Sway bar bushings

[mtgoatboy]

Any one here use these? Looking to replace the bushings on my street/HPDE 89 944 and found these on eBay. Thoughts verses stock or are there better options out there?

Porsche 944 944s 25 5 26 8mm Front Outer Sway Bar Bushing 1985 95 Polyurethane | eBay

Thanks

[pfarah]

I purchased the stock style ones from this host about two years ago and experienced a vast improvement over the worn out originals. I don't track the car and am pretty gentle although we'll go for a spirited drive every no and then...

[flash968]

polyurethane is notorious for squeaking, unless you keep them greased

[pfarah]

I didn't know that, good thing to know.

[flash968]

yup - while generally impervious to oils and such, unlike rubber which soaks it up and gets ruined, they squeak with the least provocation. i have had some graphite inlaid ones that weren't bad, but they don't seem to be on the market anymore. even delrin makes noise after a while. there really isn't a perfect material. if you aren't racing though, rubber is the best material, assuming you have no leaks which would contaminate them. yes, there is a minimal performance benefit with other materials, but at the expense of noise, which in a street car, can be the difference between a pleasurable ride and an annoying one.

[skyhawk5421]

I've had those in my car for a while, I also have their steering rack bushing and rear control arm bushing, along with powerflex front control arm bushings. The only time I notice any squeaking is jacking up the car, I don't know what everyone complains about.

[flash968]

granted i am likely oversensitive to noises and such, but i hear everything. i don't tolerate rattles, and squeaks at all. i've spent at least 30 hours and about $1000 on soundproofing, purely to quiet down the cabin. a 944 may well just make enough other noise to mask the squeak. but, in over 30 years of messing with suspension bushings, polyurethane has almost always given me grief. i have a set of polyurethane rear sway bar bushings in there now, and i have to keep them greased up to keep them quiet. not a huge deal, but i am set up to do it. some people aren't. i'd change them out, but there isn't anything available, as this is a custom sway bar, and these are the only bushings that fit.

[wildcat077]

I've used those on my car for a whole season before going with Tarett swaybars,never had any issues ... they even supply you with special graphite grease to lube them !

Cheers
Phil

[flash968]

again, i did mention graphite as a compound that seemed to work. ira is pretty good about putting together things that work together. obviously he knew about the problem, and provided a solution.

i'm not saying that poly doesn't work. i'm just saying that it isn't without complications, like having to grease them. rubber doesn't have that complication, but can easily be ruined by a power steering leak or oil leak.

no perfect solution. pick your poison

[Toran]

mtgoatboy, I have these on my front sway bar for two years. and have just ordered a set for my power steering. They come with the companies lube, as a result I have not had any concerns with squeaking.

[DannoXYZ]

I always modify the bushing to make keeping them greased easier:

1. carve a channel on the inside where touch the swaybar.
2. Then connect this channel with a hole to the outside.
3. Line up this hole with the swaybar D-clamp.
4. Drill a hole in the D-clamp for zerk-fitting.
5. tap hole
6. install zerk-fitting

then inject grease regularly, about every other month or so.
If not using a specific graphite grease, squirt some graphite for door-locks into the grease when you fill your grease gun. The graphite prevents squeaking when the grease dries out if you've missed your regular greasing interval.

[bigyagi]

good info. i got rid of the stock rubber bushings a long time ago, mainly due to oil contamination when doing oil changes etc.
however, i made my own from delrin. i know they are cheap to buy, but since i work in a tool and die shop, i like to manufacture my own parts sometimes !!
btw. the delrin bushings have been in the car for 6 years now with no issues.

[flash968]

yeah - that's what i have up front (no choice - custom swaybar), and have installed on a few M030 cars. they tend to wear in an elliptical fashion. you'll know it when they start making a bit of a clunking sound. similar to what is mentioned above, i modify those to have a captive groove for grease, and then install a zirc fitting. works pretty well, though you do need to get in there periodically.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by flash968

polyurethane has almost always given me grief

I guess polyurethane has replaced polypropylene in the energy suspension line? I just did some work on my 4wd to replace the old polypropylene rear stabilizer bushings that had disintegrated. Polyurethane is the current material they offer and it seems more pliable and closer to the feel of rubber.

Since it was a ford I guess it had so many other noises I didn't even notice the squeaking.