Sway bar bushing issue

[Spuds]

Hello internet. I feel like I messed something up with my sway bar install. Installed a Perrin 19mm front bar, after having greased the crap out of the inside of the supplied bushings and everything is torqued to spec. But now, before installing endlinks I cannot physically rotate the bar in the bushings.

Yes, I know car forces are way more than my wee little arms can generate, but I was quite easily able to rotate the OEM bar once the end links were disconnected and I wouldn't think this should be 5x or more greater force needed.

Any ideas on what could have gone wrong? Is this normal?

[marco_mc22]

I have no experience on this brand of bars but I’ve tried all the whiteline ones on both front and rear and they were all the same, when installed the bar cannot rotate as freely as the oem one. This should make the bar stiffer and the solution is using a washer or two to relieve some pressure on the bushing, keeping the holding bracket a tad higher basically.
I did this on my rear 16mm whiteline solid bar and it worked, I haven’t done the same for the front cause I wanted it stiff and solid so it didn’t bother me at all.

[Spuds]

Upon further research, the search term for this seems to be "sway bar binding". Knowing that leads to finding videos/articles that say shimming with washers is a common solution.

Apparently it should not be difficult at all to rotate the bar.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Interesting that their bushing is so undersized. Might be too late now, but do you know the ID of the bushing? Or is it an issue of the bushing external shape that gets too compressed by the bracket?
I experimented with a Whiteline 14mm rear bushing with the 15mm 2017+ OEM sway bar and it still rotated freely (the bar did bind after a few months, presumably as the grease was forced out).
I'm also using Whiteline 18mm front bushings with the OEM bar and it rotates freely.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Interesting that their bushing is so undersized. Might be too late now, but do you know the ID of the bushing? Or is it an issue of the bushing external shape that gets too compressed by the bracket?
I experimented with a Whiteline 14mm rear bushing with the 15mm 2017+ OEM sway bar and it still rotated freely (the bar did bind after a few months, presumably as the grease was forced out).
I'm also using Whiteline 18mm front bushings with the OEM bar and it rotates freely.

Nah, I just assumed the kit would just work and put it all together. I don't think getting any measurements from the unclamped bushing would be of any value anyway. I will say that I recall it being a bit tight before torquing the bolts to spec but I assumed that's because the grease was so sticky.

[Spuds]

Took a measurement of the Perrin bushings and stock bushings unclamped. The Perrin bushings are about 3mm taller than the stock ones, and being poly probably will compress less than the oen rubber.

This happens to be precisely the thickness of one of the Whiteline endlink heavy duty washers, but I should probably use those on the end links like I'm supposed to lol. Washer hunting I go...

...

Found two regular sized washers to shim with that combine to 3mm thickness. I'll see how that goes. Other options include one or two larger washers 2mm thick each. If anyone has had a bad experience with shiming this way, let me know so I don't break stuff?

[Spuds]

Update: 1.5mm shim on the stud and 3.8mm shim on the bolt seems to have made it better. Still not great.

I think the bar might be too short or warped somehow and that's causing weird angles with the bushing on the curved bits. There's about 1/4 inch of play side to side and at a very specific point the bar rotates easily, though it is inconsistent. Grrr.

[strat61caster]

Likely designed to need some break in, worth emailing Perrin tech support iirc they’re decent.

[norcalpb]

I've had the Perrin 19mm sway bar before but didn't run into this issue. @strat61caster is right the first step is to contact customer support and hopefully get them to send you replacement bushings. You absolutely do want the bar to freely articulate up and down. I personally wouldn't run bar bracket spacers...I think you'll find a way to free up the bar without them.

I don't think it would be a problem installing 20mm bushings if that didn't work out.

Also, when you applied ze lube did you lube just the inner portion of the bushing, or did you also do it on the bar itself where the bushing sits? I like to include the bar as a place to lube since grease may be squeezed out of the bushing when slipping it on, especially when the hole is small diameter relative to the whole bushing.

[Spuds]

Update on this. After communicating with Perrin technical support, the conclusion is that the bar is within spec but the bushings are too tight and likely out of spec. They are going to send me new bushings. It seems they may have gotten a bad batch so it might take some time.

Other points of note from Perrin support if anyone is troubleshooting a similar issue and finds this:
-Bushings should allow for easy actuation of the bar without shimming clamps.
-There may be some break-in that normally occurs with the bushings, but it should not be difficult to actuate at first.
-1/4" of gap between the bar stops and bushings is within specification.
-Bar thickness measured at 19.15mm is within specification
-It appears that I did not mess up the installation, but installing the bar upside down has caused strange issues in the past.

[grippgoat]

I think my front bar has the same issue. I disconnected the endlinks and the ever present jiggle in my front end disappeared, and the suspension felt like it was working incredibly much better / smoother. I got under the car, and with one hand on each end of the bar and pulling down, I actually lifted my upper body off the creeper before the swaybar rotated. ��

The bushings definitely fill the bracket way more than the stock ones, and stick out past the surface where it mounts to the car.

Is there someone in particlar I should speak with at Perrin?

-Mike