Quote Originally Posted by BajaRon View Post
Wow! This borders on the pathetic! With the KYB shocks on the Rally, the spring should be down and the adjuster on top of the spring.
In practice I doubt that anyone, even the most experienced of us, would be able to notice any difference.

Since all shocks at this level are "gas-charged" (what a misnomer) they will function the same in either position.

In effect, every damping device with a metal shaft which goes in and out of a cylinder needs air space to allow for the reduced volume inside the cylinder when the shaft goes in (because the extra shaft length inside takes takes up a certain amount of space inside).

Because liquid is not compressible the cylinder cannot be filled with oil when the shaft is extended - the maximum amount of oil that can be added is when the shaft is fully inside the cylinder. When the shaft is extended the extra volume has to be filled with something. Gas (it used to be air) is very suitable for this purpose since it readily compresses and decompresses.

To stop the gas mixing with the oil and lessening the damping through cavitation it is placed inside an elastic sac which is inserted in the body (the cylinder) of the shock in such a way that it takes up all the available space that the oil does not fill. Consequently a gas-charged shock will work properly in either position. The pressure in the sac helps force the oil through its network of passages and orifices.