Although you can’t spend months out in the desert, mountains, and countryside testing shocks to make sure they work just right, FOX has made a point to do this sort of stress testing on its own. With the end goal of producing one of the most effective shock absorbers on the market, the suspension product manufacturer has arguably succeeded, and now seeks to educate you and your friends on one of its premier product’s features in the video above.

During compression, oil flows freely through ports that lead to refill holes on the bottom.

Detailed diagrams and voiceover coach us through a single cycle. The visual clarity of the video and the step-by-step explanation of the narrator give you unparalleled insight into the state-of-the-art technology applied to the internal bypass shock absorber from FOX.

Starting with the compression phase, we learn that the oil does not simply pass through holes in the piston head, but rather through shimmed bypass ports as it circles out and down to refill holes near the bottom of the piston.

As the piston head begins to bottom out, the patented compression valve stack inside the piston head gives way and constricts the flow of oil. This allows for a smooth recovery as the shock goes into rebound.

At this point, the head is momentarily stopped in its position to prevent bucking, and the oil flow is reversed, heading back through the refill holes at the bottom and heading upward to the refill holes at the top.

Once the head travels past the bottom refill holes, it once again forces the oil to pass through the valve stack, mitigating harsh top-out loads that tend to occur at full droop. As such, you now have a shock absorber that rebounds and compresses like a champ, and makes four-wheeling all the more enjoyable for you and your passengers.

Learn more about the innovations going on at FOX by visiting its website, and see for yourself what makes this company a frontrunner in off-road culture. Want to see more FOX videos? Check out the company’s Vimeo page.