SWB suspension options

[Hightower]

As per other thread, am starting with the rebuild from bottom up.

Both sets of springs that I have are FUBAR so need replacing.

Looking at Paddocks, there are road springs and paras.  To go with them are standard, HD, gas and extra long shocks.  I was thinking about going with paras, but then which shocks are best suited with these?  Or should I just stick with the std springs?

Currently one of the trucks has extended shackles which makes the it sit very well on the 750's.  Could I use these with paras, or do I run the risk of wrecking them?

Any pointers would be greatly received . . . . .

[Little-Green-Machine]

i waited untill rocky mountain had paras in stock again, well worth it very comfortable, when i first ran the paras i had inch lift shackles and got a hell of a lot of vibration from the front prop,

 removed the longer shackles and fitted spring castor correction wedges, which angles the prop back to normal ,the paras will give you a lift anyway so depends on how high you want it to be,

 i plan to use the shackles again once i have free wheeling hubs, but just on the front as i have a truck cab and the rear sits at the same hight (more or less) with or without the shackles as there is no weight in there. but paras are definatly the way to go.


hope this helps, Reece

[Hightower]

Thanks for this Reece.

So if I go with paras, would you suggest the extra length shocks as well?  Or can you just stick with a stock version?

[Little-Green-Machine]

I have the stock shocks as i have not got around to buying the extra length ones yet (other things have broken :roll:) i put standard rear shocks on the front , as the rears are longer than the front its a cheap way of gaining that extra length, the standard rears are not long enough (i find) with paras, for instance two clicks on the highlift and that is all the travel gone and the wheels leave the ground.

so i would put standard rears on the front and extra length Pro Comps on the rear.

also if you still have check straps lower them or better still take them off. also if you do use military shackles with the paras lower the bumstops, as the extra hight means the springs are pushed further during articulation and have a tendancy to go saggy.

Reece

[Henry Webster]

Personally I would want to upgrade shocks if I was using parabolics, they will need to work quite alot harder than standard.  Gas makes sense.  Pro-comps, Monroes, Konis or the like.

Careful that you don't use the shock instead of a check strap, this in my opinion is why lots of people claim to have broken Procomps.  Shocks are nt designed to top out or bottom out and both cases will damage them, potentially fatally!

[Lucy1978]

Been running standard shocks with British Springs paras for a few years on and off road, was my daily driver for a while too. Had no issues what so ever, nor felt the need to upgrade to gas or extended shockers.

[Saffy]

british springs para's also on my series but I upgraded to military heavy duty shocks. No real need for extended length on the shocks or brake hoses but the shock do extra work now where as before they would be pretty much static (could have run without them!). I found the skinny standard series shocks heated up a fair bit where as the fatter MOD ones didn't. So maybe people who say they do not have problems on standard shocks already have the heavyduty fitted as standard.  Before paras I used lightweight springs on the front of truck and they are pretty much a poor mans para solution. I had steve parker extended shackles fitted for awhile, truck looked great but ate front propshafts within several hundred miles.

[Lucy1978]

Before paras I used lightweight springs on the front of truck and they are pretty much a poor mans para solution.

I've never followed this thought, as a lightweight (air portable)  was heavier than the standard 88" (~2900lbs for a standard s11 88" vs 3210lbs for a lightweight) so you'd have thought would have stiffer springs.

[Saffy]

Before paras I used lightweight springs on the front of truck and they are pretty much a poor mans para solution.

I've never followed this thought, as a lightweight (air portable)  was heavier than the standard 88" (~2900lbs for a standard s11 88" vs 3210lbs for a lightweight) so you'd have thought would have stiffer springs.

They certainly had less leafs in the springs at front on the lightweight ones, had nothing to compare to stiffness wise other than I had good articulation for a series, too much in-fact as the front crank pulley hit the top of front axle so I had to extend the bump stops. One of the spring broke, I suspect from the extra stress caused by extended shackles.

[Lucy1978]

One of life's oddities I guess

[S188]

The argument I've herd for the LWT spring is although a Lightweight is famously heavyer fully built up than a civvy model, when stripped down it is lighter and most importantly the spring rates are designed to perform at this stripped weight as well as fully laden.  A civvy S2/3 spring doesn't have a need for such a range.

I have no idea how the number of leaves affects spring performance, diesel springs have more than petrol ones and are stronger but some of the HD rear springs have fewer, thicker leaves than the lighter duity ones.  Where the LWT spring fits this I don't know.  Maybe they are 5 leaf fronts primerally to reduice unladen weight rather than for spring rate performance though I'm sure one will effect the other.

Anyone who's got some info on LWT springs I'd be interested to know as I'm posubly looking for some for a S1 ragtop.  Hopefully if the milatry workshop manual is like the civvy one it'll reveal the spring specs but I don't have one myself.  Petrol S1 front springs are about 150lb/in (No longer avalable) as aposed to 200lb/in for the later substanchally heavyer models so I suspect LWT springs could be a far better match if avalable.  I know Craddocks sell britpart LWT springs but I have no intention of fitting springs bareing their name as its not worth the hassle.  I've had a word with GME springs (who surply  Paddocks exclucively since they got fed up returning BP) who don't produice S1/LWT versions but if I can find all the specs hopefully something might be possable.  As for LWT being a poor mans option I suspect this is now untrue as its alot easyer to get a parabolic now.  The biggest problem in all cases is finding a quality make, which doesn't help the rarer LWT version.

As for shocks I'm not convinced about pro comp after my dads seldom used S1 ate a set of 9000's and didn't ride very nicely in the process (and yes it had corectly ajusted check straps and bumpstops).  Its now got ES1000's on but they are not extended and as far as I can see are basicly standard series shocks painted white, with a crappy rubber boot that colects mud and a higher price.  Maybe 3000's are the happy mid ground but if the surposubly hard as nails comp spec can't take the odd gental laning trip how do the lessers fair?
My 88SW has standard springs and recently has been bouncing all over the place, the standard shocks are completely shot and borrowing the ES1000's on the rear transformed the ride and cornering - Just about to fit a set of genuine HD shocks so we'll see how it goes (the springs are looking a bit past their best so now sure what I'll do there, probubly paras as I can get hold of a set easy if my dad goes down to LWT root but if not I have to say standard springs work pritty well on it, so long as they have working shock absorbers!