Fox Live Valve rear shocks on Gen 1??

[FishFreak]

So, I've been running the adjustable constant current power source for the last few months. It works very well. I have a 110V CV/CC source that I stuck in my center console. I pop the lid to adjust the current. It is not the slickest way to do it (I will get to that), but for my testing purposes it works. And works great! When cruising around empty with the wife I set it to 7.0A (soft) and it floats like mostly worn out stock 2.5s. For normal driving 6.0A (mid) is spot on the money. Corners in the canyon coming up or off road, dial it to 5.0A and the tire is the limitation in the corners if you don't slide out of the seat first.

I will be talking to the guy I get my bike suspension parts from (who is an SDi dealer) about getting the E-Click setup.

Hey Eastreich, resurrecting an oldie but goodie, for those of us left tinkering with G1 Raptors. Did you end up getting the E-Click controller and was it all it was cracked up to be? Bottom line does it make financial sense, for an enthusiast, anyways, since none of this makes sense from an investment standpoint :-D !! Smarter money to just get some Icon or Fox 3.0's with adjusters on the shock? Interested if the inertia sensors on the e-click work fast enough to really help brake dive and such...?

 

[eastreich]

@FishFreak ...

I did end up getting the E-Click controller from SDI. Was it worth it? Depends on what day of the week it is and what my mood is, so let me explain.

For starters, I am absolutely all in on the Fox Live Valves. What they can do without having to get out of the cab of my Raptor for how I use it is worth every headache it was to get them installed and working properly. That said, IF I was just going to be doing runs or mostly bombing in the desert, I would get some "regular" Kings/Icon/Fox shocks with external clickers. But for how I use my truck, the SDI setup is good. Is it worth it? Just from a time vs. money standpoint, absolutely. I just have issues with some of the built in tuning that it came with. Do I need to get back in touch with SDI to get some things figured out? Probably, but I have been able to work around the issues with manual adjustments to the controller and frankly, it gets me 98% of where I want it to be when I want it.

As for the inertia sensor, yes, it does work that quick. If I hammer on the brakes it goes full stiff and lessens the brake dive noticeable. Same can be said for rear pitch when I stand on it. The yaw seems a bit off at times (like it loads the wrong side), but usually that works as it should. I did install the power for the controller on Acc Switch #4, so I can manually shut it off and go full stiff on the suspension if I want to say, when approaching a canyon on the highway and I don't feel like slowing down.

I have the SVC ABS setup on the rear with Deaver +3 HDs and KHC upper shock mounts, and now that I have the E-Click setup I rarely move the bumps down to the "load bearing" setting. I can just dial in extra rear load damping with the E-Click controller. That is just downright handy. Way easier than packing my impact with me to adjust the bump stop height when I am only loading up the truck or towing a trailer for a short trip. I have only moved the bumps once since I put on the E-Click controller, and that was to haul a 2500lb X-Ray in the bed of the truck from my work here in Montana to one of our other plants in Eastern Oregon.

They send the system with their own shock solenoids. If I had known that ahead of time, I would have had them not send them and wire in the stock solenoids. The ones they supply are not the same length, so you have to remove one of the washers. Not a big deal, just not sure why their harness could have used the OEM Fox harness ends to tie to OEM solenoids.

The real big issue (that I work around) is that if I put the controller into the "off road" mode, one side of the truck goes full stiff, while the other remains at almost full soft. Needless to say, the truck won't stay in a straight line with it working that way. I am sure I have something screwed up, but again, I can work around it pretty easily. In regular "road" mode, I just manually adjust the front or rear shocks for their damping starting point. Easy to have it nice and cushy for driving down the highway and in a few seconds I have it ready to prerun the California 300 or Mint 400 racecourses.

I think I will be a bit happier in a few weeks when I pull down my front shocks and revalve them. The E-Click controller is supposedly tuned for the Geiser springs I have, but the shock valving isn't. I need to get some shims shuffled around as the rate on the Geisers, and the valving meant for a lighter truck, don't quite work as good as it should with the Gen 1. You don't notice it until you get into bigger whoops, but when you do the front looses control and you can feel it dropping out too fast. Will also be adding some limit straps. That said, the stock 3.0 Live Valves still work better overall IMO than the revalved OEM 2.5s on my buddy's identical Gen 1 Ruby Red SE.

 

[FishFreak]

Wow Eastreich, thank you for the detailed review! Forgive my numerous questions because I'm fairly new to this G1 Raptor suspension game....

So you adjust your (aftermarket?) bump stops in the rear down for when you're carrying a load? I've got the RPG bump stop kit with Fox 2.5 bumps but I didn't know they need adjustment for loads, if that's what you're describing?

Real strange about 'off road' mode going stiff on one side, soft on the other, almost sounds like polarity is reversed on one side?

So to run the front '19+ Live Valves on our G1 trucks you need the taller KHC upper shock tower kit right? Agree it should have been a simple thing for them to use the same shock-end Fox solenoid connector. At least make that an option anyways? If you installed the '19+ Live Valve shocks front and rear without the KHC kit, but say with like the Geiser or G1 OEM spring and upper mount, the front would be taller right? But it would lose upward travel right, cuz the longer shocks, Fr and R, bottom out sooner? Then do you need the limit straps only on the front or both ends, because the downward travel is longer?

I'm overdue to either replace or rebuild the stock 2.5's, but seeing the benefits of the '19+ 3.0 fixed or Live Valve shocks, it's going to be one 3.0 or the other, not 2.5's. For my mostly street, seldom off-road raptor, the fixed blue 3.0's should be fine, but it's fun to have high tech inertia sensitive, fully remote adjustable suspension!! I've been looking at the DSC Sport Live Valve controller, but looks like SDI's e-click is a better value.

