I just installed the Progressive Rear Sway and put in the Hard setting. Now Im hearing lots of creaking/clunks when im going over speed bumps, through slow turns etc. Im just guessing maybe it needs to be broken in and the those creaking noises will go away. Is that the case or do I need to put it on the softer setting. I definately noticed a great improvement with the sway bar though. What do you guys suggest, drive through the weekend to get rid of those creaks or it needs to be on the soft setting to get rid of the clunks and creaks?

 

Drew,
I had the same problem when I installed mine. What you need to do is get an Industrial Grade Lithium Grease and some Heavy Duty Teflon Tape (usually yellow). Remove the clamp and bushing one side at a time from the sway bar. Wrap the portion of the sway bay where the bushing rests with 2 wraps of Teflon tape . Next, put grease on finger and totally coat the area and make sure all 360 degrees are covered. Reinstall the bushing and clamp. Repeat on the other side!

I guarantee you will be fine assuming everything else is installed correctly!

 

Unlike the pliable OEM rubber bushings, the harder aftermarket polyurethane bushings offer increased performance, but also at a cost of making squeaky noises if not properly lubricated.

Like Packagingpro said, keep the bushings CONSTANTLY well lubricated with grease and teflon tapes, and you'll have a quiet ride with aftermarket sways bar(s).

 

Hey PP, how long would you say that method would last overall? I have a Progress RSB on my dd and have to literally grease the bushings every month to reduce/stop the creaks and squeaks. Also use white lithium grease on them too.

 

Instead of white lithium grease, I would use the heavy duty industrial grease. This grease is deep red in color and stands up to the elements better. I would imagine you can get at least a few years of driving without having to redo! I am close to a year since i made the change on mine.

 

USUALLY if the product comes with upgraded POLYURETHANE bushings, it comes with "special" heavy duty grease that you must apply LIBERALLY, don't skimp, use it all and grease everything that touches a metal or that is "clamped". I have a lifted F250 with Energy Suspension bushings in my sway bar, end links, leaf spring bushings and track-bar...no squeaks or pops, thanks to LIBERAL use of grease

 

Poly bushings can be real noisy. I put on a Hotchkis TVS suspension kit on my dodge dakota. The kit included lower coils, biilstein shocks, lower leaf springs, and a larger sway bar with grease fittings installed at each bushing location. I know its time to lube when it starts to sound like a carriage. I use Valvoline synthetic or Lucas Red and Tacky in my grease gun. Those bushing holders may be able to be modified with a grease fitting (drill and tap) or maybe the manufacturer will start selling them like that.

 

Any silicone grease will do, or graphite. DO NOT use petroleum based grease products on polyurethane as it softens the poly and finally causes it to wear.

 

Thanks guys for the tips, Ill get the tape and grease this week and do it. Im assuming I can get all this from AutoZone or something.

 

mine squeaks.. a little.. but i like it

 

Agreed with everyone else here - the creaks are due to poor lubrication. I did upgraded sway bars and poly bushings on a prior car and it did exactly what you were talking about.. once I re-lubricated it - the squeeking went away.

out of curiosity - how do you think your handling improved by uprading the sway bar? are you a FWD or SH-AWD model?

I have an AWD model, but am considering a rear sway bar.. if I hear that it really helps. I think my car handles great but i do think there is a bit too muhc body roll... a stiffer rear bar would probably help.. but i'm not sure how much.

i believe the AWD rear bar is already thicker and likely stiffer than the FWD bar..but I have no idea by how much...and it may be that the progress rear bar is so much thicker/stiffer that it makes a substantial difference on either model???

any feedback you guys can chime in with I'd appreciate!

 

I had clunks and creaks when i installed the progress RSB on my Si coupe. Brought it back and it turned out it wasn't properly bolted down. Never acted up again after that. Definitely take the grease advice as well.

 

Going off of memory, but I was looking at this subject a few days ago. Searching should bring up the info, but here is what I recall:

Progress RSB: 24mm
FWD TL: 19mm
AWD TL: 21mm


Definitely a gain, and it is adjustable as well.

 

first of all.. they do not make a awd rsb.. they only make FWD versions..

now i was told that it should fit on the AWD but so far no one has tried it..

the progress rsb for fwd is 24mm.. the stock fwd is slighly smaller than the awd from what i know.. the thing about the progress rsb is that you have soft settings and stiff settings depending on which hole you use on the endlinks of the rsb.

i have rsb, i was probably one of the first few.. and i can honestly say it makes a world of a difference.. it use to have a lot of body roll.. being that it is a fwd.. now that i am lowered and have rsb.. it eliminated about 80% of the body roll that i felt previously with the stock rsb