Air shock oil/fluid

[Adomis63]

Hey all, I am trying to change the fluid in my rear air shock on my 1500 using this post:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=18481

In the post they mention 10w hydraulic oil. The manual specifies ss7 suspension fluid which is 5wt. The fluid that came out of my shock was a dark yellow color - probably ss7?

I guess I am just asking what is actually the right fluid to use? I have some leftover SS8 fluid - could that work? Its 10wt, but it says not for use in rear shock applications......

Thanks,
Christopher

[MikeB]

If the manual specifies SS7, why not use SS7?

[Adomis63]

My plan is to use SS7 now, but before when I was reading the guide post I saw no mention of it and figured my SS8 would be good - until I read the bottle mention "not for use in rear shock applications" and was wondering why. Especially since it seemed to be similar to what most people in the forum post were using.

[ct1500]

My plan is to use SS7 now, but before when I was reading the guide post I saw no mention of it and figured my SS8 would be good - until I read the bottle mention "not for use in rear shock applications" and was wondering why. Especially since it seemed to be similar to what most people in the forum post were using.

I would venture to guess they are referring to a conventional shock and not the uncommon Honda air shock which provides no dampening. If Honda repair manuals are on record of using SS-7 for air shocks then for consistency sake SS-8 is not advisable. Splitting hairs. A new SS-7 bottle might have that same warning too?

[MikeB]

My plan is to use SS7 now, but before when I was reading the guide post I saw no mention of it and figured my SS8 would be good - until I read the bottle mention "not for use in rear shock applications" and was wondering why. Especially since it seemed to be similar to what most people in the forum post were using.

I would venture to guess they are referring to a conventional shock and not the uncommon Honda air shock which provides no dampening. If Honda repair manuals are on record of using SS-7 for air shocks then for consistency sake SS-8 is not advisable. Splitting hairs. A new SS-7 bottle might have that same warning too?

Actually, no there is no such statement on the SS7 bottle label. SS7 is the way to go.

[Adomis63]

Figured I would follow up in my adventures.

I used the SS7 fluid - it has the consistency of water compared to the SS8 fluid. I can't really imagine what it would've been like if I used that in my shock.

Thanks you all for the input!