Three years ago, photojournalist Mark Allen tried and tested out a set of Terrain Tamer Parabolic Leaf Springs. Even going so far as to load 750 kilograms of sandbags into his troopy, hook up his RV and create a great video for RVDaily showing how they work. Now that’s dedication! But how have the Terrain Tamer Parabolic Leaf Springs held up after three years? Well, we checked in with Mark to find out.
My neighbour, three doors down, probably heard me burst into a good ol’ fashion belly laugh when I got asked if I still had the Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs and Smart Coil Suspension Kit on my Troopy.
There’s not a chance anyone could prise this suspension kit from me. The Terrain Tamer Parabolic Leaf Springs really are that good and to think I’d part with them is downright laughable.
That’s right, I told my interrogator that no matter what company came a-knockin’ with an offer of a new suspension kit, they’d be greeted with a polite “no thanks”.
While it’s been some three years since the original fitting of my Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs Kit, there have been a couple of changes to get the ultimate ride and performance. I initially packed the three-leaf parabolic leaf kit in the rear. These have been upgraded to the four-leaf version given my need to tow the camper trailer and caravan. Not to mention pack the whole family and their wares into the cavernous Troopy. Yes, I suffer from the-more-space-I-have, the more-I-pack-in syndrome!
Plus, I swapped from the standard valved expanded-body Terrain Tamer shock absorbers to the firmer valved kit. This helps control the big buses’ antics on and off-road.
The resultant ride comfort, performance off-road, control on-road and ability to carry the onboard weight, along with the tow ball weight, is simply brilliant. It’s a system that I’d wager no other leaf spring setup could match. Especially given that the Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs perform both unladen, loaded to the hilt and every variant in between.
Unsure what a parabolic leaf pack is? Well, each leaf within the pack is tapered from thicker at the centre to thinner at both ends. Each leaf acts like a variable or progressive rate spring. The same goes for the front-end Smart Coils. They are tapered or reduced in coil diameter from top to bottom to return that variable / progressive load ability. The more weight you add to the leaves and coils, the firmer they get and the more load they can handle. Simply brilliant!
The only upkeep I’ve needed is to tend to the greaseable shackles with a pump or two of grease from time to time. Full-stop. That’s all. Nothing else has required touching. Even the shackle and shock rubbers were in perfect condition at the time of swapping leaves and shocks, so they were left.
There’s more to the fact that a Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs Kit has been on my Troopy for about three years. My Troopy does not sit in the driveway for weeks. Nor does it only drop the kids at school. No siree. It gets punted around the countryside on all track surfaces. From towing my caravan at high to medium speeds, as well as low-range crawling through sand, mud and ruts. Yep, I’ve been bogged and yes, I’ve been known to take the wrong line from time to time. However, my suspension certainly hasn’t been spared all in the name of keeping it looking pretty. While I don’t believe in crashing, bashing and deliberately damaging my vehicle, if I need to get somewhere, I’ll do my best to succeed!
While watching the video (scroll back up) from when I Ioaded 750 kilograms of sandbags into my Troopy, the on and off-road drive testing, and comparing with standard original equipment and an aftermarket semi-elliptic leaf pack with non-progressive front coils, you’ll note the Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs Kit wins every single time. The additional advantages of a much lighter leaf spring pack, improved ground clearance given the shallower depth of the pack at the U-bolts, improved flexibility off-road, and improved on-road performance further confirms the merit of using this system.
They say, “Winners are Grinners”, right? Well, I can say I’ll keep on laughing a long way down any bumpy outback track or second-rate bitumen road, loaded with all manner of touring gear with my Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs Kit in place, given the sheer comfort and ability they return.
Have I still got the kit in my Troopy? Indeed… LOL… is that what the young folk say these days?
