Installing 2017 - 2018 Fox 3.0 suspension on a 2020 Raptor?

[MrGrizzly]

Long story short I got a smoking deal and impulse bought 2017-2018 Fox 3.0 coilovers and shocks for my 2020 Raptor. These are not live valve compatible and I was planning on doing the live valve delete. At this point I'm feeling a bit of buyers remorse and am questioning whether or not to have them installed. I figure could spend $2,500 - $3,000 and get the ones with the Live Valve technology, but was curious as to whether or not the extra $$$ would be worth it. Would like to hear your thoughts.

 

[Ryan C]

I have the factory 3.0 live valves and like them a lot - they don't overheat anywhere near as much as the stock live valves, and the 3 click adjustments do make a pretty big difference in how the truck works within a setting (e.g. Baja feels quite different in soft vs. medium modes on the shocks and coilovers, given there is a quick adjustment to both compression and rebound on the 2019+ 3.0s).

That said, you can get even more fine tuned with the 2017-2018 factory 3.0 set up from fox, as there are a lot more manual adjustments. The only disadvantage is that if you want to get different feel on road and offroad, you are going to have to make more adjustments (in and out of the truck a lot more, and keeping track of all the clicks).

I understand many offroaders and offroad shops recommend taking out the live valve functionality because of risk of damage to the wires and sensors (eg. Camber, EXO). This is a legitimate concern on the factory set up (especially the coilovers, where the wire wraps around the coilover), but on the factory 3.0s the wires can be tucked out of harms way and the sensors are on the front of the a-arms, and I think it would be pretty hard to damage those.

In summary, if you are really into having specific shock settings, the 2017-2018 are the way to go. However, the convenience of the live valve functionality, coupled with the quick adjustment on the factory 3.0s from 2019+ is also a big plus. If you want the former, keep what you got. If the latter, then sell what you have at a profit and buy the new 2019s.

Happy to share further thoughts if you like, and good luck

 

[MrGrizzly]

I have the factory 3.0 live valves and like them a lot - they don't overheat anywhere near as much as the stock live valves, and the 3 click adjustments do make a pretty big difference in how the truck works within a setting (e.g. Baja feels quite different in soft vs. medium modes on the shocks and coilovers, given there is a quick adjustment to both compression and rebound on the 2019+ 3.0s).

That said, you can get even more fine tuned with the 2017-2018 factory 3.0 set up from fox, as there are a lot more manual adjustments. The only disadvantage is that if you want to get different feel on road and offroad, you are going to have to make more adjustments (in and out of the truck a lot more, and keeping track of all the clicks).

I understand many offroaders and offroad shops recommend taking out the live valve functionality because of risk of damage to the wires and sensors (eg. Camber, EXO). This is a legitimate concern on the factory set up (especially the coilovers, where the wire wraps around the coilover), but on the factory 3.0s the wires can be tucked out of harms way and the sensors are on the front of the a-arms, and I think it would be pretty hard to damage those.

In summary, if you are really into having specific shock settings, the 2017-2018 are the way to go. However, the convenience of the live valve functionality, coupled with the quick adjustment on the factory 3.0s from 2019+ is also a big plus. If you want the former, keep what you got. If the latter, then sell what you have at a profit and buy the new 2019s.

Happy to share further thoughts if you like, and good luck

Thank you so much for the detailed write up. I’m actually going to sell my 2017-2018 and buy the Live Valve version. I know I’ll be obsessively tweaking my suspension otherwise which is going to detract from my time off-road. I want something with more performance that’s less involved and the 2019+ Aftermarket 3.0’s with live valve sound just right.

How would you rate the overall difference in off-road performance with the factory 3.0 vs stock 3.0? I know you said overhearing is less of an issue—any other takeaways? Do they make a noticeable difference or just a small improvement overall?

 

[Ryan C]

Added ride height is great for some things, like jumps, creek crossings, and other big moves. But I am also lamenting the loss of droop travel (which creates a bit of a harsh feel as the coilover extends and hits bottom). Ride height can be adjusted with far cheaper options than coilovers though (Eibachs, collars).

As for valving, so far I am liking the different settings. At full soft the rear really eats up bumps better than the stock set up. This is also due to the Deaver +3s, and the soft feel of the Fox 2.0 bump stops I'm running (much better than the little rubber ones from Ford). Up front, I am still working on the right set up, as I'm testing out soft vs. medium on the coilovers. But overall, I think I'm going faster than stock.

A bit about the driving I'm doing: I live in Vancouver, BC, and am driving fast on rough logging roads with lots of undulations and direction changes. I am also hitting roads with big water and creek ditching, and a couple jumps along the way. I use Baja mode. Locked rear diff. I installed mid flaps to protect the rear of the truck from front tire roost. So I think I'm driving the truck "properly" enough.

Obviously, your experience may be different based on your driving preferences, experience, terrain, etc.

 

[MrGrizzly]

Thanks Ryan--I most DD this thing but 1 - 3 times a month dedicate it to speedy, rough offroading here in SoCal (Joshua Tree, Hungry Valley, Anza-Borrego, Johson Valley, and some local mountain roads). My last questions is: If you could buy them and install them all over again? Would you?

 

[Ryan C]

Yes I would. It’s expensive for sure and a lot of time. But I think the truck is better now.

 

[Nedaraptor]

Mr Grizly I might be interested in buying that set up off of you

 

[MrGrizzly]

Sending you a PM now, Nedaraptor