2019+ Fox 3.0 Live Valve Shocks!

[NEOGARAGE]

Further update on ride with the preload set at 3/4" on the collars (I remeasured them and they are not 13/16" as indicated in my earlier post). when the truck is extending the shocks downwards, for example on potholes, or over a significant speed bump, there is a bit of a thud as the shocks are reaching full extension. I believe this is because there is now less downtravel in the overall system given the preload. For the way I drive, I do not like this sensation, as it unsettles the truck on these types of features. I will be contacting Fox and hopefully, a number of vendors, to see what they might recommend for ideal preload settings. I see that Foutz motorsports Raptor set up for the Baja included slightly longer springs, and while that gives ride height clearance improvements on my truck as well, I think I am overall too high (or really, I am too high and this means I no longer have enough down travel/droop). I will report back on this, for the benefit of anyone considering how to set these when first installing.

R

Did you double check to make sure everything is right after install? I really doubt you’re extending the wheel fully 13” over a road pothole.

It could be something internally loose too, or a whole number of different things.

Do you have a picture you could provide of how much preload you set?

 

[Ryan C]

@NEOGARAGE For pic of preload, see post 147 in this thread.

When you are driving down a road with 9" of room from tire to fender, you only have about 4" of down travel, not 13". So yes, I'm not drooping out 13" on a pothole. I am drooping out 4" though, and I feel the shock top out.

Everything has been checked for tightness.

 

[NEOGARAGE]

@NEOGARAGE For pic of preload, see post 147 in this thread.

When you are driving down a road with 9" of room from tire to fender, you only have about 4" of down travel, not 13". So yes, I'm not drooping out 13" on a pothole. I am drooping out 4" though, and I feel the shock top out.

Everything has been checked for tightness.

I know there is only 4” of shaft down travel, but I still doubt you’re fully dropping out the front end over a pothole. Could be something internally wrong then..

 

[Ryan C]

If you know that, why would you assert that I'm extending 13" then? I'll go with my impressions, having driven my truck extensively over more than 1000 offroad kms before the install and extensively as well after the change, over all manner of situations where the shocks fully extends. Do you own one of these trucks? Have you driven one with Fox 3.0 factory series live valves offroad, so you can compare how the droop extension feels before and after? It doesn't seem so but perhaps I'm wrong.

 

[Ryan C]

Update: the SVC upper control arms have a little bolt on bracket that attaches to the live valve sensor arm. When I first installed these brackets, I pulled them all the way to outside of each arm to get clearance for the special tool that is used to adjust camber and caster on the UCAs. However, I noticed that the ride on the front coilovers was quite harsh. Note I have 1.5" of lift (3/4" preload) on my factory series 3.0 coilovers, and have not yet done a ride height calibration in the VDM as recommended by @FordTechOne, but plan to do that next week. Anyways, I figured that the configuration of these brackets was off, so I loosed off the two bolts on each bracket, and pushed the brackets inboard to the truck, to the max available. Due to the angle of the UCAs, the effect of this is to make the live valve sensors think the UCAs are more level than they are (i.e. the sensors think the truck isn't as tall as it is). This has had a consequential improvement in ride quality - the truck is much less harsh overall. As mentioned, I will also be doing a ride height calibration, and may also decide to lower the truck back down about halfway to stock (down to 3/4" from 1.5" of front lift). I think this will also help by increasing downtravel/droop. I will report back on how this all goes.

 

[Bad V2]

Soooo, by moving the sensor your shocks are not drooping out fully now? Or were they to begin with? Maybe the sensors were making it feel like full droop because of all the frikin' electronics. Screw that! Kings FTW!

 

[Ryan C]

They were drooping out before, and are also drooping out now. However, the ride is a lot less harsh now, as the live valve is not stiffening compression as much (note live valve only adjusts compression). None of this is the fault of the live valve coilovers. Instead, it was installer error (mine), and I wanted to share so that others with the combo of the 3.0 live valves and the SVC UCAs could hopefully avoid my mistake.

 

[codeman]

Hmmmm, will these help smooth out the on-road feel by replacing the front and rear? I have a brand new 2020 with less than 1,000K on it but find the on-road a bit too rough. Would love additional adjustment to make things more plush.

Worth the upgrade?

 

[Ryan C]

full soft on factory live valves, in normal drive mode would make the truck softer than stock. I personally wouldn't want to drive the truck like that, but it may be your cup of tea

 

[codeman]

Good to know! Ah, sometimes a bit of extra plushness has its purpose - like a long road trip on smooth asphalt. This truck would be awesome and finely tunable for everything in this case. Awesome you can make it a little softer than stock. I think I'm sold; going to wait for the 1st service then upgrade to these on 4 corners and sell the stock shocks.