RES

I put H&R sway bars an my car in the front and the rear. They claim that they do not need lube. So I tried this at first, and like everyone that has them can tell you, they make alot of noise. So I went under the car after a few days and lubed them(with lube that came with my energy suspension bushings), much better. Then a few monthes went by and I started having a clunk in the front end. I would jack the car up and look and shake everything. So I ended up changing the tie rod ends(which where really bad) the thrust arm bushings(didn't need to change those), and finally the struts(wanted to change those anyway). None of these fixed the problem. I finally put the car on ramps and got under it and had my son start it and turn the wheel and push up and down, and thats when I found that the H&R bushings went soft and where moving up and down. After looking at everything I came to the conclusion that these bushings are junk. So I went to look for a different way of mounting the sway bars. I thought I would try the AMG bushings at 23mm I was able to make them fit over the 26mm bar and tighten them down. Worked great, problem solved. Not so fast after a few weeks they came out the side of the mounts(DANG!) So I decided to call H&R to ask for another set because other members said they just called and they sent them a new set! Not so fast they wanted me to take pictures and provide all this info. So I'm thinking, if I need these bushings that means I have the bar because why else would I ask for them?? And H&R's cost for both bushings is around $5 if that. SO why would they give me grief to make me a happy customer for $5. I didn't have any trouble with my Eibach set up on the Porsche, it's been 7 years with nothing but great driving. So I guess it is worth it for H&R to not send me the $5 bushings so that in the future I will always buy Eibach from now on.

tommy

If your Eibachs work well in your Porsche, I'm kinda wondering why you went with H&R in the first place.

I've had my Eibachs on my Benz for over 5 years now without issue. Good luck, whatever you do.

splinter

Wow, sorry to hear how it all went so wrong for you with H&R. What the heck is up with that customer service & retention philosophy? You bought their parts, yet through no fault of your own, they failed. They then have the gumption to insist upon pictures and documentation from a man with a FAA Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic License?! Just ship some gratis bushings. Nobody could fault you for bolting after that kind of treatment.

I have called H&R twice...spoke with Josh Scott. When their 52732 spring installation resulted in the rear being too low, they promptly supplied a pair of 52732-2 pieces to make things right. Didn’t even want the first set returned. When their 70392-2 anti-roll bar bushings failed, apparently from lack of lubrication, they sent replacements at no charge.

When a bracket on my Hellwig GMC worktruck bar (34mm!) broke, I BS’ed with them for a minute or two, only to have them ship a complete mounting hardware kit the next day. No pics, no receipts, no drama, and no expense.

...merely sharing but two personal examples of the kind of service and support that earns loyalty in the always-competitive aftermarket parts business. Too bad it’s not universal.

RES

I heard some people getting that kind of service, but not for me??

splinter

Russell, did you ever get your situation squared away?

I R&R’d all four chassis bushings this afternoon to slather on another liberal application of molybdenum disulfide. It’s quiet once again, but at this rate, it’s almost as if it has become a quarterly exercise.

RES

Still working on it. I'm thinking of trying the Energy suspension bushing with the lube fitting installed. I just had to relube the rears again. I will change those to if the fronts work out. I dont like the H&R nonlube design, they dont seem to work and I hear a lot of people with bushing failures in the front. When the bushings stay in place and its all hooked up they work great but I'm not happy with long term results. Im think I sould have just installed the AMG bars.

johnand

On my other cars, I run the ES greasable bushings and they work great. One rig has over 100K on the bushings and they are still in good shape. One trick I can suggest to keep the bars rotating easily and keep them quiet: Wrap the bar with a few wraps of teflon tape where it rests in the bushing.

RES

Interesting idea? It doesn't come apart?

johnand

Believe it or not, it holds up pretty well. The key is to start the tape on the bar where the middle of the bushing will ride, and end in the middle. This keeps the tape from coming undone. I find the military grade teflon tape holds up longer then plain plumbers tape.

splinter

As you suggested, I wrapped the anti-roll bar/bushing junction with Teflon® tape.

They’re quite once again. Thanks for the tip.

rlee02135

great tip! I'll do that on my install next week...if the weather gets better.

johnand

Glad I could help Quiet swaybars FTW!

JLD2k3

Do you use any additional lubrication, or just the military grade teflon tape?

johnand

I use synthetic marine grade grease as well. The marine grade has high water washout resistance.

C230 Sport Coup

19mm rear H&R bar installed.
Lovin' it so far.
Subtle, but not so much understeer.

JLD2k3

Eibachs are in and very noisy. I'll try your suggested setup and see how it goes.