seriebil.dk Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Hi everyone Been searching this forum for treads about suspension setups for series Land Rovers. didn't find the answer . i have a 88" with softtop most of the time, and a hardtop/softtop setup (see tread "Hakuna Matata") with roofrack and rooftent and campinggear on top for the holidays. Heres the Question. Will a 7 leaf suspension setup from a ligthweight be suitable for this or are the springs to soft for the heavy holiday load, resulting in the back end starting to hang quickly ?? Regards Anders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 The HD lightweight springs are VERY hard, I'd suspect they were more than up to the job.... the difficult bit is getting hold of them, when I tried to get some they were out of stock everywhere with no chance of appearing. I went with new, stock springs, which have been great on a lightly loaded soft top, but you have a need for uprated springs, I can see that. If you can't get lightweight ones, have you thought about parabolics? Go to a reputable firm and they should be able to advise you on what it best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Wasn't the lightweight heavier than a standard series? If so they should be too hard if anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 The lightweights were heavier than a standard, soft top, Series motor, but only by around 150Kg from memory, the HD springs used less, but thicker leaves in an effort to stop them breaking under army use, they are higher poundage of course, but not as much as might first be thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I thought it was more than that, you're probably right though. I would have thought they would be up to the job though. I actually prefer the ride comfort and handling of my series when it has a good bit of weight in it. I've got an 88" hartop, running standard springs on extended mounts. I find it quite "bouncy" when running with no weight in the back. I took a full load of bricks and rubble (and I do mean full - I used a piece of chipboard to make a full height bulkhead behind the front seats, then filled the back) to the tip. The backend was well down over normal but it was fine to drive on the road - I would say better, wouldn't have fancied my chances off-road though as there wasn't much space to the bump stops and the springs were already inverted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I would have thought they would be up to the job though. I actually prefer the ride comfort and handling of my series when it has a good bit of weight in it. Couple of bags of cement is enough to stop it boucing too much tbh, absolutely right though, the unloaded ride in a series is..... I would use 'atrocious'... but maybe 'interesting' is a better description Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSIIA Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I run springs from an air portable (7 leaf HD rear / 5 leaf HD front) in my IIA 88" and the ride is better than on standard springs (laden or unladen). Having fewer leaves they seem to move easier over the bumps, but they are stiff enough to handle loads. They are matched to SWB HD shock absorbers. They are possibly not as smooth as parabolics, but I haven't broken a leaf yet. Articulation is probably better than standard. My thoughts are to go for it unless you can get a good deal on parabolics and suitable shocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seriebil.dk Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 Hi Thanks for the replies, keep em coming I would prefer parabolics, 2 leaf/3 leaf setup but, I'm having a hard time getting the parabolics i want - the TIConsole/heystee ones. and now i can't wait anymore, i'm driving with 2-3 broken leafs in the back, and my shocks are starting to leak (which is ok after 15 years of use ) and holiday starts i 1½ month. Thats why i'm thinking of light weight spring. The setup would be: 7 leafs all round with HD shocks or shocks for parabolics, normal shackels. I'm sure this will be fine for normal use with out the camping gear. but....? DaveSIIA: How does your 88" look when heavy loaded?, is it hanging in the back ? Pictures ??? Anders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBorges Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I'm trying to buy the Heystee parabolics and are out-off-stock, without any expectation for the delivery date… I find this table in workshop manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSIIA Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 How does your 88" look when heavy loaded?, is it hanging in the back ? Pictures ??? I'd have to dig out some photo's as I haven't had the IIA really heavily loaded for a few years. The back end never used to sag too much, even with some very heavy loads in the back. Certainly not as much as with the standard 11 leaf rear springs. The 7 leaf HD are ~250-300 lb/in against 166lb/in for the 11 leaf. 5 leaf fronts are ~225 lb/in agains ~200lb/in for standard 9 leaf. Both somewhat stiffer, but gave a smoother ride with fewer leaves. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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