Parabolic springs

I have seen a pair of used parabolic springs for sale, how much different are they from standard springs ?
What difference will they make ?

A pair or a set (4)? They'll be pretty crap too unless yer dampers are half decent.

Noo gas shocks are only about 25 nicker per corner tho'.

My mate put a set on his s3 and reckoned they were much better but I don't think they make much difference compared to standard cart springs in good nick.

i prefer the ride in my standard sprung S3 to that of me parabolix sprung S3, the standard springs have less bounce but everything seams more solid and less wobbily. i mainly use me landie's for towing on the roads/through fields/dirt tracks though so cant really compair them in propper mad metal offroading type senarios.

me standard springs are also pretty foooked as the rear mudflaps tend to act as road sweepers.....

I too have parabolic springs fitted. (Children point and laugh at me...!)
They give a hard ride unless you have a load on
(I’m not touching anything, nurse!),
which is what they are supposed to do! But having tried other setups, they are the ones of choice for me. A word to the wise, if you are using the landy mainly on the road, and your present set-up is ‘OK’, it might be a case of
"If it aint broke, don’t fix it!"
I haven’t tried towing with them.

It really is one of those personal preference things, though.
Everyone has made some good comments, I suggest you try before you buy?! And remember the extra weight, about 1 aged 8 and 1 aged 10 should do it!!
(Have you warmed it up, nurse?)

There is nothing wrong with a set of well maintained standard springs.
My recipe
1. Old engine oil or ep90 cut 90 10 with petrol or white sprit
Sloped over springs
Take her for a 30 mph run over some speed humps.
Repeat until you can’t take it anymore.

Agree with that. Fire some grease in there. All Paraboll*cks! is what it is! Hogwash. Std springs in good nick are great. Only problem is 30-40 years later, most are not. Yes if your old springs are shot, fit Parabolox, you'll notice a differnce then, but greased up to the nines, std springs move fine, and work as new again. The ''hard ride problem' is usaully not stiction, but that the spring are too hard. 109s suffer this most. Drive you wagon with half a dozen paving slab in back, and its smoooooth, a Roller driver would be jealous. So unless they're lightr rated, parabollox won't be better than your std spring greased up. Which has damn all to do with any paraboic non stiction claims. And if it puts ride height up, looking good or not, that has to effect handling and braking in an emergency. Maybe enough to make hte differnce between A&E or not. Nope not for me, rather your neck than mine. Conclusion, get the grease out and make them work again, as they would have done 'as designed' when new, as for parabollox... Leave 'em alone. If it was so idiot simple to improve a series with them, LR would have done it in production. The Soilhull engineers were not fools. These springs have come about because of the market for repalcing corroded springs, through "marketing" bumpf, a 'thing' to buy, not through sound engineering....

I use motorcylce chain grease, 'cos it goes in liek WD40 and thing sticks like grease. Lot easier to fit and cheaper. Tenner a can every 3 years?

another silly question coming up?? having only ever driven my s3 with standard springs, which is a rough ride, how do i know if they are shot or not, would a good scrub down and a lot of grease etc (as recommended above) sort it out - or should i save up and try fit some new ones??????

b20wnx said:

another silly question coming up?? having only ever driven my s3 with standard springs, which is a rough ride, how do i know if they are shot or not, would a good scrub down and a lot of grease etc (as recommended above) sort it out - or should i save up and try fit some new ones??????

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when I got my series 3 lwb it had no movement in the front springs at all, I could jump on them and it wouldn't even budge

packed them with oil/grease and they are fine now.

My mates seris 3 had the same problem on the rear, springs were solid!
I used a large flat bladed screwdriver and whacked it between each leaf and sprayed it up with EP90/white spirit mix.
Spent the best part of a day doing it and then drove it over a load of speed bumps=worked a treat.

I've had paras on for years and wouldn't have anything else,the handlings a lot better and it's a softer ride. It's like anything though,buy cheap crap and you'll regret it. So if your gonna buy paras get a decent set, mine are gb springs and are still going strong after 8 years of abuse!

landrover11019 said:

My mates seris 3 had the same problem on the rear, springs were solid!
I used a large flat bladed screwdriver and whacked it between each leaf and sprayed it up with EP90/white spirit mix.
Spent the best part of a day doing it and then drove it over a load of speed bumps=worked a treat.

