Upside down shocks

[pkfab1]

Hey guys, any advantage or disadvantage to running the shocks upside down? I've seen people do this and wondered. Looks super cool too.

[2mtech]

Originally Posted by pkfab1

Hey guys, any advantage or disadvantage to running the shocks upside down? I've seen people do this and wondered. Looks super cool too.

In theory it reduces leakage if you're running cheap shocks with no x rings or green slime. Clearance issue reduction in some cases.

[TheLetterJ]

Allegedly you'll lower your COG a miniscule amount (shock body + oil likely weighs a butt hair more than shock shaft + spring.)

If you are running an emulsion shock (no bladder, air + oil are in the same chamber) will have a "dead" spot at the very top of their travel since the piston will only have the the resistance of moving through air. Not really a problem on an rc crawler, but less than ideal in almost any other application. If you are running a bladder shock and have done a good job bleeding the air out (air and oil are in separate chambers) there really aren't any negative affects... unless you run in mud and never wash your car, as the mud will rest on the seal head and once dry, can scratch the shock shaft, which allows dirt to stick in the scratches, which will then nick the oil seals as it passes by, and can create a leak.

In short: if you think it looks cool, go for it, but don't expect any noticeable performance gains (or losses.)