The 2022 Bronco Raptor was engineered with Live Valve, derived from FOX’s desert race-winning, position-sensitive suspension. With semi-active, electronically controlled compression damping and patented Internal Bypass technology, these shocks provide a smooth and comfortable feeling on the pavement with aggressive control and stability at high speeds off-road.
The Bronco Raptor suspension objective? Race-level performance at speed, fearless rock crawling capability, with comfort and control on the pavement.
The Ford Performance team collaborated with FOX to upgrade the High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system with Live Valve technology. Similar to the F-150 Raptor truck’s position-sensitive damping design, the Raptor HOSS 4.0 system features FOX 3.1-inch Internal Bypass semi-active dampers uniquely tuned at the front and rear and feature integrated reservoirs up front and remote reservoirs in rear. Suspension height sensors and other sensors at each corner monitor terrain conditions independently hundreds of times every second and adjust suspension tuning accordingly.
Unique Ford Performance-designed front and rear control arms help deliver maximum wheel travel of 13 inches in front and 14 inches at the rear, or 60% and 40% more, respectively, than a Bronco base model.
Suspension Highlights:
- 3.1-inch Live Valve internal bypass coil-over front, coil-over rear with piggyback reservoir
- Unique tuning designed for the Bronco Raptor chassis (inner body, main and base valves)
- Internal top-out bumper to control wheel motion of the aggressive 37” tires
- 3.1-inch diameter anodized aluminum shock bodies specially designed to withstand the higher internal pressures created by the new electronic valve’s wider dynamic range
- 1-inch front piston shafts made of hard chrome-plated, induction-hardened steel, forces more oil through the Live Valve system, increasing control authority to over 1,000 lbs. per shock
- FOX low friction PTFE-infused shock fluid
FOX’s oversized 3.1-inch shock bodies and shaft diameters allow you to drive full tilt off-road with increased handling performance while significantly improving control over bigger obstacles. The electronic valve architecture shrugs off significantly larger hits, providing a dynamic range of twice the prior valve design with the feeling of bottomless travel to smooth out the most rutted teeth-rattling washboards.
FOX Live Valve with Internal Bypass
FOX’s patented position-sensitive Internal Bypass damping combined with Live Valve electronic technology continuously and intelligently adjusts compression damping in real-time, delivering the optimal ride for any terrain or driving situation. By using vehicle sensors and accelerometers, Live Valve can instantly adapt to inertial, steering, braking, and acceleration inputs to actively maximize handling, comfort, and bottom-out resistance.
What’s Internal Bypass?
FOX’s patented Internal Bypass design allows for multiple zones of control that progressively increase damping to support the vehicle. As the shocks compress, different zones within the bypass system give exactly the amount of support needed for the travel being used, and work in reverse as the shocks rebound back to full height. With the shocks providing the right amount of damping force at every position, the Bronco Raptor stays planted on both the road and trail. This gives you the confidence to go where even a mountain goat wouldn’t dare.
The Internal Bypass tubes were designed with progressive damping curves to increase fluid flow for more comfort in the ride zone, while improving the force ramp-up at the end of the stroke to counteract bottom-out in high-speed whoops and rock gardens. Competitor’s shocks with position-sensitive damping are often only able to control the very end of the shock travel, leading to harsh changes in compression
Additionally, street performance benefits from the new anti-friction FOX shock fluid, making the road-to-dirt transition virtually seamless. Real-time electronic damping control allows the Bronco Raptor to feel just at home on asphalt as the dirt.
What Live Valve does
The vehicle’s onboard ECU adjusts the shock’s compression damping multiple times per second, with the capability to add up to 1,000 lbs. of damping force per shock.
Modes
The Normal and Sport suspension modes give you maximum comfort and performance while driving on-road. Ford’s algorithm focuses on keeping the chassis level during corners to control body roll and provide optimal on-road handling.
The Off-Road suspension mode uses an entirely different and new-to-Bronco algorithm to provide maximum comfort and performance while driving off-road. This algorithm uses leading edge signals to predict your driving style and what the terrain will do next to determine how the shocks should be adjusted in the next moment.
Large 1-inch front shaft made of hard chrome-plated, induction-hardened steel forces more oil through the Live Valve system, increasing control authority to over 1,000 lbs. per shock. Parts driven by the larger 1-inch shaft include quadruple rod seal pack, custom foam jounce bumper and unique tuning specific to the Bronco.
