parabolics or regular leafs?

[weatherm]

That is the question. I'm restoring our Series 3 109 1980 to go on our first overland trip down through Mexico and see all the Myan ruins and also go see Belize and all that next Christmas.

Problem:
My frame is in great condition and the truck all works fine except the suspension. It is shot. So my question here is to ask the fellow overlanders what they would choose.. I have read and heard the pitfalls of para's verse regular leafs

Solution:
Help me decide what to spend my hard earned cash on. The biggest advantage to me is the para 1.5ish suspension lift and more articulation, but you have more roll and corning causes the vehicle to lean more.

 

[czenkov]

Sounds like an awesome trip - wish I trusted my LR enough for something of this nature. I have been considering parabolics on my 88" and have been doing some research - leading me to the following. I would think roll due to parabolics should be measured against the terrain or speed you are planning on. If you 109 is anything like my 88" "speed" is relative on straight-aways - however some curves can make 10 mph seem fast. I have heard firsthand accounts of how nice parabolics are in 109"'s.

So I guess the question is what speeds w/curves are you expecting and what types of terrain are you likely to encounter on your trip.

Good luck in your research and do an expedition report when you get started.

 

[graniterover]

springs

I currently have:

an 88 with LR springs, an 88 with parabolics, a 109 with LR springs and a 109 with parabolics.

Both trucks with parabolics have really smooth rides and articulate well, however, once you add weight in, at least on the 88, even low speed corners are scary. I do not have heavy duty parabolics, so maybe that's the way to go. If I were going on a long trip and I was traveling light, I'd go with parabolics, but if you plan on carrying a high lift, extra fuel, spare parts, water etc, I'd go with LR springs.

Hope this helps.

Mark

 

[weatherm]

We shall see.. my money is going to someone very soon As of now I'm leaning towards para's and then keep one spare set of front and rear main springs (one w/ the bushings) shoved under the non-purchased RTT In case the paras break.

 

[Antichrist]

Parabolics gennerally provide a smoother ride and more articulation.
Given your primary intended use I would choose which has the better weight carrying capability. I don't know which that would be.
I do know you can get 1-ton Land Rover springs so that may be a consideration for such a trip, as opposed to stock 109 springs.

 

[James86004]

I used to have 1-ton springs on our military chassis equipped Dormobile. It rode very very hard, even fully loaded with my family and camping gear. It cornered well, as long as the road was smooth, but a bump at the apex of the turn would be a little scary.

We have TI Console paras under ours now, with Bilstein shocks. The Bilsteins may provide a little roll stiffness. It certainly rolls going around corners, but no more than our stock 1989 Range Rover did.

 

[jrose609]

Maybe with a little more parabolic experience can answer, but could you add inflatable air-bags to help with the load? I run those on my pickup, and they solve most of my issues with heavy loads and lateral stability.

 

[Josh]

This went on for 3+ pages recently:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29962

Reliability with paras seems to be like flipping a coin.. some people get heads and are thrilled, the other 50% gets tails.
Not the kind of gamble I'd take on a expedition rig out of country where warranties (if they're honored at all) are useless to you.

The success of your trip literally rides on your springs. Personally I'd take the tried and true conventional springs. If they're new (which for you they would be) and you keep them greazed up you'll be very happy with the ride anyway.... and for many years, on any road, with any load.

Kind regards, Josh

 

[weatherm]

OMG I forgot I even started that thread.
Going to go crawl in a corner..... I need to stop drinking

 

[Antichrist]

********, I was wondering, it was like deja-vu all over again.

 

[racingjason]

We have heavy duty(?) parabolics on our Dormobile, four leaf on the back and two leaf on the front. Our big trip with the truck was from England down to Morocco and back. The parabolics were much smoother than I expected the first time I drove the truck and they handled pretty well overall especially since the truck was at (or maybe above) its GVW. It was not great in the corners but I learned to slow down in the English roundabouts and things were fine. I found that the two leaf fronts may have been a little light; when I got home to Canada and weighed the truck there was a lot of weight on the front axle. I heard a rumour that RM was working on a three leaf front set which may work better.

 

[graniterover]

OMG I forgot I even started that thread.
Going to go crawl in a corner..... I need to stop drinking

Me too. I thought I sent you a PM and then saw the thread where I actually posted. Maybe it's better to stop AFTER the octoberfest beers are gone.

 

[Toy-Roverlander]

For what it's worth, I've got para's on mine for 3 months now. 4leaf in the back and 3leaf rear springs on the front. The ride is amazing, better than a coiler!
The rear is a bit soft though, but I reckon that's due to the dampers being on too steep an angle. These will be replaced soon by a pair of 14" bilsteins when I made some mounts...

Corners are interesting, it really leans into the corner, classic range rover style:sombrero:...
Just go slower around the bends would be my advice, the ride is superb!

I've got cheapos and the bushes are already dead... that's the only downside so far. But I reckon that's due to it's stupendous articulation, it just tears the bushes apart...

good luck, and have fun on your trip!

 

[Snagger]

I have TIC paras, 4-leaf on the rear and 2-leaf on the front. They've lasted 12 years and are still as good as new, though the front springs need an extra leaf to cope with the weight of the extras I fitted. Unfortunately, no-one seems to make 3-leaf front springs, so I'll be modifying my own.

My 109 suffered body roll too when cornering - all the accessories and the roof rack didn't help. Fitting the rear anti-roll bar from a SIIA ambulance made all the difference, and body roll is now very small. The front anti-roll bar can't be fitted because it would occupy the space used by the Tdi rad and intercooler, atop the dumbirons. For those with standard front ends, that would be a useful addition to parabolic mounted expedition vehicles.

As far as bushes go, I only found premature wear in the rear bushes of the front springs; everything else was OK. I've had to fit polyurethane bushes because one spring eye loosened up and is unable to properly grip a metalastic bush, and these should in theory not suffer the torque damage of the originals. RM use larger metalastic bushes that allow the spring rotation without suffering the abrasion that polys get, so have the best of both worlds. I just don't know if they'd fit the enclosed spring hangers of a 1-Ton chassis.

 

[weatherm]

Ugh, well after about a month of going back and forth... and all this waffling on I ran the pro's and con's about regular vs paras to the wife. She said she would rather not have the body roll and would go with the regulars. I kind of agree and since money is always a factor I believe we are going with that... just a few more days to decide. I figured with a 120lb roof top tent sitting on the front half of the truck the 2 leafs might get premature fatigue and cause unnerving driving... who knows and by Friday it will be flip a coin time.

Thanks Snagger.. btw your rig is just a inspiration