SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1525626
TOTALLY RAD FOX’s Philosophy On Shock Technology Development By Dan Sanchez Photos Courtesy Of Fox Motorsports Using Baja as a proving ground, and working in partnership with Original Equipment manufacturers like Ford and Polaris, Fox Factory Inc. has come to the forefront with its Racing Application Development (RAD) program. According to Bryan Harrold, FOX Motorsports Program Manager, FOX has been developing its Live Valve shock system for OE manufacturers, and applying it to off-road racing programs with key teams. “We’re taking what we’ve learned and developed from partnering with OE manufacturers and are now pushing it to the next level through racing with our own algorithms, sensors, and electronic control units in all-new applications,” he says. FOX’s RAD program allows engineers to experiment and test its Live Valve systems in a harsh off-road racing environment. So far, they have incorporated their Live Valve technology into various SCORE Trophy Truck, Trophy Truck Spec, and UTV teams’ shocks. The result, according to Harrold, is that it has the ability to make people better drivers without them even realizing it. “This semi-active system is adjusting in real-time on its own based on various sensors and inputs,” he says. “It’s constantly making adjustments to the shocks, trying to maintain a stable platform while optimizing comfort, control, and ramping up the damping force as required to take the big hits and jumps.” “Drivers have the ability to choose from various modes to influence the dynamics of a vehicle for scenarios like qualifying, lakebeds, rocky sections and more, but the overarching goal is for the system to control itself to provide the best performance possible at all times and minimize the tuning compromises typically found in a passive suspension setup. The idea is to make drivers more comfortable and confident with more consistent and better performing suspension, ultimately allowing them to push their vehicles harder longer. Our studies have also shown that these Live Valve systems can even decrease driver fatigue, allowing them to be fresh through an extended off-road race like the SCORE Baja 1000.” While the components are well developed and programmable, it’s the feedback FOX Engineers receive from racers that determines how well the shock systems can be programmed to perform in real-world testing. Racers including, Justin Lofton, Christopher Polvoorde, Steve Olliges, Rob MacCachren, and the SCI Motorsports Factory Polaris team, are just a few FOX’s RAD team is currently working with to fine-tune and torture test their latest products and technologies. “We can’t stress how important their feedback is to understand the level of performance we’re getting and how we can improve it even further,” says Harrold. “These guys can push their vehicles to the limit and then take them a few steps beyond. Our Race Tuner Mike Kim, currently navigates for Christopher Polvoorde and rode with Justin Lofton last year during SCORE Races. He takes notes on the system’s performance and can even make adjustments on the fly.” Another key component to the RAD program is proving that all of the core components, both mechanical and electronic in systems like Live Valve, can survive the rigors of Baja racing while delivering improved performance that we can then carry into aftermarket and OEM products once fully developed. For off-road enthusiasts, the good news is that this type of system is already available on vehicles straight off the showroom floor like the Ford Raptor, Polaris RZR Pro R, Honda Talon, and others. “On OE systems factory engineers dictate what they want their algorithms to be,” says Harrold. “These are primarily set up for safety and performance within the limits of the average skills of drivers and designed to work across a broad range of uses.” Nevertheless, the ability to switch from various levels of soft to firm from a dash-mounted selector switch, combined with the continuous adjustment Live Valve semi-actively provides, is the latest technology available to off-road racing and enthusiasts. “We put Live Valve on our 2024 Chevy Silverado Fox Factory Edition Truck,” says Harrold. “It’s an OE truck platform upfit with aftermarket off-road components and styling, including our 3.2 Factory Race Series Live Valve Internal Bypass shocks paired with 2.0 IFP bump stops that you can buy and immediately hit the dirt.” The Fox Factory Edition Silverado is the company’s first use of its Live Valve technology as a complete aftermarket system with semi-active electronic damping in both compression and rebound, 100% developed and tuned in-house by FOX to provide a smooth ride on the street, with enhanced control during aggressive off-road driving. “We’re currently focused on implementing our halo technologies like Live Valve wherever possible to bring existing shock systems into the digital era,” says Harrold. “ Live Valve is bringing a whole new level of performance to our tried-and-true race shock packages, and we’re pretty excited about it.” SJ