2004 R53, sport suspension, 155K miles. Replacing the still original OE rear sway bar bushings with ones from RockAuto; made by Moog I believe. Is there any lubricant that I should use?

 

Swapped out on my 2004 R53, did not lube and have no problems.

 

Yes....all the aftermarket ones come with lube for a reason
Buy some antisieze from the local automotive atore....that will work in a pinch. All it does it keep things from squeaking over time

 

Moog are aftermarket but did not come with any lube, which is why I asked. So just use anti-sieze?

 

A good trick I read somewhere on the intertubes is to wind teflon tape around the sway bar where the bush will sit. Keeps it smooth without attracting grit and being hard to apply.

James

 

Yup, just use anti-seize.

 

The design of anti-roll bushes is to be in constant contact with the bar and provide torque. They have a friction material in contact with the bar. They are not designed to be lubricated. If you must lubricate rubber parts only use silicone but in this instance it is not required or applicable.

 

Definitely two schools of thought on whether to lubricate these bushings or not, depending on whom you speak to, as evidenced by some manufacturers going as far as to provide lube with new bushings. It's an interesting discussion on how to properly install such a mundane little part.

An alternative thought on the inner surface "friction material" is that it's a barrier material - there to offer protection for the easily abraded soft rubber of the bushing as the bar rotates within it.

Whatever your school of thought, the primary function of these bushings is to hold the sway bar tightly so it doesn't rattle within. A tight bushing is a tight bushing - lubed or not.

Bottom line: I lubed mine...

 

Ummmm.....no. Bushings are to simply keep the bar secured to the mounts with as little deflection as possible. Applying lube will keep the noise down and will not affect the operation of the bar. You don't want to start adding additional load to the bar.

 

Yep...what he said. You want it to move freely.

 

I am simply quoting what the manufacturers and mechanics say online about rubber bushes and non lube. Poly bushes require lube to funciton quietly. Not one google search suggested lube for these bushes and I have never bought rubber bushes that came with lube in 40 years of classic and modern cars. He asked the question and I did some research.

 

In the grand scheme of things.....it probably isn't going to make much of a difference either way. Lube if you want....or don't lube. Either way....a little bit of anti-seize won't hurt anything

 

Those bushings provied no torque resistance at all. It's the twisting resistance of the bar that does the work. The bar must be able to twist inside the bushings for it to work properly. It is completely false that the bushings provide any torsional or rotational resistance. They are just there to keep the bar in its place so it performs correctly. Rubber bushings generally require no lube as they are not prone to squeak. Poly on the other hand are prone to squeaking. The minis come from the factory with poly bushings, I just reinstalled my old ones, since they were still in perfect shape, and added synthetic grease. It's not required but I'd rather not hear a squeak on a freshly painted bar for 2 cents worth of insurance.