Front Shocks. Right Way and a Wrong Way.

[tweetyduck]

Am i correct that the reservoir on the front shocks always goes at the bottom. So the shiny bit is at the top. I know this is a dumb question but tell me i'm not going mad.

[ashtray]

Doesnt sound right to me, do you have booted shock absorbers or are they protected by a metal tube, if they are booted fit them boot down, tubed - tube up. They need to drain mud and water away so fit them best for that purpose

[tweetyduck]

Not sure thats correct but i'm usually wrong.

The factory shocks certainly go on reservoir at the bottom with the wider plastic (or metal) cover over the piston at the top. So i would have thought the reservoir always goes at the bottom and so the question. The shocks i have do not have any cover on the piston.

Any more for any more........

[landy V8]

res at the bottom all round.all shocks on all cars are this way round.

[LandyManLuke]

All the shocks I have ever fitted have been marked for body-down installation - rod at the top.

[western]

fescalised [shiney] rod at the top, oil/gas reservior at the bottom.

[tweetyduck]

Thanks. I knew i wasn't going mad.......

[nino]

what happens if there the other way round??

lets say procomps with no boots on them, the rear unless you have pin pin mount can go one way and what if you put the fronts upside down

[honitonhobbit]

Actually it depends on the shock

ES9000 pro-comps for example can go either way

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

what happens if there the other way round??

lets say procomps with no boots on them, the rear unless you have pin pin mount can go one way and what if you put the fronts upside down

Procomps I've had were so poor doubt it would make any difference

But in seriousness Mr Hobbit is correct

Nige

[honitonhobbit]

Thanks Nige

[ashtray]

what about a steering damper then...?

[tweetyduck]

thats a good point. Which way should the steering damper go?

According to Rave the reservior goes on the end next to the PAS box. Would its make any difference if it were the other way round? Doubt it........

[ashtray]

Thats the way round i have fitted my OME damper, only because thats the only way it fits on, two different mounts. But if a shock is the same as a steering damper, then surely it can be fitted either way round, i guess it all depends on any possible foaming of the oil internally going through the valves

[Range Rover Blues]

I knew someone who fitted Procomp to a Defender upside down, they handled like ****. Depending on how a shocker is built the valves in the bottom of the reservoir tube need to be immersed in the damper fluid to work.

Some shocks have the valves in the piston, others (twin tube) have it in the bottom of the damper. Either way if there is air in the space below the piston then the fluid becomes compressable and the damper won't work properly.

Steering dampers are designed to work on their side, possibly they are a single tube design with a floating piston to close off the liquid space where most suspension dampers have free air above the oil (or pressurised nitrogen).

My new Koni seem to work upside down, not that I'll try than when I fit them.