Plastic Rear Springs ! ?

[Apache]

Hi folks , I’m almost ready to order a Dunlop Air Assist kit from Marcle Leisure after much deliberation , but I notice that it says “ not suitable for Fiat with plastic rear leaf springs “
Which begs the question , has anyone got plastic springs , why not suitable and what did you do if you have ?
I’m pretty sure mine are steel and will be making sure very soon but I thought I would ask if anybody has experience of this phenomenon, why would they use plastic at all and what model motorhomes might have them fitted ?
Ours is an Autotrail 2015 model

 

[DBK]

It might mean plastic coated.

 

[footscray188c]

Get the Timor kit from ebay includes wiring loom compressor dual pressure gauges all pipe work and Rubena bags.
Fitted to our van well impressed and only £315.

 

[footscray188c]

Sorry correction Timpro air suspension not Timor. Doh.

 

[Apache]

It might mean plastic coated.

Good point , but it does say plastic springs . Maybe just poorly worded ?
Anyway I’ve just been and checked , they are steel as evidenced by light surface rust and no plastic coating evident.

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[tacr2man]

this is what they mean by plastic https://uk.hendrickson-intl.com/Products/COMPOSITE-SPRINGS

 

[Twincam Escort]

this is what they mean by plastic https://uk.hendrickson-intl.com/Products/COMPOSITE-SPRINGS

I remember in the 1980's a company called NEI Thompsons in Wolverhampton spent big money developing GRP leaf springs.
As far as I was aware they never totally overcame issues with longevity and it was abandoned.

 

[funflair]

There was a period when Mercedes Sprinters had a GRP composite front transverse leaf spring.

Martin

 

[Jo662]

They did some carbon fibre springs at one time

 

[Twincam Escort]

Wonder why arent they still fitting them?

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[funflair]

They did some carbon fibre springs at one time

They sound expensive, carbon prop shafts for sure

Martin

 

[Lazyboy]

Composite springs were at one time going to be a big breakthrough. As Funflair said, MB did fit them once and also I believe so did LDV on their vans. The reasons were for weight saving and noise reduction but on a small chassis like an LDV or Sprinter the weight saving was minimal and as spring technology developed parabolic springs became the norm which were lighter, quieter and more importantly reliable.

 

[funflair]

Composite springs were at one time going to be a big breakthrough. As Funflair said, MB did fit them once and also I believe so did LDV on their vans. The reasons were for weight saving and noise reduction but on a small chassis like an LDV or Sprinter the weight saving was minimal and as spring technology developed parabolic springs became the norm which were lighter, quieter and more importantly reliable.

I knew there was another forgot LDV.

Martin

 

[klaatu]

Composite leaf springs are apparently still an option on the Fiat base for motorhomes:

https://www.fiatcamper.com/en/product/perfect-layout (see the "suspension" section)

 

[Garfields]

The ones on the LDVs work well
Shame about the rest of the van

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[GWAYGWAY]

There was a period when Mercedes Sprinters had a GRP composite front transverse leaf spring.

Martin

Yes Mine has one and it sagged so much |I needed to get some Goldstein boosters springs to get it up to where it was. That was cheaper than replacing the original and have it happen again in three years.

 

[duane0001]

Composite springs on the rear of a sprinter are still an option, you will see most supermarket delivery vans have them

 

[Bobby-gg]

The ones on the LDVs work well
Shame about the rest of the van

Yup, the BT Sherpa/LDV had them fitted, the last one that I broke up I kept a pair, just in case, along with the all the O-series engine fitting bits as you can use them to fit a T-series into an MGB