Sway Bar Popping Sounds?

[kmbkk]

Originally Posted by Ashikabi

Probably need adjustable end links. My stock ones were too long and were bottoming out. Before getting those, try disconnecting your sway bars and loosen the bushings and retightening everything with the car on the ground(or ramps). This will put even tension on both sides when tightening. This applies to coilovers too. Disonnect the sway bars before leveling or the tension they put out will botch your leveling attempts. Always tighten all bushing connections on the ground

Got it, thanks!

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by kmbkk

Got it, thanks!

Np

[Locust]

Originally Posted by PeterFRS

this is the exact noise and symptom that I have.
were you able to solve this issue?

for others reading, I have the same problem as the above
but I am on Tein Flex coilovers with stock swaybars and endlinks.

Mine actually turned out to be body flex. The front left fender was slightly bent downward (probably from a tech leaning over into the engine bay when they were doing warranty work) and anytime there was significant weight transfer to that side of the car it would flex and pop.

[solort]

Just installed new 22mm Whiteline adjustable front bar. Now comes with black chassis bushings that utilize grease free technology (never need to be greased initially or regreased). Collars for centering swaybar against chassis bushings do not bind on bushing bracket anymore (just barely clear). Also noticed that the new bushings are too fat and cause the swaybar to not move freely when tightened. So I put 2 washers between bracket and chassis on each side of the bracket (4 per bracket) and it seemed to allow the swaybar to move as it should. After autocrossing it today it started making a little noise, so I tightened the end link bolts a little and there is no noise from the bar. I ran the length of the end links about 2 inches shorter to compensate for the lower TRD springs. I loosened one end link's locking nuts and twisted the end link body till I felt no tension (to get rid of pre-load). This is with the car flat on ground and wheels straight.

Hope this helps if anyone else purchases one....

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by qoncept

If anyone is still interested.. I finally silenced my sway bar again this week. Kind of cross-posted from my autox log: http://goo.gl/eOM2mf

So lets exhaust the subject. With any aftermarket front sway bar there are a number of potential causes of noise and interference. I've got to think I've encountered them all:

- Front sway bars have little clearance (Whiteline does, at least) and must be pretty precisely centered to avoid interference. Adjust collars by mounts to fix.

- The retention collars can/will interfere with the sway bar mounts, from my post above. Grind them down so they'll clear. More: http://goo.gl/gLp117

- End link studs can interfere with control arm and inner fender well. Adjust endlink length and add spacers to studs to fix. More: http://goo.gl/pZYBvz

- Preload and binding issues. Adjust endlink length with car on a level surface and suspension settled to fix.

- Jamb nuts backed off allowing endlink to work itself loose and adjust itself. Threadlocker on jamb nuts to fix.

- Maybe not important here, I just noticed Friday night that my race tires have been rubbing on both the sway bar and interior of the fender well. Part of my project for the week was to add camber bolts, lengthened wheel studs and 5mm spacers, so hopefully this is fixed. I'll check it out tonight. The race tires are 245/40-17 Hankook Z214s on stock wheels. http://imgur.com/rBU5n99

- Finally.. a loose fscking nut on one of the endlinks. This is what I chased all week. The 5th time under the car, with modified stock endlinks in hand and ready to install, I found out the driver's side endlink was just loose at the sway bar. Are you kidding me?

Between all these problems I probably have a good 48 hours of poking and testing invested. But now my car is quiet.

I know I'm probably necro'ing this thread, but this post is so damn helpful, feel like it should be in a sticky somewhere. Thank you!!

[sroby]

Originally Posted by protpibe

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm at my wits end

I have the Hotchkis bars with HKS Hipermax coils and the popping is driving me insane. I've adjusted everything and tightened everything down a dozen times. I've even gone as far as spending a few hundred on Race Ramps so that I could adjust them under load. I'm currently using the Hotchkis rear end links and Whiteline front end links. Am I missing something simple that's causing them to bind or knock?

I'm seriously thinking about ditching the sways and going back to OEM. I would sacrifice some handling for a quiet ride.

I went back with stock rear sway bar. Makes the car have a more stable turn In . I left the adjustable hotchkis on the front nut cut off the last 2 adjustments.