2019+ Fox 3.0 Live Valve Shocks!

[OEMPlus Raptor]

I have the live valves on my truck and setting to normal. If you find the stock live valves to be to stiff don't upgrade unless you plan on doing some more serious off-roading. I think the 3.0 Live Valve are noticeably more firm than stock. It doesn't bother me but I can tell.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

 

[FordPerf Addict]

I have the live valves on my truck and setting to normal. If you find the stock live valves to be to stiff don't upgrade unless you plan on doing some more serious off-roading. I think the 3.0 Live Valve are noticeably more firm than stock. It doesn't bother me but I can tell.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

how many threads or inches did you adjust your front coils?
what are your measurements from the ground to fender flare?

 

[OEMPlus Raptor]

I didn't make any adjustments or add any preload. Mine are at factory settings and ride height.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

 

[Ryan C]

Second update: I had the ride height calibration done and can report that the truck is softer still even at 1.5" of lift. The truck hits compression much closer to stock (still a bit stiffer given the preload and the 3.0s' damping), which is a plus in my view. As for down travel, there is still an audible thunk but its not as harsh as it was at first. I am still going to reduce overall lift down to 3/4" from 1.5" to gain a bit more of the stock down travel. Note I am not running 37s, and have no plans to do so either. So I guess, it is really coming down to the right balance of added ride height for obstacle clearance, and down travel. I hope to find the balance that works best for me, but your experience may differ.

I also ran the shocks in medium and full firm settings over the same dirt road, at high speeds. This road has quite a few undulations, rocks embedded in the surface etc. to really test out how the truck performs. In a straight line, the truck did better at speed with the firmer settings (no real surprise there). But I found that when going through turns with lots of bumps, rocks, elevation changes, the medium setting gave more confidence - the wheels could track the ground better and just gave more grip. I will continue to test this, and am curious of others' experience.

Cheers

 

[OEMPlus Raptor]

Second update: I had the ride height calibration done and can report that the truck is softer still even at 1.5" of lift. The truck hits compression much closer to stock (still a bit stiffer given the preload and the 3.0s' damping), which is a plus in my view. As for down travel, there is still an audible thunk but its not as harsh as it was at first. I am still going to reduce overall lift down to 3/4" from 1.5" to gain a bit more of the stock down travel. Note I am not running 37s, and have no plans to do so either. So I guess, it is really coming down to the right balance of added ride height for obstacle clearance, and down travel. I hope to find the balance that works best for me, but your experience may differ.

I also ran the shocks in medium and full firm settings over the same dirt road, at high speeds. This road has quite a few undulations, rocks embedded in the surface etc. to really test out how the truck performs. In a straight line, the truck did better at speed with the firmer settings (no real surprise there). But I found that when going through turns with lots of bumps, rocks, elevation changes, the medium setting gave more confidence - the wheels could track the ground better and just gave more grip. I will continue to test this, and am curious of others' experience.

Cheers

Hey Ryan would you mind posting a picture of the bracket and sensor that you adjusted. I'm curious to see where mine is. I had a shop install mine but curious to see how it compares to yours. I'm running Icon UCA's.
I also want to have my shocks recalibrated after I add some preload. What is the procedure called or how was it written up in your service order? It would help me let my service advisor know what I'm asking for when that time comes.
Thanks we all appreciate your contribution to this thread.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

 

[Ryan C]

If you have Icon UCAs, then your system is different. You can check out the detailed install instructions, which talk about setting the live valve sensors using Icon's bracket system: https://images.iconfigurators.app/pdf/Icon_Dynamics/I98562DJ_REVB.pdf

I bet you can get it pretty close with the Icon brackets and doing the measurements, but you can get it exactly right by asking the Ford tech to set ride height to zero ;o).

The Ford invoice says: Confirmed customer concern. Had to reset tire pressures and TPMS. Confirmed check list for ride height parameters. Reset height level to zero.

They charged me 0.8 hour, but I had low tire pressures and my truck was dirty

 

[Ryan C]

Third update: so I had the preload reduced to 3/8" on the collars, meaning there is now an 8" fender gap to tire and 3/4" lift from stock (I'm so obsessed with this that I actually went to a dealership and measured two different 2020 trucks - both showed 7 1/4" to the front tire from the fender). The truck drives much better offroad now, with way better turn in, less harsh drop out clunk, and still improved compression control and capability than stock. Keep in mind this is about 1.5" above what a 2017/2018 would be stock, so there is still a decent improvement in ride height.

Your experience may vary, but I've been on a saga of sorts to try to figure out how to run these shocks in a manner that doesn't ruin overall ride quality and performance. Hopefully you all find my posts on this topic helpful.

