Spring questions

DCH109

Adventurer
I am almost at the point where i need to look at springs. Mine are trash. they are rusted and the area around the bushings are deformed. I figure i will post this question here as i am looking for more answers from the Expedition crowd than the general rovers crowd (they are more than welcome to chime in as well:) )
I have been looking at parabolic springs. But i have a few questions first.

So we will start off with what i am building.
I am rebuilding/ modifying a Series III 109 3 door ex military FFR (Not to much different than the civilian version, except it was 24v, will be converting to 12v, the chassis and springs, the extra fuel tank and a few other things.) into a US/ Canada expedition vehicle.
I do not plan to do any rock crawling, but some light wheeling (MAR, old logging/ forest service roads, etc)
I will have a roof top tent eventually, roof rack and will load everything else in the back (do not plan to tow a trailer).

What i am looking for is a spring that will handle the load.
I understand what parabolic springs can do, but i am not sure they are the best bet for my situation. So the question is not parabolic vs stock. the question is will stock springs be enough or have others tried parabolics with a heavy expedition Rover i am looking at the 4 leave version or the military style (HD?) stock springs .

What i am looking for is real world experience on an expedition style Series Rover. What do you have on your Rover and why did you switch from stock to parabolic or parabolic to stock
 
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ShearPin

Adventurer
My opinion - you couldn't go wrong with either if you match your projected weight to the spring. Terriann - http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/ - has some great spring weight info on her site. Rocky Mountain Parabolics also lists the load ratings for their offerings on their website.

My personal experience is with an SWB Series III. I switched from stock springs to Parabolics 9 or 10 years ago and have been happy - I coupled them with Old Man Emu shocks and have the 2 with helper spring in the rear. Over the years I've read they don't carry weight well, allow to much lean on corners, are dangerous on washboard roads. I haven't experienced any truth to the rumors. One caveat - I don't have a roof rack and make a point to keep weight low.

My brothers website - www.4x4freedom.com - has some info n my Rover and gives an indication of the kind of weight I carry. It's three or four trips behind for "Eore" but I think we have similar usage in mind.

I've found the parabolic soften the jarring on road, smooth out the bumps off-road, and I've been happy with their articulation qualities. In addition, despite some heavy loads, I've never had issues with bottoming out that you might associate with a soft spring.

Henry
www.4x4freedom.com
 

Mercedesrover

Explorer
I run parabolics in my 88” and have since it was built in ’00. Many people, including TeriAnn, whose opinion I respect don’t like parabolic springs. I can say almost nothing bad about then and have had almost no trouble. I did bend a front spring once years ago when I was really hammering on the truck, but I can’t blame the springs for failing in this case. I replaced just the front pair at that point and have had no other troubles.

In my 88” I run three-leaf rear and two-leaf front springs with military shackles. They carry all the weight I need and have been on three multi-thousand mile expeditions fully loaded with no trouble. They’re good on the road, good on gravel roads and good off-road. If I were running empty all the time I’d probably go with two-leaf rears.

The 109 is getting four-leaf rears and two-leaf fronts, again with military shackles. I think it may be a bit over-sprung in the rear and I wouldn’t be surprise if I switched to three-leaf in the back. I’ll have to wait until it’s done before I make that decision.

Many people don’t like parabolics but I don’t think I would run anything else in my trucks. They smooth out the ride, help with articulation and carry a load. What else could you ask for?

My $0.02

jim
 

Alaska Mike

ExPo Moderator/Eye Candy
I was going to go with Rocky Mountain parabolics, but shipping and customer service problems nixed the deal in the short term. The plan now is to try TerriAnn's UHMW treatment on the stock springs as detailed at http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/leafSprings.htm. Bookmark that site, you'll find it a great resource.

My stock springs are 35 years old and probably don't have the same bounce or lift that they once did, but I figure the $50 in parts is probably worth the try. I might have to downsize my tire choice, but we'll see when the vehicle is finished.

I did pick up a set of greaseable poly bushings from GBR recently, which should be easier to deal with than the stock rubber bushings, which are in dangerous condition right now.
 

DCH109

Adventurer
Thanks everyone so far. I hope other will chime in.

I have read a lot of stuff on TeriAnn's site in the last few months to get ideas on how i was going to tackle my build. It is an unbelievable resource and i just stumbled on her Triumph site. Makes me miss my TR4A.

I should be starting a build thread on my 109 soon. My build will not be anywhere as amazing as Jim's build, but will do just fine for me. I do not have quite the resources he does, but it should work out just fine in my garage.
 

Crazyfish

New member
I have a 109 station wagon with TI springs, 4 on the back, 2 front. I would go for 3 on the back next time.
 

DCH109

Adventurer
Thanks all looks like from the responses here and reading a few other forums (only posted the questions here) Parabolics will get the nod. Now have to wait and see when RN will have a free ship weekend again.
 

DCH109

Adventurer
Well just took advantage of RN's free shipping weekend and ordered the Parabolic springs. I ordered the 2 leaf front and 3 leaf rear.
Doing some research this seemed like the best combination for the 109 3 door. Several sourced say for the 5 door the 4 leafs will be better, as i do not have the extra weight, the 3 should be fine. We will see.


Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
 

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