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my front pinion seal just went, and when it did it sprayed oil all over everything, including the springs. lol they are soaked in it

got a new seal now but need to install it.

JCS1991 said:

my front pinion seal just went, and when it did it sprayed oil all over everything, including the springs. lol they are soaked in it

got a new seal now but need to install it.

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Not the most fun job from underneath. There is a special tool to hold the flange to take the nut off but, if your brakes aren't great, a couple of flange bolts in adjacent holes, a long shafted ring spanner and a bit of tube will do it......

I concur on that. My S2 liek so many had been left lying around for years and it was SOLID. I could see things fitted that 'looked' like springs, but where solid bars..... First time I drove it I got back ache from the impacting. I was new to LR driving back then and what with the culture shock compared to a moden eurobox, thought it was normal. Wrongly, I thought I need parabolox fitted, and avoided my S2 for a week until my back got better. I looked and fired WD40 to start it going, and then bike-chain grease in there & tehn some more, spray every time I went out. In 200-300 miles they softened. Thye harden a bit if I don't grease tehm every 2500 odd miles. But it takes me a minute to use the aerosol can and as I said cost me a tenner. I suppose I could use ordinary grease (as above) but it would be harder work and not so easy for it to penetrate in the leafs (or is that leaves? or leafers?) Bike chain grease goes in thin sets thick.

if you springs now sag, buy new 'stock' springs and grease them. Lots cheaper, but having said all that, money no object, why not fit paras, . Can only help. But compared to my soution, which is less aggro, and for those without cash to burn, and even for those that have, I wonder. Mine is fine as it is. Leaf springs will never be coils and parabolox won't make them colis either. Sadly... that people, is that. For more thatn that,you need a Jag!

109SeriesIIA said:

if you springs now sag, buy new 'stock' springs and grease them. Lots cheaper,

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Stock springs weigh inn at about 27 tons...paras are about the same weight as an ants cock, plus thay go boingy boingy not thud thud

V8jon said:

I've had paras on for years and wouldn't have anything else,the handlings a lot better and it's a softer ride. It's like anything though,buy cheap crap and you'll regret it. So if your gonna buy paras get a decent set, mine are gb springs and are still going strong after 8 years of abuse!

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I'll agree with that GB Spring 01214271314 is the Number if you need it. I've just bought another set for my latest S3 and all for a fiver under £300 delivered, come complete with bushes etc...........Buy cheap you'll get crap. Paddocks will sell you a set for £278.40 but they are not British Spring ones....................

splutter said:

I'll agree with that GB Spring 01214271314 is the Number if you need it. I've just bought another set for my latest S3 and all for a fiver under £300 delivered, come complete with bushes etc...........Buy cheap you'll get crap. Paddocks will sell you a set for £278.40 but they are not British Spring ones....................

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Another vote for GB Springs. Got them on the 2a and on the 1. Brilliant springs, based in Bham so if you're local you can collect them and save yourself some money - itneresting guy to chat to too!

Completely agree with both sides of this argument.... good well greased/oiled standard springs are great, but if not and you are going to replace them then a good set of parabolics are easier to maintain and in my own humble opinion have better ride quality for both on and off road. Having said that you definitely get what you pay for so if it's a choice of cheap parabolics or standard springs then go standard...if between decent parabolics (e.g. GB springs or Rocky Mountain) and standard springs that you are going to replace anyway then I would go for the parabolics...If you have money to burn then Heystee apparently used to make exceptional springs (not sure if they still produce them) but at around about £500 they were way out of my price range when I did mine!!!! - mine are GB Springs by the way and I love them... I tried three sets of Paddock springs, before fitting GB, and can safely say that if you are thinking about fitting cheap ones then stick with the standards!

Great discussion and right on time for me, thanks!

Heystee quoted a shade under €700 per set of 4 so around £585 in your lingo.

What shockers would you use, as some (including Heystee) reckon gas shockers are needed with paras.

I got Procomp ES3000 (+2") and they work brilliantly with the GB Springs that I have... think those are probably a good mid range damper (about £30 each including the VAT)