the bottom perch is better because...

[DieselD]

People stop spreading these lies. Ford can deny warranty and claim that any modification caused it. THEY ONLY HAVE TO PROVE IT IF YOU TAKE THEM TO COURT

Ive seen lots of things happen at the dealer level.......bottom line is if you are worried about the possibility of getting pee-pee spanked then do not touch the thing until its out of warranty.

 

[DieselD]

so adjusted mine to the middle yesterday and I am not sold on the performance yet. It looks badass but not quite happy with the handling characteristics. I need to drive it more on the middle setting but if definitely does not feel as refined as the stock setting does. I haven't done much off road driving in it yet but I have some good speed humps close by I can hit pretty quick. The rebound seems a bit harsh now then before and almost feels like Im running out of droop travel. Also seems a little less stable then before. These are all probably related to the change in where the shock is getting into its valving.

the stance and added ground clearance is awesome but not digging the suspension handling so might be putting it back to stock until its time to step up to big boy

I have heard all claims of the truck being designed for the middle perch but it all sounds like a rumor and here say to me. Not actual proof to back the claims....

 

[Irunone]

Recently went to middle perch and I have to agree from what I heard I was expecting more firmer ride with improved handling. I love the look but can't say the handling is noticeably different. With hard braking the nose dip is pretty much the same as stock, just is sitting up higher to start with . I haven't done serious offroading since the adjust but so far the feel is about the same as it was. One thing positive that I have noticed is when hitting ruts, etc, I no longer hear a metallic sounding noise coming from the front end. Going to middle perch, I can now clearly see corrosion on the front shocks-that others have posted about- around where the collar had been. Hopefully spray protectant will help extend their life. Bottom line is I would do it again. Noticeable ride/handling not so much.

 

[wac45]

so adjusted mine to the middle yesterday and I am not sold on the performance yet. It looks badass but not quite happy with the handling characteristics. I need to drive it more on the middle setting but if definitely does not feel as refined as the stock setting does. I haven't done much off road driving in it yet but I have some good speed humps close by I can hit pretty quick. The rebound seems a bit harsh now then before and almost feels like Im running out of droop travel. Also seems a little less stable then before. These are all probably related to the change in where the shock is getting into its valving.

the stance and added ground clearance is awesome but not digging the suspension handling so might be putting it back to stock until its time to step up to big boy

I have heard all claims of the truck being designed for the middle perch but it all sounds like a rumor and here say to me. Not actual proof to back the claims....

I went to mid perch about a month ago on mine. I had actually sent an email to fox racing and asked them about the mid perch setting. They confirmed to me that they designed and tested the shock on and for the middle perch.

I really like the look at mid perch much better. The ride on stock perch seemed a little smoother to me I think. (on road- I don't know about off road ride difference) Not enough difference to make me want to go back though.

 

[DieselD]

I went to mid perch about a month ago on mine. I had actually sent an email to fox racing and asked them about the mid perch setting. They confirmed to me that they designed and tested the shock on and for the middle perch.

I really like the look at mid perch much better. The ride on stock perch seemed a little smoother to me I think. (on road- I don't know about off road ride difference) Not enough difference to make me want to go back though.

Nice to know they actually gave a response, most of the old threads I was digging up mentioned fox nor ford ever claimed the shocks to be adjustable or designed/tested in any other setting except for stock

Did they change the valving to reflect the lower setting after it got changed in preproduction? The shock may have been tested in the middle setting but what about the valving? did it stay the same or did it get changed to work with the lower setting?

I drove it more this weekend and even though its slight I can feel it has definitely changed. Slow speed down a dirt wash board road is noticeably harsher then stock. Corners on uneven asphalt at slow/normal road speed I feel the rear kinda wiggle (for a lack of better term). Its hard to explain but it feels less stable and predictable to me.

As of now Im leaning towards going back to stock. I definitely didnt get the warm and fuzzy feeling after adjusting them and doing my first roadtests. Other then the look of the front being higher I feel the stock position drives better and more predictable

I should probably mention this is on a scab which might be more sensitive to adjustment vs the screw with the longer wheelbase

 

[wac45]

I don't know about the valving at all. I didn't ask them about that. I do agree with your assessment of the ride difference. To me the stock ride was better for sure but the mid perch look is so much better. I just wish I could have the ride and the look. I do think that the ride is still as good as my previous 2009 FX4 ride however.

 

[MTF]

Thanks for all the honest feedback guys!

I was thinking about going middle perch when I finally go for the HD Nationals.
Now I can tell Jarret at RPG to make them for bottom perch.
My Raptor will see 99% street and with the Whipple I need a stable ride.

 

[UniqueOne]

The benefit of the bottom perch is saving money to adjust the perch and alightment. IMHO.

 

[Kumu]

Less stress on the CV? No need to get a new alignment done. Save some money?

Peace
If your talking about no alignment needs to be done for mid-perch, I thought the same thing, I was wrong. If you've had your Raptor less than a year you can take it to the dealer for an alignment. After hearing about this on another post I had it done, and sure enough I needed one. As for as warranty issues I had no problem, I think because everything is stock and you can't tell anything has been done unless its parked next to another Raptor that is still on bottom-perch.
Like has been said many times, any suspension mod get an alignment.

---------- Post added at 09:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 AM ----------

Peace
Im no suspension expert but, correct me if I'm wrong, the Raptor is a built and designed(flip them if you like D & B) high speed off road vehicle that is also an excellent daily driver. On bottom-perch would make it handle better on roads because of the low center of gravity, but this is not what this truck is designed for thats the Lightnings job. On mid-perch as was mentioned by WAC45 I too was told the Raptor was designed and tested with mid-perch so I made the change. It would seem to me when on bottom-perch your already bottomed out and on top your topped out, mid has the travel.
IMO mid-perch pretty much eliminates front end dive while braking and rides excellent.
Always understanding to each his/her own, may you be satisfied in whatever you choose to do

 

[CAbimmer]

My Raptor is at the shop right now going to mid.