The 2017 Ford Raptor is all big turbo engine, enormous body, and the beefiest Fox Racing shocks this side of a baja truck. That suspension is damn near all the fun in the Raptor, and this what it looks like when it’s actually being put to work.
The 3.0-inch diameter Fox shock has nine distinct zones to not only enable you to drive the thing on the road, but blast through some nasty terrain at high speeds as well. I’ll let our own Andrew Collins explain how the whole thing works:
While a “standard” shock absorber may be 1.5 inches in diameter and have basic pressure-regulation, the Raptor’s Fox units are 3 inches in diameter with a whole lot more little valves inside that regulate the fluid flow, ergo damping, more precisely. This translates to a more compliant ride in rough conditions. But perhaps more importantly, it also lets the truck be comfortable in a bigger range of conditions.
While old-school shocks might have been great off-road, but too floppy on the street, units like the Raptor’s Fox tubes are “stepped” in such a way that it changes the rate of damping depending on other factors like heat and speed.
It’s also got 13 inches of travel up front and 13.9 inches of travel in the rear, dontcha know. If you’re not sure if that’s a lot or a little, rest assured, that’s nuts. That’s more than on most manufacturer-optioned “offroad packages” by a long shot.