[6DoF]

i'm all-in on the more upright shocks! however if they are valved/sprung for a 45, they might be really stiff upright. i'd also move your lower mount out closer to the tire some too.

the ideal is to have the shock mounting perpendicular to the axle travel from the side at full compression, and perpendicular to the axle at full articulation (compressed side) from the back. this makes sure that your spring rate and shock damping is always getting progressively firmer (due to the angle change) under higher loads and compression. big angles will make the rate/damping digressive and you end up with less control over the suspension where ya need more. also the further outboard the more control they have over the leverage of the axle in a corner or bump at one tire. from there it's just getting the right spring/damping rate for your style and terrain.