Rear shock orientation

[SteelWheelDeplorable]

Hey all!
Quick shock question, I ran my FP Fox 2.0's upside down and got about 40K out of them.

Seems to be about what most are getting out of the Fox kits.

I have a new set of rear shocks i'm going to toss on this weekend and wanted to know if mounting them with the body down helps with life or if that's just a theory?

Sponsored

 

[EJH]

This has come up a few times. It doesn't matter. I have my Fox's mounted body up, shaft down. No issues after 25k miles.

 

[Frenchy]

To my understanding it does not help with the life span of the shock. What it can do it help with overall vehicle suspension performance as you will have less "Unsprung weight". Some shocks are designed from said manufacturers to be run that way. Not all are meant for it, but I doubt it will hurt it.

 

[got3fords]

My theory is if it's mounted body up, every time it travels downward and wipes any dirt off, gravity will help keep it off. It seems any dirt would have a greater chance of getting trapped and forced into the seal if it was reversed.
Just a theory.

 

[Msfitoy]

Only 40K? Is this mostly off road?

 

[Frenchy]

Only 40K? Is this mostly off road?

Most shock manufacturers recommend shocks be replaced at every 50,000 mi anyways.

 

[EJH]

Only 40K? Is this mostly off road?

The Fox manual suggests a rebuild at 50k miles for 100% street use, 10k miles for 50/50 off-road/street use. So 40K miles with a mix of off-road, or rough roads is probably wearing out.

 

[Msfitoy]

Most shock manufacturers recommend shocks be replaced at every 50,000 mi anyways.

I'm long over due lol...but my Eibach's are still riding like day one...

 

[got3fords]

Only 40K? Is this mostly off road?

Agree, that's not a lot of mileage. Do they have a million mile warranty like Eibach? It's probably only for mfg defects, but still... I got 100k out of my shocks, struts on my '12 Focus. I only replaced them because of mileage, but I did notice a difference.

 

[FatalException0E]

The Fox manual suggests a rebuild at 50k miles for 100% street use, 10k miles for 50/50 off-road/street use. So 40K miles with a mix of off-road, or rough roads is probably wearing out.

I suppose the big question, then, is why doesn't FoMoCo recommend similar maintenance?

Sponsored