Just can't make up my mind, because Live Valve stand alone in our older trucks will always be a compromise, because of the lack of steering, braking, and body height sensors. Don't get why Fox or the after after market doesn't come up with a standalone LV controller WITH all those inputs?! If this could be done, I'd be talkin' about putting LV shocks in my '68 Mustang street/track build too!!

 

[Gen1TillDeath]

So you adjust your (aftermarket?) bump stops in the rear down for when you're carrying a load? I've got the RPG bump stop kit with Fox 2.5 bumps but I didn't know they need adjustment for loads, if that's what you're describing?

He has the SVC air bump kit, it has adjustable height settings for towing/different loads and off-roading. The RPG does not, the cans are in a fixed max travel off-road position.

 

[eastreich]

@FishFreak

See the attached pic for what @Gen1TillDeath mentioned above about the SVC bump kit. Currently have them in max up travel setting. But can lower them down 2 inches if needed to help with excessive loading in the bed.

I did hammer the inner fender wells flat as my 37s would hit the weld ridge if I didn't do that bit of work.

 

[eastreich]

@FishFreak , as for the other questions...

1.) The Live Valve solenoids are just electromagnets, and polarity for them doesn't make any difference from the testing I did with them before I put them on my truck. Now, thinking it could be something wired backwards I would have agreed, but in highway mode it adjusts exactly how it is supposed to. Same with the braking/accelerating/steering response. I tend to watch the shock readout on the controller all the time just because it is fun to watch the setting numbers bounce around as the inertia sensor does it's thing. I will get it figured out, but probably not until October when I am back down in Barstow to race the CA300 and can run a bit farther down I-15 to stop by the SDI shop and have them look at it.

2.) You aren't getting front shocks for a Gen 2 stuffed into a Gen 1 without either putting in a new shock tower or cutting the body down to shorten it. The shocks are just too long. If you were able to wedge them in there, your Raptor is going to eat CVs like I do twinkies. Going to be at some ugly angles and may not even be able to get it aligned correctly. I have the KHC conversion buckets as they were the only ones available at the time. I think others make them now, but haven't looked around for obvious reasons!

Rear shocks fit (mostly) fine without any issue. If you have aftermarket springs they "almost" drop right in. Again, they are a bit longer, so at full droop (if fresh and can force the springs a bit farther) the brake line gets tight. Once going to aftermarket leafs, you HAVE to get extended brake lines. The KHC upper rear mounts make it fit the way it should, but I ran 20,000 miles with the Live Valves on the stock rear before upgrading the springs/bumps/mounts.

Geiser spring does sit a higher than OEM. My truck a bit nose down with the Deaver +3 HDs when empty. Put a pair of dirt bikes in there and I am sitting level.

I was originally hoping to just get an aftermarket setup for a SXS as all I really cared about was making them all soft/stiff as a group which is what I could do with the adjustable constant current power supply I dropped into my center console. The SDI controller resembles the terrain dial in any other new Ford, so it looks good.

As for if it is a good value? Dunno. Is for me, and it is fun to play with. I really need to spend time messing with it, but other stuff keeps popping up that needs attention.

If you want to spend the money, and the tech appeals to you, I say go for it. Just know that it takes some work and is NOT completely plug and play.

Note that in the attached pic I have my foot on the brake, so the controller is adding compression to the front shocks. Took a bit of trimming to the aux/mode housing but fit nicely and is easy to see.

 

[FishFreak]

Thanks again for all that info @eastreich, it's really helpful! Clearly you are much more serious an off-roader than I am. I'm a has-been motocross racer that has wanted a capable off-road truck all my life and finally have a stock G1 Raptor. My stock 2.5 Fox shox with 130k miles need rebuilding bad, but I'd like to upgrade to a 3.0 without breaking the bank, cuz it may not make sense to spend so dang much on a truck with that many miles?

You've given me good info, and I'm thinking if I do go G2 3.0 Fox up front, I will get the Evil Mfg limiting strap kit to keep from overextending? I'm guessing then I may be losing about an inch of upward travel, and the shocks may bottom out on it's piston vs the suspensions compression, right?

Live Valve sounds so awesome, but is it really better than a nice pair of King or Fox 3.0's with reservoirs and external adjusters that are sized for my truck and don't require limiting straps? Sounds like G2 Live Valves or G2 3.0 Fox shocks could use a little more rebound damping for our heavier V8 truck's springs, right?

So many options....? Anyone chime in on a lower budget suspension upgrade here, would be appreciated !

 

[FishFreak]

I know lower budget suspension upgrade would be to just rebuild my stock 2.5's, add Geiser or Eibach front, and Deaver HDs 3+ springs in back, right? I tow a bass boat sometimes and some gear, so HD should be my choice right?

 

[eastreich]

@FishFreak I have just about 200k on my 2014, and am still going to be throwing stuff at it. (Edit: going to be taking my wife down to test drive a new Bronco to replace here Explorer, so may have something else to throw $ at).

Frankly, in your case even with the "fun tech" of the Live Valves if you aren't going to put in buckets don't do any shock meant for a Gen2. Just going to be way way more headache than it is worth.

My very low worth 2 cents: have your stock 2.5s rebuilt, and revalved while they are apart (assuming you are already mid perch). Since you don't haul anything normally, just get some "regular" +2 Deavers and the truck will have a nice balance to it. The boat still won't sag it much for the few times you tow, assuming it isn't long distance. The Gen2/Geiser shocks on my truck with +3HD Deavers put my front end at top perch ride height and I still have the rear end high when unloaded. 600lbs in the bed levels the truck.