Fox Shock Perch Adjustment

The mod:

BigJ said:

http://www.fourwheeler.com/roadtest...ptor_first_drive/features_specifications.html

Four Wheeler Mag Wrote:
Level It Out
Like all factory pickups, the Raptor comes from the factory with a nose-down or "stink bug" stance. For those who don't plan on loading up the bed, we think that a leveled Raptor would be more appealing from a styling standpoint, as well as a functional one as it would increase the approach angle. As we were examining the cut-away of the front Fox shocks, we noticed a curious "manufacturing artifact." Hidden behind the spring perch appears to be a little present left by the team at Fox Racing Shox. Shown here by the arrows, the factory Raptor shocks have three detents with a wire clip. We surmise that you could level out the Raptor without ever taking the shocks off the truck. All you would need is a coil spring compressor and some common hand tools. The middle detent appears to be enough to level the Raptor, while the second one is there for those who want a nose-high stance. Now, you are on your own if you make the mod and we can't vouch for any warranty claims, but the option appears to be there. Thanks Fox!

Questions: Does the truck need to be realigned after this mod? I was just quoted $475 from a Ford service dept to make the adjustment and to realign. Does that seem kind of steep to you?

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A few things:

-You will need to align...serious negative camber (top of the tire lean-in) which is opposite of what I expected.

-As Frogslinger and Mark have explained and I inaccuratly assumed the lift is acquired by moving the shock down and pushing the A arms down...thus 3" lift with only 1" adjustment.





The reason:

After thousands of miles offroading in the desert it became apparant to me that the front of the Raptor was too low. Here is a pic of the front of my skid plate and bumper...it's been lovin' on the desert floor!!! There have also been a few instances of bottoming the front and getting tire rub in the wheel wells.

Yes I know Ford has spent tons of money and time developing the Raptor for the public and they designed it the way it comes for a reason. The same people that designed the tune for the 6-speed in the 5.4 (which by all accounts is a different tune than the 6.2) are the same ones responsible for the 'stink-bug' appearance. Notice the Raptor R race truck..why is the truck leveled-out and not nose-low? No need to meet EPA fuel mileage and payload requirements.




The outcome:

With movement of the perch one position (to the middle from the bottom) I gained 3" of lift in the front (measured at the bottom of the light bar).

Here are a few measurements:

Tow Hooks:
Cross member skid plate: 13.75"
Droop Travel: 2.5"
-this worried me a little at first that I would top the shock out and constantly be hitting 'full-droop'.

On the Road (1500 miles):

(note: I have never driven a lifted truck before)

-The front seems much higher than the rear from the driver's seat.
-Seems more firm in the front around town. Almost like the rear. I can feel the small bumps more than before.
-Hitting bigger bumps (drive ways, speed bumps) feels smoother.
-More of a floating feel on the fwy when I go over smooth rolling bumps.
-Unloaded the truck feels ver well balanced.
-With a load of a couple hundred lbs. the front gets 'lighter' and the rear seems to go through the stroke a lot quicker.
-Lost some 'roll' in the turns. (sway bar removed)
-Turn-in isn't as quick due to the higher CoG.
-Not as much dive during breaking. This makes the breaking feel not as responsive as before.

Offroad Impressions (500 miles):

2 trips:
- 1st trip 4 ppl and gear (#800) 100 miles
- 2nd trip 2 ppl and gear (#600) 400 miles

- Much more loose feeling. The lack of roll in the front has cause the rear to rotate without as much input (esp @ speed).
- No bottoming.
- 2ft rollers that I would have to crawl thorugh before I can roll over at 20+ mph.
- Much smoother ride (in the front) over whoops
- Increase approch angle.
- More clearance
- Not an excessive amont of topping-out of the shock (20 % increase over stock).
- The rear seems to 'pogo' more and go through the stroke much more with the weight transffered to the rear. (DEAVERS)

Overall Impression:

I love it!!

As I have stated before the truck is awesome from the factory...but it lacks in a few areas for the type of things I'm into. I like FAST offroading with a mix of mild rock crawling all while carrying a full bed of camping gear. I drive around town (100 miles/ week) and to and from offroad areas and offroading (20000 total miles in 7 months).

The onroad driveability of the truck suffers from this mod. The lack of roll for turns and the stiffer ride around town. On the fwy it's nice and balanced without a load. I thought the mpg would suffer but I'm still getting 15-16 mpg hwy.
Offroad ability is the only reason I did this and for that purpose it has meet and exceeded my expectations. The loose feeling helps me get the rear out a little more (Nitto MTs grab a little more than BFG All Terrains). The rear has become more of an issue witht he weight transfer and hopefully the Deavers should eliminate most of the issue.

Would I recommend this? Not to the majority of Raptor owners here. The Raptor is more than capable offroad (even w/ the 5.4 in sand washes) in stock trim. The majority of Raptor owners want a nice truck that handles well around town that you can occasionally take out and driver quickly offroad. If my primary purpose for this truck involved anything other than high-speed offrad driving and a need fro greater clearance I would stay away.

Hey Brian, who did the adjustment on yours? someone local? thinking about doing this as well

Looks great. Nice job.

Talon said:

Hey Brian, who did the adjustment on yours? someone local? thinking about doing this as well

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Different Brian, but anyone with a spring compressor can do it. I know Niko over at Camburg said it should only take an hour or 2. Maybe call them and ask
714-848-8880

cool thanks dude! i talked to Jason also, let him know that i would be bringing the truck by in a few weeks when the glass is done.

Talon said:

cool thanks dude! i talked to Jason also, let him know that i would be bringing the truck by in a few weeks when the glass is done.

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Brad's Valero next to Villa Ford did it for me. He charged $400 including alignment...took a couple hours.

bstoner59 said:

Brad's Valero next to Villa Ford did it for me. He charged $400 including alignment...took a couple hours.

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yeah i know where that is but $400???? guess lube wasnt included.......