Lowering springs and polyurethane sway bar bushings: groan and moan
 

Does anybody of you have lowering springs and polyurethane sway bar bushings? I have a lot of groaning and moaning coming from the front in my 2.4LT, for example when driving over a pavement border or over a speed bump. The noises remind me of an old wooden sailing ship struggling in a storm...

I cant't say when the noise started. I am not sure whether it was already there with the factory parts before I installed all the following parts:

- Eibach Pro lowering springs and anti-rollbar front and rear (driven for about 35'000 km)
- Energy Suspension 9.5161G 1" greasable polyurethane sway bar bushings (driven for about 25'000 km, just recently re-greased)
- MOOG #K750012 end links (driven for about 15'000 km, just recently re-greased)
- KYB Front Excel-G struts (just recently installed)
- MOOG strut mounts and insulators (just recently installed)
- ACDelco lower control arms 45D2486 and 45D2487 (just recently installed) -> normally I would have gone for the MOOG bushings or MOOG control arms as suggested in this forum. But because of alignment issues after hitting a pothole, I went for the original part.

The car corners great with this setup. But could it be that it is too hard and therefore producing the groaning and moaning somewhere in the chassis? Other possible culprits?

I’ve lowered my front end in a similar manner, just different springs, the groaning was the polyurethane 1” bushings in the swaybar bushings, the grease wasn’t spreaded through the bushing just the the grease zerk and out the side of the top of the bushing.

Were you able to solve it?

Yes with 25 mm bushings from Moog.

I see. Do you remember the part number? Was it a rubber or thermoplastic part?

Get rid of polyurethane away bar bushings, and get stock ones. They are great quality btw.

Thermoplastic, next time , I’ll be returning to stock OEM.

Are these the stock bushings?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...sn=510&jsn=510

From our part number thread. https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/comm...33/#post791993

Check the RPO sticker on the inside of your passenger side glovebox door. Look for FE1 or FE3

Sway Bar Bushings - suggested by Snoopy with addons from 843de
- FE1:
>>> 2006 & 2007 production until VIN#3GNDA23P26S546471. Use GM PN 15822993 (which equates to a 23mm bar - energy suspension pn: 9.5159 (greaseable) - 9.5115 (non-greaseable))
>>> for FE-1 suspension after VIN#3GNDA23P26S546472. Use GM PN 20902784
(Note: my early early 2006 FE1 sway bar crudely measures out at 23MM so double check yours as the 1" bushings do not fit mine)
- FE3: Energy suspension poly for 1inch/25mm bar - greaseable - p/n 9.5161 (9.5110 non-greaseable) - OEM GM part number 20902784 (GM calls them Isolators)

- FE5: Energy suspension poly for 23mm bar - greaseable - p/n 9.5159 (9.5115 non greaseable)
------- GM - 20902785

In post #1 he states what bushing kit he purchased, which has a 1 inch or 25.4 mm ID hole in it, the swaybar is actually 25 mm so it’s got a built in loose feel.