Parabolics

[stevethedent]

Fitting parabolic springs to my 84 ser 3 next week, will let you know how I get on now I have sorted my gearbox drama. (see story and pics headed gearbox dramas.)
I have heard they make a world of difference when driving on the road (no more shattered spine when running over a bus ticket!) and improve articulation on the rough stuff. Any comments from people who have these fitted would be welcome.

[Frankie-Boy]

Had para's on my 88 a couple of years ago and they really did help on and off the road, you could drive on tarmac and your eyeballs didn't rattle around and it did improve articulation off the tarmac on mine too.

[crazymac]

What you have to remember, is you are replacing probably old worn out springs with new flexible ones? So the difference will be dramatic.

I took a set of old worn out off and replaced with new original ones and that was a transformation, no more crash bangs and spine jarring! Lovely smooth ride.

Unless they have come down considerably in price I don't rate them.

[climbingchris]

Fantastic things as long as you get decent ones, by that I mean don't get sh [-Xpart ones.  Despite what people say you can run them quite happily with standard shocks and brake hoses too.

[Little-Green-Machine]

brilliant bit of kit i have rocky mountain 2 leaf set up on mine and the ride is brilliant.

[bogie]

The best parabollox are cpc ones because they have a rubber bush between the two leafs so they dont touch.With all the other ones the leafs rubb together,weaken and then snap.Ive been using them for ten years and snapped plentey of them!!

[TBM]

The best parabollox are cpc ones because they have a rubber bush between the two leafs so they dont touch.With all the other ones the leafs rubb together,weaken and then snap.Ive been using them for ten years and snapped plentey of them!!

If you mean Chris Perfect Components, unfortunately he stopped trading a couple of years or so ago.

[bogie]

Did he,i didnt know that!!!!!!!!!!   Just shows how unstable this crappy country is!

[TBM]

Did he,i didnt know that!!!!!!!!!!   Just shows how unstable this crappy country is!

Don't think it was due to economics, I think he just retired.

[Little-Green-Machine]

i wanted the cp kit but they had stopped trading and got the next best thing 

[stevethedent]

Thank you for all your positive comments so far Gentleman. As soon as I get these rascals fitted I will give a full report on the results.

[dxmedia]

Did he,i didnt know that!!!!!!!!!!   Just shows how unstable this crappy country is!

You do realise that the manufaturing output of this country in £ is highter than it's ever been?  It's only the Daily Wail which claims it's all 'going down the pan'


bbc >

[dave_2A_2.25Turbo]

And my house is worth more than it was 20 years ago.

Both are irrelevant unless you take a LOT of other factors into account.  Inflation for a start.

[dxmedia]

And my house is worth more than it was 20 years ago.

Both are irrelevant unless you take a LOT of other factors into account.  Inflation for a start.

True,

But even if you take into concideration the effects of inflation, this country is still up their in manufacturing. Sheffield produces more steel than it ever has done (although employs less people) and top end engineering is still pumping out loads, it's the cheap crap which we tent not to make any more which is just shipped off.

Read the tabliods and they will paint a picture of doom and gloom though....

[stevethedent]

Re the last few posts. I don't no If you have noticed fellas but my post is headed Parabolics,
NOT talking b*llocks!  LOL

[dxmedia]

Re the last few posts. I don't no If you have noticed fellas but my post is headed Parabolics,
NOT talking b*llocks!  LOL

Wow how to make friends and influence people 

[dave_2A_2.25Turbo]

Re the last few posts. I don't no If you have noticed fellas but my post is headed Parabolics,
NOT talking b*llocks!  LOL

Sorry!  Going back to Parab*llox, I've got 2-leaf CPC ones on - very good, but tbh I'd have been better going for a 3-leaf rear, as the back end drops while still under a (relatively) light load. Could do with extended shackles on the back. Interesting that someone above doesn't need extended brake hoses - I definitely did - couldn't jack it high enough to locate springs with original hoses on.  You do need to change the shocks as well to get he most out of them, too.

[NiteMare]

as said before you'll most likely require new shocks to get the best out of them (not replacement originals) as you'll most likely get at least an inch lift at the rear which means you'll run the risk of over extending the shocks ...

i had a nice pair of Gaz adjustable dampers on the rear of mine with one ton shocks on the front, the ride was really nice and then one of the rears broke so i had to refit the originals, now i have a bone jarring ride unless i carry weight in the rear so that my shocks have travel in them (it's also helped me spin 270 degrees twice  ) i keep meaning to get it repaired but there's always something else demanding my pocket money 

[Amma]

I have parabolics on mine which are Rocky Mountain ones on the rear (four leaf ones) and Sh**part ones on the front. Since changing my engine I noticed the other day that the one on the drivers side has snapped so after consulting my local Land Rover specialist he has recommended to fit One-Ton springs to it. He has said that the tyres are basically rattling the living daylights out of the springs and has caused it to snap.

 

Just waiting for him to see if he can get hold of the One-Ton units and get me a price on them.

 

[climbingchris]

One ton springs are more like iron girders than springs, you'll get no articulation with them at all.


As for my comments about standard brake hoses and shocks, I've been runnign British springs paras since about 2006 with no problems on standard shocks/hoses., and yes it does go off road, lots of nice rocky axle twisting lanes around this way too not just plugging through that horrible muddy stuff.

[Saffy]

you can get skinny standard shocks and HD duty (yet still LR standard fit shocks), I found the skinny shocks got too hot to touch on my series with parabolics where as the fat HD military ones are fine. Again... if a military series is fitted with extended shackles as standard aren't the brake hoses also extended as standard? (i dunno)   What I am asking is when people say they are using 'standard' shocks or hoses with parabolic then specify what they are actually using else it's duff info.

[climbingchris]

It's a civvy 88"

[NiteMare]

oops didn't think of that bit Saffy ...

mine are on a civvy 88" truckcab, rears are 2 +1 helper ..

tbh if it was a station wagon i reckon that 2 adults in the rear and i'd be needing the helper leaf just about all the time (working on 11-12 stone each adult), i had three diffs a full set of 88" springs, 6 brake drums and 4 complete hubs/stubs and a heavy box of bits all wedged in the tub today and she was sat down quite a bit (i also carry a 7.50x16 on a frame over the tub) which feels really wierd after having got used to a nose down stance

[Hightower]

Finished fitting my paras (from GB Springs) this evening and have noticed that the rear is now significantly higher than the front.  Not having had paras before, is this expected?  I assume given that the diesel lump is heavy that it will have some impact, but the angle of the car is quite noticeable.

Will this affect handling any?

[Saffy]

Finished fitting my paras (from GB Springs) this evening and have noticed that the rear is now significantly higher than the front.  Not having had paras before, is this expected?  I assume given that the diesel lump is heavy that it will have some impact, but the angle of the car is quite noticeable.

Will this affect handling any?

I think I have same para on my S1 (same springs as a 88" siii), it's common to not get the HD ones for rear to prevent the dragster look if not regular towing or carrying loads - did you get HD ones? (more leaf on them). Mine are HD, they do settle down a bit. They clunk quite a bit when new too.

not too jacked looking here ?...

[stevethedent]

I fitted the light duty paras to mine. I agree they bang creek and grown to hell when first fitted. mine have now settling down after being airbourne on a few occasions. Last week I had three big blokes I go shooting with in the back and they bottomed out on a couple of occasions so if you are going to carry a lot in the back it would be worth getting the extra leaf ones. I have heard the ride is a little higher so I wouldnt worry about it or the odd knocking noises you hear initially. Toodle pip