Dialing-in the Stage 4+ Setup

22 Mar Dialing-in the Stage 4+ Setup

Testing of the all-new Fox Racing Shox 3.0” internal bypass coilover and rear external bypass 3.0” went better than we could have ever hoped for.  When we unloaded the truck, the shocks were very fast.  It was no surprise to us that Fox hit the mark with their all-new offering for the legions of Raptor fanatics across the globe.  By utilizing a larger 3.0’s O.D, and internal design features found on Fox’s SCORE championship winning vehicles these suckers were more than up for the challenge of the Mojave Desert.

Details on these shocks can be found on the RPG products page offering up all the details on these latest and greatest from Fox.  What’s really important for me is to somehow put into words just how absolutely transformative these shocks will make your truck.  From the very first whoop, you can feel they allow the truck to stay on top of the terrain and not fall in it. The rebound was fast with no packing up and the compression felt smooth and powerful.  This isn’t to say tweaks weren’t going to be made, it’s just important to remember when you start with a baseline like this, it vital not to go overboard and make to aggressive of adjustments.  The trickiest balancing act is trying to come up with a set-up that noticeably makes the truck handle better in the dirt, yet also make’s it ride smooth as silk for the daily commute.

This is where RPG comes in.  Fox obviously did their testing with the stock leafs on the truck and hit the setup square on the sweet spot. Knowing the baseline that Fox used left us to keep asking ourselves, how can RPG make sure the shock works perfect with our Stage 3 rear suspension kit?  The Nationals Springs are infinitely different than the OE springs, and this needed to be taken into account.  It would have been real easy for us to ship them out as is and say here you go, they are that good.  However, it’s much more important in keeping with our philosophy of everything “working as one”.  Our commitment to the “working as one” philosophy ultimately had us making valving changes and bypass tube adjustments tailoring the shocks for both the HD and Standard Duty National Springs.  After a few long hours and many hard miles later, we couldn’t be happier to report the truck is dramatically faster than even before. These key adjustments translated into a composed, powerful setup that eats up almost anything in its way. Whoop sections we use to hit at 40mph were now being blasted through at 70+mph with the same amount of effort.  We never felt the truck was in over its head and had more than enough shock under it to ease even our biggest butt pucker moments.

Bottom line, this truck doesn’t need a few more inches of wheel travel.  This truck just needed someone to take what Ford has given us and make it work with-in those parameters, and I am ecstatic to say with the help of Fox Racing Shox and National Springs, RPG has now made that happen.

Ladies and gentleman, the Raptor Performance Group Stage 4+ has arrived, and it is damn fast!!!

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