OK, I looked everywhere for information on this...and came up empty handed, so I am posting this in hopes someone can help.

Last weekend we finally got my 27mm front sway bar installed. What a PITA...anyway, I have mixed emotions about the end result.
First of all it handles like no tomorrow. I dont have the problem with that, and the bar compliments the 22mm rear sway that was installed several months ago.
The problem is that now I have a grinding/scraping noise coming from what sounds like the front end anytime I apply the brakes forceably. It stops making the noise when you turn to the left.
Other problem is that it seems the engine/road noise is noticably louder inside the car.
I dont mind listening to the supercharger whine, but after the 600 mile drive today, the road noise alone made my head buzz.
Any input or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

bump

 

I have one area in mind for you to look into with regards to the increased cabin noise but it is a long shot. There is a black rubber gasket around the steering wheel shaft as it goes through the firewall .Sometimes when the front end is worked on that piece becomes dislodged. If that happens you will hear a great deal more engine compartment noise. Best of luck .

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Thanks Randy, appreciate the reply and info.
I crawled all around it today, never thought about the steering column. I'll look into that, hopefully it will resolve the noise in the cabin.
As far as the scraping noise...there is nothing rubbing on the sway bar, nothing touching the brake shields, which is what the scraping noise sounds a bit like. I have no clue where to even look for that.

 

If your engine mounts are worn out, the exhaust can bump the larger front sway bar as the engine rocks. Have you noticed an increase in wheelhop if the tires spin on a hard start? That's another sign of worn out engine mounts.

Scott
90SM

 

Havent noticed any increase in wheelhop...but if the engine mounts are worn, that would also cause the sound I am hearing while hard braking...as the engine would rock forward....right?

 

What material are the anti-sway bar bushings made of. If you switched from the stock rubber to synthetic bushings you could be getting more road noise from that.

Are you sure that you put everything back together the correct way?

 

I have the synthetic bushings...so noise transfer through those would make sense...just seems kinda loud. I never noticed that much on the rear sway, which also has the synthetic bushings.
Yes, everything is back the right way...it looks good, everything lines up, and its not touching anything...but apparently something is amiss with the weight transfer in braking. It is more noticable also when braking downhill.

 

Just in case someone has the same problem, I have finally found the culprit of all the nasty grinding/scraping noise...the drivers side stabilizer link is rubbing on the half shaft. For some reason there is hardly any clearance on that side. With the wheel pointed straight forward I cant squeeze my finger in between the link and the half shaft, while there seems to be plenty of room on the passenger side...no rubbing whatsoever.
Now I gotta figure out what to do with it....any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

The additional road noise is common if you popped the boot that seals up the steering column shaft out of place. It makes a big difference to be in place.

As for the rubbing on the axle from the endlink, is it a stock endlink? Or a fatter aftermarket. I can't say on the H&R bar for sure, but I've installed several Hsport front swaybars and never had them rub on the axle. If your using aftermarket endlinks try stock ones, they may give you more clearance.

 

Thanks so much for the reply...I am still scratching my head on this one.
The end links are stock...so they shouldnt be a problem. I will try and post some pics if I can sometime today. Maybe that would answer some questions. In talking to people, there was speculation about the bar being bent slightly on one end in shipping...but the box was in good shape, and the bar itself is a pretty hurky chunk of metal.

 

Here is the photo of what is going on (drivers side only).

 

but undo the end links, bend the bar down, get a BFH (Big Effin Hammer) or a LFP (Long Effing Pipe) and bend the end of the bar a bit to get more clearance.

Also see if there's any way to move the bar laterally in the mounts or if there are welded guides that keep it in one place.

Since the bar is such a massive piece, this is a long shot (bending the bar while mounted on the car).

Also, increased road noise isn't surprising, with such a stiff anti-sway bar, your really reducing the independance of the two sides of the suspension and moving the car towards understeer.

Another way to reduce body roll is with stiffer springs. Then you can keep softer sway bars. Both ways make the car noisier.

Matt

 

Hey thanks for the advice! I have both the BFH (aka the yellow handled gear puller)and the LFP...at home.
I will have to wait until I can get home (about 3 weeks away), to tackle this one. I was just a bit worried about the possible breakage of the endlink.
I'm thinking it would be wiser to avoid the windy roads through Idaho to get home, and opt for the freeway through Montana just in case. (I have to travel from northern Idaho to southern end of the state).