G37 Sedan

Creaking on front of car after installing Eibach sway bars

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Old Apr 30, 2021 | 05:34 PM
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Angry Creaking on front of car after installing Eibach sway bars

I'm new to this forums and forums in general. I also have a 2008 G35s (so yes, not a G37, but pretty much same chassis and a lot of the same parts and much more similar to a G37 sedan than a 1st gen G35 sedan.)

77,000 miles
Absolutely everything stock except for front and rear Eibach sway bars. It does have the sport package, so probably upgraded sports suspension from the manufacturer and a few other things.

I installed Eibach sway bars about 2 months ago (softest setting for the front and mid-soft for the rear). It's now giving me this squeaking and creaking sound every time I go over a speed bump and other dips/ holes. It is especially loud at low speeds and over your typical speed bump. The rear exhibits no such noise. The creaking sounds much like an old mattress being pressed on. Or a cheap leatherette couch being sat on.
I've also tried to press hard on the front of the car with my hands and body weight to see if I could get the noise to replicate when the car is stopped but I can't hear anything, which is weird. So this exclusively only happens moving 1-15 mph over speed bumps. My mechanic suggested the struts and suspension system being replaced but I really don't think that's the cause, since this wasn't a problem before the sways were installed (perhaps the stiffer sways puts more stress on the suspensions?) This noise is very frustrating and I don't want to have to get rid of the sways because they do feel great (and even if I take it off, what if it's messed up something and still creaks. Then I'd have to pay for it to be taken off for nothing since I don't have the proper tools.)

With everything, I'd have to go to my local mechanic and tell him what I want him to do since I don't have an impact wrench or really anything to pry those nuts. And having no automotive lift and just ramps to drive on doesn't make wrenching out tough nuts any easier either.
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Old May 1, 2021 | 03:13 PM
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LOL just lube up the rubber parts that hold the sway bars in place

Do you know how sway bars work?

The rubber part is where the bar pivots, so that's a lot of weight on those parts. Use some silicone grease
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Old May 13, 2021 | 04:26 PM
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I put some Super Lube silicone grease in the rubber bushings https://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-Lu...s&locale=en-US. It's been a week and the creak is returning, although not as loud. Any alternative lubes I should use?
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Old May 13, 2021 | 04:39 PM
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That might be too thin to hold up. Try a marine silicone grease.

Or just play the radio louder. Fixes many noise issues.
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Old May 13, 2021 | 04:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Peter Ma
I put some Super Lube silicone grease in the rubber bushings https://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-Lu...s&locale=en-US. It's been a week and the creak is returning, although not as loud. Any alternative lubes I should use?
try the synthetic silicone grease from autozone. I use the Mobil 1 brand but any of those should work. Use generously so the rotating parts are always lubed up. You might have to lube every couple months.
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Old May 13, 2021 | 04:58 PM
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Re-lube with better automotive/marine grease but wrap the bar in teflon tape first. Old trick that works like a charm, ever since I started wrapping my sway bars I've had no noises related to the bushings.

https://motoiq.com/project-evo-x-part-1/4/

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Old May 15, 2021 | 08:33 AM
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Originally Posted by 2.2Lude
Re-lube with better automotive/marine grease but wrap the bar in teflon tape first. Old trick that works like a charm, ever since I started wrapping my sway bars I've had no noises related to the bushings.

https://motoiq.com/project-evo-x-part-1/4/
This. Teflon plumber's tape is the way
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Old May 15, 2021 | 11:05 AM
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Considering the noise is a result of friction, how long do you think the teflon tape will last before shredding at the area of contact?
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Old May 15, 2021 | 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Jsolo
Considering the noise is a result of friction, how long do you think the teflon tape will last before shredding at the area of contact?
Good question, honestly not sure.

I had a Comptech rear sway bar with Teflon tape on my TSX for about 3 and half years and never re-lubed it. When I put the car back to stock prior to selling, the tape was still holding up pretty well.
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Old May 16, 2021 | 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Jsolo
Considering the noise is a result of friction, how long do you think the teflon tape will last before shredding at the area of contact?
Should last a good long time. The point of Teflon is reducing that friction. Used this trick on a previous car I put sways on and it lasted for years until I sold it
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Old May 19, 2021 | 03:13 AM
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Yes, teflon reduces friction, but teflon tape is quite fragile. I'm surprised it stays intact and isn't shredded from the torsional stresses experienced.
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Old May 19, 2021 | 09:35 AM
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I wrapped my sways with teflon tape at the bushings way back when. It didn't last at all. Interesting idea, seemed reasonable at the time, but reality is always less interesting than good ideas. Conventional wisdom... couldn't hurt, might actually help, don't expect it to last, but if it does then good for you.
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Old May 20, 2021 | 01:39 AM
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why not wrap the sway bar where the bushing rides with teflon tape then coat the bushing with silicone grease to double up on reducing the creaking noise. i had to inject my hotchkis sways (just the fronts) about every month or two depending on how hard i was loading up the suspension in curves and turns. the rears never had any creaking noise as the bulk of the load in a turn was on the front suspension and the silicone grease would get squeezed out.
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Old May 20, 2021 | 02:14 AM
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You still use grease. The Teflon goes around the bar followed by the grease, bushing, and bracket.

Odd that it didn’t work for a few of you. Its always worked for me and from my experience for a very long time.
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