Terrain Tamer Parabolic Leaf Springs
Published by John on 16th Jul 2019
What are parabolic leaf springs?
Terrain Tamer has recently introduced new parabolic leaf springs for the popular Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series and Toyota Hilux and we thought to put together different resources from Terrain Tamer itself as well as independent reviewers in order to describe what they are and how they work.
Allan Gray from Terrain Tamer wrote a great article about Parabolic Springs on the Automotive Technician Magazine.
Allan Gray's definition of parabolics is: a suspension system used many years ago when vehicles were produced using one, two or three tapered leaves instead of multipacks.
The idea was successful but appeared to go out of fashion when coil springs started being fitted to the form of family cars and light trucks. However, while parabolic tended to disappear from the light truck scene, they continued to be chosen for heavy-duty track applications.
Now Terrain Tamer has released a new design in parabolic leaf springs, bringing the technology back to the Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series.
The new springs are thicker in the centre and taper towards the ends in a true parabolic form, and each leaf is designed to act as a spring in itself. The standard spring is supplied with three leaves - two main leaves that operate when unloaded and a lower leaf that contacts the upper leaves through a pressure pad when a full load is being carried. It's proof of what happens when modern technology is applied to a well-proven idea.
Parabolics are now fitted standard to many vehicles, both light and heavy-duty, for a smoother quieter ride, lower unsprung weight and greater flexibility. During Terrain Tamer testing, they placed cameras on the undercarriage area to check articulation, chassis clearance and brake and acceleration characteristics.
It soon became evident that owing to the increased flexibility of the parabolics, any excessive load on the driveline resulted in the differential housing deflecting with the springs, reducing the shock loading on the crown wheel and pinion.
This situation is particularly advantageous in four-wheel driving situations, where rapid forward and reverse gear selection is often used to extricate a vehicle from an embarrassing mud-hole incident. As with all Terrain Tamer products, these springs have been tested in the rugged situation of the Australian outback.
Greater flexibility, quieter operation, up to 500Kg capacity and improved driver comfort, it's a win-win situation and once you fit them, you will wonder how you ever did without them.
Terrain Tamer's Parabolic Springs are suitable for these Toyota Vehicles:
|
MAKE
|
MODEL
|
YEAR
|
DESCRIPTION
|
|---|---|---|---|
| HILUX | GGN25 | 3/2005- | REAR RAISED 40MM-300KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| HILUX | KUN25 | 8/2004- | REAR RAISED 40MM-300KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| HILUX | KUN26 | 3/2005- | REAR RAISED 40MM-300KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | FZJ78 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | FZJ78 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | FZJ79 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | FZJ79 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | GRJ78 | 7/2009- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | GRJ78 | 7/2009- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | GRJ79 | 7/2009- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISE R79 SERIES | GRJ79 | 7/2009- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | HDJ78 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | HDJ78 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | HDJ79 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | HDJ79 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | HZJ78 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | HZJ78 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | HZJ79 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | HZJ79 | 8/1999- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | VDJ78 | 1/2007- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 78 SERIES | VDJ78 | 1/2007- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | VDJ79 | 1/2007- | REAR RAISED 50MM-500KG PARABOLIC SPRINGS |
| LANDCRUISER 79 SERIES | VDJ79 | 1/2007- | REAR RAISED 50MM 500KG+ PARABOLIC SPRINGS |