BradSW

OK, ready to install Z06 stabilizer bars on my '03 vert w/ F55. But I've received two opposing opinions on the subject of whether to grease the front bushings or not. Here's the points:

- one member says not to grease as it has special woven material for the front bars and the grease ruined his bushings and he had to replace

- another member says he did not grease them and the woven material frayed and he had to replace

- LS1howto.com says to grease both front and rear

- and finally, when the bushings arrived, the rears were already greased up a little and the fronts were not...completely dry

I appreciate everyone's input, but now not sure which action to take. Does anybody have a definitive answer once and for all. Anyone with a service manual that states what to do?

Thanks,

Brad

Evil-Twin

The woven material helps to keep the grease in place.. using the right grease is important.,. using a petro grease here is a No no, it will eat away at the bushings over time.. If you do not use grease , two things happen.. the dry woven material will wear off the paint on the sway bars..this inturn turns to rust..this rust causes wear and noise.. Put some Dielectric grease on the bushings..

Paras

Evil-Twin... how do you know this stuff?

vetterdstr

Evil doesnt sleep.. and it knows everything...

FWIW, I just had my entire suspension replace at a race shop... and they GREASED my swaybars!!

VR

Shortimer

Dielectric grease, is that the same stuff recommended for the rubber around the doors?

Evil-Twin

Yeah that will work.. after you apply it, I massage it into the rubber with my fingers..
then I wait an hour or so...then I go back with a dry rag and wipe off the residue..
FYI years ago people use to put vaseline pertolium jelly on weather stripping.. any petro grease will turn acidic after a while..I dont mean like sulfuric acid.. but the PH will rise and attack the rubber.. Dielectric grease will not attack the rubber . A couple of times a year and you can keep your weather stripping forever.. it is more critical to grease the weather stripping in the summer..
I would say April August will get you through a whole year...

EHS

Dielectric on mine.

Dirty Howie

I just had the Hotchkis sways put on my car. They came greased....you could see it. How often do you grease these. I am going to get my dialectric grease (I treat my weather stripping) and message ( ) my rubber seals too.

TomT

Fichtner Chevrolet said DO NOT grease the woven bushings. I didn't and they work fine. I believe them.

dmtnt

Grease them. What harm can possibly come of it? When the bushings are greased, the swaybar can move freely and won't bind.

Everyone I know who tracks their cars, regardless of make/model, greases their swaybar bushings.

Evil-Twin

If you dont grease them, the woven material will wear off the paint on the sway bars... rain and the eliments get in there and immediatly the sway bars starts to rust and flake... this is as bad as adding sand.. as the sway bars flex the grinding of the rust particles wear away the bushing and this dry wearing is what your hear as a squeak.. the more they squeak the worse the bushings are wearing.

C66 Racing

I think I'm the one you quoted as saying if you don't grease them the woven material will fray and come out. Last season I didn't know about greasing them and my woven material did dry out and come out. As I was installing new bushings, a very senior T1 driver saw me doing it and asked if I was greasing them frequently. I wasn't. He recommended I do. Now I do. The new ones have lasted all 2004 and are still in good shape.

I honestly don't know what the shop manual says about this, if anything. I speak from practical experience. My recommendation, put a good synthetic grease on them.

7.0sc SuperVette

3 years ago, when I started modding my '97, I tried several different bars, they squeeked.
I went to Dick Guldstrand in Burbank and he reinstalled my T1 bars (the ones I ended up selecting) and he removed the paint in the area of the bushing and put a white very viscose lubricant that I think probably was a silicone based product. This was a very sticky substance, he put some on my fingers and it took several washings to finally get it off.
The T1 bushings put the highest load of any ready made bar on the bushings and they have been squeek free for around 20,000 miles including sloshing through lots of deep puddles!
Roy