For decades, Fox has been providing innovative high-performance suspension solutions for a wide range of vehicles. One of the company's recent breakthroughs is the Live Valve technology which traces its roots to an old abandoned project.
The highlight of the recently revealed 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor is the redesigned suspension system that features Fox performance shocks. They use the latest version of the company’s innovative Live Valve technology, which has been providing intelligent, electronically controlled damping to high-performance off-road vehicles and mountain bikes for years.
To maximize comfort, handling, and bottom-out resistance, Fox shocks fitted with this technology use a fast, semi-active valve and a patented damping architecture. They can promptly adapt to any terrain by adjusting compression damping according to sensor feedback and driver or rider input.
The technology was developed almost ten years ago when Fox created the Advanced Development Group (ADG). At the time, the team consisted of three talented engineers. Among them was Everet Ericksen, the current engineering manager who resurrected an old project intending to revolutionize performance suspension systems.
Photo: Fox Factory Holding Corp.
In 1999, he worked for Tenneco Automotive in Detroit, developing an experimental electronic suspension system. Still, the project was canceled after 9/11, partly due to the high costs involved.
After joining Fox, he presented the design to Bob Fox, the founder of Fox Racing Shox, and his input took the project to a whole new level, giving birth to the Live Valve technology.
Although originally meant for mountain bike applications, after six months of development, the team realized that they could use the same concept for roll control on a UTV. For the next few years, they worked on MTB and UTV Live Valve in parallel.
Photo: Fox Factory Holding Corp.
The first UTV prototypes drew the attention of Polaris, which realized the huge potential of the technology and started working with Fox to offer it on their sport UTVs.
The team refined it to meet Polaris’s specification objectives and production requirements. Those were mainly to achieve greater ride comfort without compromising off-road performance.
Fox also began working with German tech giants Bosch to develop the Live Valve technology further. Their cutting-edge electronics and software solutions combined with Fox’s off-road suspension expertise to create turnkey systems for vehicle manufacturers. This successful partnership attracted interest from Honda, which began offering Live Valve on the Talon UTV.
The technology proved extremely successful in UTV Motorsports, so the company decided to take it to the next level and started testing it in Trophy Truck racing.
Photo: Fox Factory Holding Corp.
Offering the ability to control both the compression and rebound of external bypass shocks, Live Valve significantly improved off-road capability, resulting in higher speeds and better overall performance.
Fox has been supplying performance shocks for the Raptor ever since it debuted in 2010. It was only natural that the next step was to implement the Live Valve technology on the second-generation of the truck for the 2019 model year.
As eMTBs grew in popularity and became truly capable, Fox and Bosch closely worked together to integrate the technology with the Performance Line CX e-MTB drive unit.
Riders can view and adjust suspension settings using the KIOX screen and switch. Fox also released a mobile app that allows riders to customize suspension settings, create personalized modes, and access over-the-air updates and tunes.
Without a doubt, the Live Valve technology is a big step forward for high-performance, off-road suspension systems, and we look forward to seeing how it will evolve in the coming years.
Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times. Full profile
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