Parabolic Springs, which new shocks?

Hi guys, Ive got a S3 SWB which has quite a bad lean so I bought some new parabolic springs from GB Springs. Ive been informed that at most they would give around an inch of lift which is what I want. Im looking to replace the shocks too as the originals are shot! I was wondering if I would be able to get away with standard shocks or would I have to get extended ones to compensate for the extra lift? If so could you recommend any?
Cheers
George

Standard length should be fine,but go for "gas" shocks to cope with the free movement that parabolic's have [ little friction between the leaves]

GB Springs told me that standard length shocks would fine, as would oil damped shocks for non-heavy duty work. If you are in looking at lots of off road etc, gas shocks would be better.

I went for standard oil shocks as my use will be very limited off road, and I found a brand new set at a great price at auto jumble (long before buying a set of GB Springs).

Crooves said:

Hi guys, Ive got a S3 SWB which has quite a bad lean so I bought some new parabolic springs from GB Springs. Ive been informed that at most they would give around an inch of lift which is what I want. Im looking to replace the shocks too as the originals are shot! I was wondering if I would be able to get away with standard shocks or would I have to get extended ones to compensate for the extra lift? If so could you recommend any?
Cheers
George

Click to expand...

This all depends what you want tbh. I'd advise reading up on suspension basics and specifically the Series Land Rover. It'll help you no end and you'll actually understand what bits you need.

Btw if you have 3 leaf rear parabolics it'll ride like **** unless you have 3 or 4 people in the back. I don't understand the UK market obsession with selling massively too stiff and overrated parabolic springs.

As a tip. The axle can only move up and down as far as the shock can extend or compress. Even if the spring or the rest of the axle fixing points can move further.

The trouble is the upper shock mount, esp at the front is very low on a Series, so you have short shocks. To get more down travel means a longer shock. But it now won't compress as far. So you loose the up travel. Ie you don't actually gain travel overall. Just adjust the ratio of up and down movement.

If you plan to off road it properly. You'll want to investigate and understand this. For on road use you'll want some nice damping for a smoother ride.

There are lots of options or there for the Series. But most seem half baked, half developed solutions IMO. Parabolics should move about a lot more than standard leaf packs, ie they react quicker like a cool Spring, as each leaf works independently. Stock shocks probably won't cope very well with this. But a testimony to how badly speced some of the springs are. Standard shocks will probably be fine on an over spring setup that'll just bounce and jump it's way down the road.

To build on what has been said above. It's important to remember that like brakes shock absorbers are subject to fading. As the oil gets hot which happens as they compress and extend over and over the oil inside gets thinner and damping becomes reduced. As the parabolic springs will effectively cause the shock to compress and extend more as they are softer the standard springs may not fair too well if you come across a bumpy or rutted road.
Gas shocks are less prone to fading and the shocks will remain efficient for a longer period of time before fading. I'm currently going through a testing stage on my 109 which has gb parabolics. I've tried standard and they were not brand new but gave a very soft ride increased body roll and did tend to throw you about off-road.
I've tried de carbon shocks, these are stiffer than the standard shocks and gave a good on road ride and off road ride only downside is that now the shocks are the limiting factor in articulation. So bought some es3000 pro comp shocks which are meant to be 2 inches longer than standard.

The ride again is very nice still and off road comfort is similar to the de carbons, did my articulation test and articulation is noticeably improved over the other but not massively. However without modifying shock mounts this is about as good as it gets. I'm happiest with the pro comes I have heard about reliability issues mainly of the spot welds failing however pro comp offer a life time warranty. They are fairly well priced.
Try the shot original shocks and see what it's like it'll be free and give you a rough idea. If you like it buy new original shocks. If you don't look into some gas shocks. Be prepared to pay a minimum of £50 a corner for half decent gas shocks.

i'm looking at getting some shocks too - fitted the last of my parabolics today (think they were GB springs) took this pic just testing how much articulation they have - loads better than the knackered standard springs - no way would it have done this before
i think the parabolics will be good enough for what i want it for

Procomp es2000

Got them on mine give a lovely ride,