Steeda Front Sway Bar! It is awesome. Transforms the car into what it should be.

[markboris]

I'm not sure if I even torqued them down that much. Maybe just close to 20. They are only meant to hold the top of the strut in place but because you are adding a strut bar, the natural tendency is to really torque them down tight. Just don't do that.

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[azerik]

Thanks Mark, I was wondering how much to torque them down as it's not in the instructions

Wha Wha WHAT? Steeda not putting in complete instructions? I don't suppose the brace called for 2 kinds of loc-tite that wasn't supplied either.

Looks like I'll be on the hunt for endlinks as this thing is just banging away again after another full tear out and reinstall.

@markboris On the bars you dealt with, when they said "square up the brackets" Did you square them up to the frame, or to the bar? I noticed my bar isn't square in the bushings if I square it up to the frame. (Keep in mind, mine was one of the 'new/shorter' bars)

 

[tuminatr]

Wha Wha WHAT? Steeda not putting in complete instructions? I don't suppose the brace called for 2 kinds of loc-tite that wasn't supplied either.

Looks like I'll be on the hunt for endlinks as this thing is just banging away again after another full tear out and reinstall.

@markboris On the bars you dealt with, when they said "square up the brackets" Did you square them up to the frame, or to the bar? I noticed my bar isn't square in the bushings if I square it up to the frame. (Keep in mind, mine was one of the 'new/shorter' bars)

With aftermarket stuff bad instructions are normal. The tubular k member for my 64 came with hand drawn diagrams.

 

[markboris]

Wha Wha WHAT? Steeda not putting in complete instructions? I don't suppose the brace called for 2 kinds of loc-tite that wasn't supplied either.

Looks like I'll be on the hunt for endlinks as this thing is just banging away again after another full tear out and reinstall.

@markboris On the bars you dealt with, when they said "square up the brackets" Did you square them up to the frame, or to the bar? I noticed my bar isn't square in the bushings if I square it up to the frame. (Keep in mind, mine was one of the 'new/shorter' bars)

I don't even remember anything about squaring up the brackets but then I don't remember reading the instructions. I rarely do unless I run into trouble. Explain a bit more what you mean by that?

I am also not quite sure why you are having issues with the end links or bar. I have not had any and mine have been on for 9 months. No noises, etc.

 

[azerik]

If I square my bar up, side to side, with the bushings pushed all the way forward I have this much 'gap' on each side with the washers Steeda welded on.

Squaring the brackets up to the frame I noticed that the sway bar clamps I put inside, to stop that side to side slap, arn't square to the bushing as the bar is slightly angled when it's leaving the bushing.

This is the backside of the swaybar stops, the front is pushed hard against the front side of the bushing. These silenced a TON of bar slap, until I drove to Flag. Next I guess I'll loosen the bushings and square up my stops and then just bolt the bar down however I can.

The Endlinks can not possibly be loose. I torqued them to 100lbs with new nuts, red loc-tite and even added jamb nuts to them. Just shy of welding the damn things in. And I replaced the 2 I had that were questionable with new ones from Steeda.

 

[azerik]

This could be something they addressed in the newer kits. The sway bar mounts that came with my kit look completely different than the rest of the photos on this post I'll try to take a shot or two of them. The ones that came with my rear sway bar look like the off the shelf energy suspension sway bar mounts like everybody else's posted.

Any chance on a shot of the front mounts?

 

[tuminatr]

Been a crazy week but I should get a chance tomorrow

 

[mkhuffman]

I don't even remember anything about squaring up the brackets but then I don't remember reading the instructions. I rarely do unless I run into trouble. Explain a bit more what you mean by that?

I am also not quite sure why you are having issues with the end links or bar. I have not had any and mine have been on for 9 months. No noises, etc.

I am getting random knocking noises from the front when turning and going over uneven pavement (causing the front suspension to flex). I don't know how to troubleshoot it other than pump some more grease into the end links and see if the noise goes away.

 

[markboris]

If I square my bar up, side to side, with the bushings pushed all the way forward I have this much 'gap' on each side with the washers Steeda welded on.

Squaring the brackets up to the frame I noticed that the sway bar clamps I put inside, to stop that side to side slap, arn't square to the bushing as the bar is slightly angled when it's leaving the bushing.

This is the backside of the swaybar stops, the front is pushed hard against the front side of the bushing. These silenced a TON of bar slap, until I drove to Flag. Next I guess I'll loosen the bushings and square up my stops and then just bolt the bar down however I can.

The Endlinks can not possibly be loose. I torqued them to 100lbs with new nuts, red loc-tite and even added jamb nuts to them. Just shy of welding the damn things in. And I replaced the 2 I had that were questionable with new ones from Steeda.

I have no idea where mine are at nor John's or Anton's that we installed. Did all three in my garage and all the same way and have no idea if they are squared up or not. All I know is we have greased end links and I have no noises of any kind. John and Anton don't have any either however, Anton does have a knocking noise but it's coming from the rear and most likely I need to install a thin washer in the lower shock mount (Koni's) to take up the slight bit of space that is in his lower control arm.

 

[tuminatr]

Any chance on a shot of the front mounts?

Here are a couple of photos, the new sway bar mount is black it fits very tight against the stop on the sway bar

 

[mkhuffman]

Here are a couple of photos, the new sway bar mount is black it fits very tight against the stop on the sway bar

I wonder if Steeda will provide new bar mounts to previous purchasers? They definitely look superior. I am interested in changing mine out to possibly get rid of the knocking sound.

 

[tuminatr]

I wonder if Steeda will provide new bar mounts to previous purchasers? They definitely look superior. I am interested in changing mine out to possibly get rid of the knocking sound.

If I were you I would check, and even if there were a small cost it's probably worth it. The other possibility is that they changed where the stops are on the bar

I bought that front bar in mid-December.

 

[markboris]

I am still puzzled why some get this front knocking noise and some don't. My car is dead quiet and I drive it briskly through the mountain roads where I live on a daily basis.

 

[azerik]

They look the same to me, just the bracket is black and not gold.

Mark I think along with where the washers are welded on the the bar it's also the height of the bushing bracket. I have an obvious gap in the bushing on mine. I think that's caused by the bracket being taller than the bushing by about 1/8th of an inch. Allowing the bar to move around inside the bushing up and down. The noise I get once I installed the bar stops on the inside, is a low pitch clunk. Like the bar or bushing moving vertically. The really crappy thing is my CanAM had the exact same bushings with the exact same issue (but I had caused it by shaving the bushing down a bit as the clamp on the CanAM was actually short. I shimmed it from under the bushing in order to stop it's clanking. But that swaybar has the washers welded against the bushing. I have at least 1/4 to 3/8ths of an inch gap on the Steeda. Sadly I tossed my shim material last week during a toolbox move. When I get back into town I'll have to start going that route, or get new bushings. I've kept an eye on all contact points and nothing seems to hit anymore. The odd thing is I can get the exact same noise at 5mph as I can at 70 when hitting cracks.

 

[markboris]

Ok, I understand a bit more. I have no slop in the bar to bushing or the bushing in the bracket. They are very tight and there is no movement in the bar whatsoever. Maybe the bar can slide a bit horizontally but I certainly cannot move it by hand and if and when it does move while driving, there is no noise. Maybe Steeda hasn't been consistent in sending out the same bushings and brackets with these bars?

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