One more thing re settings on the live valve coilovers and rear shocks - offroad, I am largely driving fast on rougher dirt and rock roads up here near Vancouver, BC, with lots of undulation and corners. I don't really think driving fast in a straight line is the funnest thing, so go looking for more dynamic places to drive. There's no sand up here. I use Baja mode, 4wd, rear diff locked. I drive pretty quick I think, but obviously not a pro rally racer or anything. Anyways, I found that soft puts the truck all over the place in direction changes - there was a lot of traction but too much weight transfer in corners. I found the firm setting to be too rough for corners with rocks embedded into the surface. The truck just skitters across the road sideways and can't find traction. The medium setting seems to be the best overall compromise for the conditions I've been driving in. I still have to experiment with softer air pressures - I typically run around 29 psi all four corners, warm.

Cheers

 

[OEMPlus Raptor]

Just installed Forscan and I pulled this up. Not too bad. I'll have them zeroed out but I'm not sure it's worth it.

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

 

[hashtag_AWESOME]

Second update: I had the ride height calibration done and can report that the truck is softer still even at 1.5" of lift. The truck hits compression much closer to stock (still a bit stiffer given the preload and the 3.0s' damping), which is a plus in my view. As for down travel, there is still an audible thunk but its not as harsh as it was at first. I am still going to reduce overall lift down to 3/4" from 1.5" to gain a bit more of the stock down travel. Note I am not running 37s, and have no plans to do so either. So I guess, it is really coming down to the right balance of added ride height for obstacle clearance, and down travel. I hope to find the balance that works best for me, but your experience may differ.

I also ran the shocks in medium and full firm settings over the same dirt road, at high speeds. This road has quite a few undulations, rocks embedded in the surface etc. to really test out how the truck performs. In a straight line, the truck did better at speed with the firmer settings (no real surprise there). But I found that when going through turns with lots of bumps, rocks, elevation changes, the medium setting gave more confidence - the wheels could track the ground better and just gave more grip. I will continue to test this, and am curious of others' experience.

Cheers

Hey Ryan, I'm looking at a set of 3.0 Live Valves. Your feedback is super valuable! I'm running SVC bumpstops and I have Deaver HD +4 with the CAS system on the stock 2019 Live Valve shocks. It's a decent setup but I'm not stoked on it. I also don't think the lift is appropriate for best ride/performance. I'm getting the same shock extension issue in the front over quick/short hits as you've described. Recalibrating the ride height did help. But I'm thinking the +3 Deaver's (I'll still run the HDs for the weight on the truck) and the 3.0s with not a level setup but about 1" lower in the front than the rear. I like the near-stock look and it'll ride closer to level when loaded up for hunting/camping.

From your experience thus far, would you recommend same or are you happy with how things are settling in? Would you keep the +4s and deal with it if you were me? Or make the change, bite the bullet, and move on?

 

[Ryan C]

@hashtag_AWESOME thanks for your comments.

With two spares, plus pro eagle jack, backflip cover, and about 120 pounds of tools/etc in the bed up against the cab, I still have at least 1" of rake in my truck with regular +3 deavers. I actually think a bit more weight in the bed would actually help balance in my truck. That said, I had my sled in the back (about 500#) with just one spare and none of the other stuff mentioned, and my truck was level. But definitely, it suffered performance wise with that kind of load in the back. If you're not carrying a lot of weight all the time, I would hesitate to recommend HD springs. But you know best on that front, given your use. Maybe give SVC a call, or try BajaHQ.

As for the live valves and where to set them, I am pretty happy with where my truck is at now (0.75" of lift in the front, and yes, about 1-1.25" of rake). It may not seem like much, but that extra 0.75" of down travel in the front end from what I had before (@1.5" lift) makes a big difference to grip in the front end on chattery turns offroad. It also has less bump steer from flatter tie rods. There are people on this forum that may disagree, and that's fine. I encourage testing and making up your own mind based on what you feel is best for how you want the truck to perform.

If you run your truck hard, the cooling benefit from the factory 3.0s is worth the upgrade to not lose suspension performance when the stock shocks get hot. If not, I would try first try lowering the CAS to get somewhere between 0.75-1.0" of lift in the front. If you did that, I expect you wouldn't want the +4HDs in the back as you'd have too much rake. In other words, you might be able to save yourself a bundle. You could even try drop shackles with your current +4s, along with lowering the CAS, to see if that gets you the balance you are looking for.

Have a look at Cameron Steele's raptor set up. I don't think he is running a lot of preload, but is running HDs in the back. I'm not sure if they are +2 or +3 springs though. To my eye, they are likely +2. Perhaps you can contact his shop and ask.

. I have to think he knows how to set up one of these trucks better than most.