Creaky swaybar

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Woodie
Posts: 1167
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:09 am
Location: Laurel, MD

I have the RRM rear swaybar with urethane mounting bushings. Actually made by another company that I can't remember, the stickers are around here somewhere but I've moved three times since then.

About a year after putting it on it started creaking, I eventually narrowed it down to the mounting bushings, cleaned them and re-greased using silicone grease. This has become more and more frequent as time goes on. About a year ago I bought new bushings hoping that another brand might work better but it seems no different. About a month ago I was replacing the brakes and I went ahead and re-greased again. It's back already, I've probably put 300 miles on the car. Here are my options as I see it:

1 Carry on the way I have been, being constantly grumpy about having to do maintenance every month or two on a car I barely drive.

2 Get the urethane bushings with a grease fitting to make the re-greasing process easier.

3 Get rubber bushings and loose 5% of the sway bar's effectiveness.

4 Put the stock sway bar back on and loose 30% of the bar's effectiveness.

5 Junk the car and buy an Alpha Romeo Gulia Quadrifoglio.
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Hey Woodie,

So I have the same RRM rear sway bar which was made by Progress. I put stickers on my tool boxes so I recall that the bar came with the Progress sticker so I realized they were the manufacturer. Anyhow, I had the exact same issue a short time after putting on the RRM 19mm bar. The rear bushings that came with the bar made a lot of noise. In fact, they looked like they were deteriorating at the contact point with the bar. Hence, I ordered Moog polyurethane bushing which were much more substantial in size and build quality. They were 19mm universal bushings, I recall. Anyhow, the Moogs would not fit with the mounting brackets that came with the RRM bar so I took the brackets off and mounted the Moogs onto the car's original mounting surface for the bushings. While I read that polyurethane bushings don't require greasing, I used a light coating of Super Lube on them anyway; applying on the bar and the bushings. Since then, there have been no issues with my rear sway bar. No noise and last time I looked, the bushings did not have signs of degradation.

I've had noise from my front end for a while and after all new struts and shocks, it still made noise. I recently replaced my front sway bar end links with some Moogs from RockAuto which were not only a lot more substantial (thicker), the ends also come with grease nipples unlike the OE part. The noise has since gone away. I also have a set of rear end links from Moog I have yet to install due to time constraints but will do so soon.
I've had great luck with Moog components ranging from wheel bearings, bushings, drag links, to sway bar end links.

As for the Alfa, tempting if you have the funds, but buying a car (new or used) seems costly right now due to the chip shortage. However, selling a used car now is optimal due to high demand for vehicles, new or used, due to chip shortages causing inventory issues with new cars.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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Woodie
Posts: 1167
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:09 am
Location: Laurel, MD

Yes, Progress, that was it!

I read an in depth article about the best grease for polyurethane bushings. It stressed the importance of PTFE (Teflon). Could be my latest failure was my own fault, using the wrong grease. I was under there doing the brakes so I used silicone brake lube which is great as far a temperature goes, but does not contain PTFE. I redid them yesterday using a tiny tube of grease that came with some bushings I put in previously, that should be just the ticket. If it creaks now, then I probably need end links, they seemed quite still while I was under there.

I was kidding about the Alfa, they start at $75,000.
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Ah, makes sense as I've had great luck with Super Lube which contains PTFE. I also appreciate that it's multi-purpose because I can use it for dielectric grease and lubing O-rings and threads for my outdoor gear like flashlights. It took me a while to find a tube but I eventually got one at Harbor Freight Tools in Laurel, MD years ago. I still have the same tube and it's become my go-to lubricant for many applications.

As for the Alfa, we can all dream, right? An attorney I work with has a Qaudrifoglio but it's clear he leases vehicles of the sort. His last vehicle was a Lexus RC. I guess it's a way to enjoy the car and let go of them before the expensive out-of-warranty issues rear up.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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