in the write-up but I did a back-to-back comparison between the brushed twin and brushless twin:

 

Thanks for this ! sorry missed it the first time. 

[ChrisW]

 

So it’s been about six months since installing the ARB brushless compressor and I thought I’d follow up with a longer-term review. 

 

Basic summary is…great performance but it is fussier than the old-school ARB twin compressor!

 

Pros:

• Great performance - it is roughly 50% faster than the brushed twin compressor, and in combination with the ARB pressure control I always have very accurately inflated tyres. 
• Simpler wiring and install - the wiring loom is a bit simpler than the previous install, and the quick release mount makes it easier if you need to pop the compressor out to get access, clean etc. 
• No more randomly popped fuses! The electrical setup and fusing seems a bit more reliable. 

 

Longer-Term Lessons:

• It’s a lot more temperature sensitive! I have the compressor mounted in the rear cubby which isn’t very well ventilated. The brushed compressor would soldier on regardless, but the brushless has throttled itself back a few times due to the heat (it beeps a certain number of times to communicate error messages). I’ve since added some venting and remote air intakes (so it draws in cooler air from inside the cabin), and all is well. The flip side to this is that it’s also smart enough to protect itself - which should pay off in time. 
• The increased cost vs quicker inflation is still in my view marginal. It was an interesting project but if you already have a brushed compressor I wouldn’t prioritise this modification. 

 

So all in all…great performance, good install and smarter operation…but it will need some careful thought on installation location given our hot weather conditions.