i was looking at my december 2000 atv action and on the back cover there is a fmf Raptor. the shocks are on upside down. Anyone else notice this? Would the suspension work better?

 

How in the world did you notice that? Man, that's what you call "eagle eyes". Good question though.

 

i just took a look that is weird.

U mean the Springs on the shocks or is the whole shock up side down.

 

the whole shock is upside because the preload adjustment is at the top when it should be on the bottom!

 

He's right, the whole shock is upside down. There's 2 pictures that show it that way. Very interesting. Hope somebody knows why they did that. I know that sometimes guys with dirt bikes do that, they invert their forks for some reason, I wonder if it's the same thing on a quad?

 

For sure it's not for the same reason as bikes.
Upside down forks are used to have more rigidity (so the wheel doesn't go left and right when the handlebar is straight)...wonder how this could be used on an ATV.
Are those the stock shocks? I don't think the same shock is supposed to work upside down and upside up...
BTW, you don't just "put your forks upside down" the bike comes like this...and it's no use. UPSD forks have more guiding power (thanks to the inside tubes). To have this same rigidity with a normal fork, you would need a enormous diameter (the 50mm normal fork of the Works Husqvarna 570(?) of Stephan Everts isn't as firm and precise as the UPSD 48mm).
Don't have any clue about the ATV shocks though.

 

If the shocks are the same, and assuming they can work upside down, you won't get any added performance. Maybe it's easier to have the compression on top rather than under(?).

 

Yep they the springs arnt just upside down the whole shock is, i should have known that when i first took a look but i didnt and i looked at it some more and u are right.

 

It's the same reason that a lot of aftermarket shocks on snowmobiles go on upside down. It's called "unsprung weight." Unsprung weight is everything that is below the suspension, or moves with the contour of the ground. Sprung weight is everything that follows the path that the suspension allows it to. So the frame, motor, and the rider are all sprung weight. The less weight thats below the suspension (wheels, tires, axles) the better it hanldes. This also makes the whole machine feel lighter while riding, even if it's the same weight. Now think about the way the shock body and the shaft move. If the body is on the bottom, it's going to move in relation to the ground, and the shaft is going to move independently. If the shaft is down, the body is going to move independently. Now. Which weighs more? The shaft or the body? The only downside it that the shaft is much more delicate, and rocks do much more damage to the shaft than the body. The closer the shaft is to the ground, the more dammage it will take. And the more often it will have to be rebuilt. This is the reason most shocks are mounted the way they are on wheelers.

 

I just recieved Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks for my truck, they are all manufactured for an "upside down" application , the piston rod goes down to the lower control arm and the body mounts up. This is opposite normal. These shocks were designed by the man who actually invented the modern shock absorber. The reason being the shock actually performs better this way due to the different weight characterisitics and the fact that the load is applied better. on a regular shock the rod is up and is on compressed as the vehicle drops, the "Upside down" rod is compressed as the suspension moves, so it is actually working more to absorb shock before the body of the vehicle is feeling it and moving.