Outer Limits 4x4 Board

i got some rancho RS 9000 5way ajustable shocks on the front end of my zook. i had them so the shocks body was on the shocks towers i was told to turn them around because they work better upside down so that the shock body was at the diff. so i fliped them and now both seems to be leaking alot of oil. my rear shocks are upside down and they are fine. could this just be worn out shocks?

Ranchos should only be used the correct way, don't run them upside down

Rancho shocks must be installed with the shock body down. I've had the dyno tested up both ways and they do not work when upside down (with the shock body at the top, shaft at the bottom)

A) If they're leaking oil, they're stuffed.

B)If they're 5 speed they are pretty old - at least 5-6 years. They're likely to be past their best anyway.

Steve.

Sorry to hijack but what shocks can be run upside down with plenty of length to suit my 3/4 elliptic setup? My calminis are stuffed from hitting the brake line bracket I think. BTW calmini's can be run upside down if you're after some new shocks.

I used to have Rancho 9000's mounted upside down in my zuk. They worked fine, and used to run in the middle of the adjustment range most of the time (ie they weren't too soft) and you could still wind them up to uncomfortably hard, or down to squidgy soft.

I also heard you shouldn't run them upside down, so I emailed Rancho. This is their response:

Thank you for your interest in Rancho products. The RS9000 and the RS9000X
shocks can be mounted upside down, but they do run a little softer.

Rancho team member
Vladi

They never leaked in the 3 or 4 years I ran them like that

Now I'm springover I have put in longer Rancho 9000X's, but have mounted them right way up.

Have you checked that your new mounting position isn't making them bind up on something and/or has bent the shaft?

Ben

ok so i will get some new shocks then.

should i replace them with the rs9000 or the rs9000XL?

BenT wrote:

Thank you for your interest in Rancho products. The RS9000 and the RS9000X
shocks can be mounted upside down, but they do run a little softer.

Rancho team member
Vladi

They never leaked in the 3 or 4 years I ran them like that

Now I'm springover I have put in longer Rancho 9000X's, but have mounted them right way up.

Have you checked that your new mounting position isn't making them bind up on something and/or has bent the shaft?

Ben

I did the EXACT same thing!!! And got the same reply from them!! I also run the newer 9000X's. and was told by rancho to run these the normal way up.. which i do

ranchos are cheap mass produced crap, run sum better quality shocks.

I will try to find my dyno sheets for the shocks when run right way up and upside down, but the compression damping basically disappears and there's a dead zone at each reversion of shaft direction that will make them feel odd- there will be about 1" of travel around ride height with no damping at all. AFAIK This is mostly because the foot valve sits out of the oil when the shock is at rest and it takes some piston movement to force oil through it and make it work.

With the shock the right way up the foot valve is always in the oil and it will act immediately.

That's the quality of response I would expect from rancho- what's "a little bit softer"???

Bisteins (and any monotube gas pressure shock) can be run inverted.

Steve.

Are there any advantages to running a shock upside down?

lilzook wrote:Are there any advantages to running a shock upside down?

o0nly clearance issues

lower unsprung weight, less chance of damage to the shock body.

Disadvatages - shock body will struggle shed heat when tucked up in the body and closer to exhaust etc - less airflow, also, unless the shafts are protected, there's more chance of shaft damage due to stones, especially if the rear shocks are in a hotchkiss arrangement like on the rear of a hilux.

Steve.