Redarc Brake Controllers: "Elite" or "Liberty"?

rhyno

I'm on the fence between the Redarc Liberty and Elite Brake controllers. I have a Redarc wiring harness already. Looking at the following comparison chart, our Tab 400 is single axle and I don't need 24 volt support, so only differences to me seems to be the $135 vs $208 price and whether I really need the off-road manual capability of the Elite model. I don't plan to really "off-road" beyond what a normal daily driver SUV would encounter because Mrs Rhyno yells at me enough when I'm driving on actual roads. Does anyone have either of these models and an opinion either way as to which to buy?

pthomas745

Here is a thread on the Redarc from last year...not sure if it covers the differences in the two. 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/114947#Comment_114947

rhyno

@pthomas745 - thank you. The Redarc Liberty model was just released Aug 18th 2020 and the most recent post on here for Redarc was about a month prior. I might be one of the early adopters!

Denny16

Sounds like the Liberty version should work best for you.  The only real advantage the Elite is its off road mode, which changes the braking to accommodate gravel and dirt surfaces where tires might slip during braking.
cheers

ChrisFix

@rhyno
The Liberty is a new, and significantly less expensive model from Redarc. If it were available when I installed my Elite, it is the one I would have purchased. It has all the features I'll ever need...

Ron

The Redarc is the smoothest and most powerful controller that I have used.  At a light to normal setting it will lock up the brakes in an emergency situation where others won't.  Their 12v to 12v charger will allow your newer tow vehicle to actually charge the trailer battery.

rhyno

I ended up going with the Liberty and installed it this afternoon. We'll see how it does when towing our Tab next Spring.

Slackers

Your installation is very clean!

rhyno

Thanks @SlackerBill! I am really happy with how the installation turned out and it only took a few hours. If you want a deep-dive here's how the sausage was made...

https://imgur.com/gallery/0BHT8ci

CharlieRN

I too am considering a Redarc and don't see any reason not to go with the Liberty. It's only drawback from my perspective is that it does not come with the needed connection plug/harness (RED69FR) but that's only an additional $20.

ChrisFix

CharlieRN said:

I too am considering a Redarc and don't see any reason not to go with the Liberty. It's only drawback from my perspective is that it does not come with the needed connection plug/harness (RED69FR) but that's only an additional $20.

Charlie,
Neither of them come with the harness (at least my Elite didn't)...so no difference there.
They also make some factory specific harnesses, so you might want to see if that is an option.
If the Liberty was available when I bought the Elite, I would have gone with the Liberty. It does everything the Elite does except for the off-road specific manual control, which I will absolutely never use!
It's a great system, and no other brake controller can be installed so neatly.

CharlieRN

What I'm wrestling with now is where to put the rotary switch. I have several blank switches on my center pillar that would be ideal, but Volvo has other ideas. Turns out that there is a PCB directly behind the panel, so you can't put anything there except for a factory switch that plugs directly into the board.

Mounting it on the dashboard is also problematic due to access and to the extreme curvature of the lower areas. There may be room on the perforated metal horizontal panel near the shifter (you can see a tiny bit of it in the upper photo). The problem with that location is it is a long run to the firewall from there to get to the controller. The connecting cable from Redarc is only 3 feet long and won't do, but I guess I could splice a few feet of wire and extend it. I also need to work up the nerve to drill a hole into a panel that is so visible . . .

rhyno

@ChrisFix the Elite model does include their basic harness now - but that may not have been the case when you purchased yours. Maybe they only started doing that after the Liberty model hit the market. I can say that they have great support and may be able to help you out with a freebie or refund in lieu of any missing parts that should have been included. When I sent Redarc my install step pics for their support database, I asked for an Elite control knob since I liked that better than the Liberty knob with the trailer silhouette. I figured they would just send me the knob itself but they sent me an entire spare remote head worth $50!

rhyno

@CharlieRN - The connector cable is standard Cat5 Ethernet cable. The one that came with my Liberty unit has one end at a right angle fwiw. This helped in my case to have room behind my dash without crushing the connector.

It's a bummer that the PCB gets in the way of mounting the controller in one of your center console blanks. If you want to hit me up offline with some pics of where else you're considering mounting it I am happy to help brainstorm where to mount the controller knob. I also have my spare controller in case you need any measurements. It narrows at one end so the measurements on Redarc's instruction sheet can be misleading. I used my digital calipers and measured like mad before cutting into anything to avoid scarring Mrs Rhyno's daily driver.

CharlieRN

Thanks @rhyno - appreciate the offer and will send a PM to take you up on it. I've also emailed Redarc to see if they have any XC-90 specific info. Volvo kept the configuration nearly identical for their entire XC-90 production run from 2003 to 2014, and there are tons out there, both here and down in Oz.

rcarlson1957

Installed Redarc Liberty in my 2020 Ridgeline after using a Curt Echo wireless system. Got plug in harness specific to my TV and ordered snap in for dash (fits in unused switch button that popped out an left lower dash side of steering wheel). Looks like factory install and works ver smooth.