Replacing Bonded Sway Bar Bushings: A Dollar Holding Up A Dime
More and more modern cars are requiring complete replacement of the entire sway bar assembly to repair worn sway bar bushings that are chemically bonded to the sway bar. Join us as we explore why bonded sway bar bushings are being permanently attached to your sway bar, the consequences of this change for both car owners and car manufacturers, and some tips for a budget fix that’s repeatable.
Why Is My Repair Bill So High?
If you expected worn sway bar bushings to be a cheap repair and instead got hit with a bonkers bill from the mechanic, you learned the hard way that your vehicle is part of a new era of manufacturing utilizing bonded sway bar bushing technology. This new method may be more efficient for the factory but, as you noticed, repair costs at the mechanic also skyrocketed. We want to help you dodge that steep repair bill, so follow along as we shed some light on bonded sway bar bushings and some of the repair options available to you. If you want a quick refresher check out our previous blog on Sway Bar Links and Bushings.
What Are Bonded Bushings?
Having the sway bar bushings “glued” to the sway bar speeds up manufacturing but complicates the otherwise simple replacement of worn bushings by requiring an entirely new and costly sway bar assembly be installed. The process manufacturers use to join the sway bar and bushings together is called chemical bonding and creates a permanent connection between metal and rubber. This permanent bond is often stronger than rubber itself and the source of our difficulties when trying to replace sway bar bushings.
Why Do Manufacturers Use Sway Bar Assemblies?
Harkening back to the era of Henry Ford and the assembly line, companies such as Volvo, Mazda, Mercedes, and Jeep are speeding up manufacturing and increasing vehicle output by combining sway bars and their bushings into one large assembly that rapidly bolts onto the chassis. In addition to making the assembly line go faster, bonded sway bar bushings also lower costs by reducing the number of parts needed for production.
Benefits of Bonded Bushings for Consumers
Permanently attaching the sway bar bushings to the sway bar offers both short term and long term benefits for the average owner. The following are some of the positive aspects of bonded sway bar bushings that improve your experiences both as an owner and a driver.
Secure Positioning
Positively locating the sway bar with bonded bushings removes the need for lateral locks to increase efficiency or protect other suspension components from contact with the sway bar
Corrosion Prevention
Bonded rubber bushings completely seal the sway bar to bushing connection and prevent any corrosion from forming between the rubber and metal that could lower efficiency or damage the sway bar
Chassis Stiffness
Chassis Engineers utilize bonded rubber bushings to tune the handling with an additional level of torsional stiffness. This also decreases the necessary sway bar diameter which reduces weight
Downsides of Bonded Bushings for Consumers
Routine wear and tear in conjunction with time convert many of the manufacturer’s benefits of bonded bushings into drawbacks for the average owner. The following are some of the negative aspects of bonded sway bar bushings that make car ownership a bit tougher.
Availability Issues
If you’re curious why manufacturers aren’t selling non-bonded bushings for your model, switching to sway bar assemblies ceased production of non-bonded bushings and made them no longer available for purchase
Erratic Break Downs
Bonded rubber bushings often have a stronger bond to the metal than the rubber itself, causing the rubber to tear and shear from the sway bar in erratic ways as the rubber ages and wears
Increased Costs
Requiring installation of an entire sway bar assembly, instead of only replacing worn bushings, adds to the bottom line of routine maintenance costs with additional parts and shipping costs
Creating A Cost Effective Repair
Worn sway bar bushings on many modern cars currently require replacement of the entire sway bar assembly, so let’s also show you a more cost effective repair using universal sway bar bushings. Finding the correct size and adapting them to your sway bar is easy with the following steps.
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Measuring Sway Bar Diameter
The first step to stopping an endless cycle of costly sway bar assembly replacement begins with simple hand tools and measuring the sway bar diameter where the bushings mount. We even made a free tool to make measuring in both inches and millimeters easy!
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Measuring Bracket Bolt Spacing
Most universal bushings include a bracket but your vehicle may require an alternative mounting method. Measuring the bolt spacing of the bushing bracket mount on your vehicle is key for verifying compatibility with the included bracket dimensions.
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Sway Bar Preparation
Once you have made the measurements and have the correct parts in hand, prep the sway bar by removing any residual bonded rubber, and then smoothing out the surface where the bushing was located with fine grit sandpaper. Proper sway bar preparation will ensure smooth rotation and long term operation of the new sway bar bushings.
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Maximize Performance
If you want to maximize performance, securely locate the sway bar, and protect your other suspension parts from contacting the sway bar we suggest installing lateral locks in conjunction with new polyurethane sway bar bushings.
Aftermarket Solutions to Bonded Bushings
The cost of a new sway bar assembly or the complication of adapting replacement bushings may be enough motivation to go for the gusto and upgrade your vehicle with an aftermarket sway bar. Bolting on a high performance sway bar solves your bonded bushing concerns without the effort of having to adapt new bushings yourself. Aftermarket sway bars often use different diameters to improve your handling and include new bushings that match the new sway bar diameter for optimal performance. New sway bars also offer an easy way to customize your handling preferences without having to tear apart your vehicle to change springs or shocks.
Benefits to Polyurethane Sway Bar Bushings
Taking the extra effort to adapt stand alone polyurethane bushings to your sway bar not only makes future maintenance easier, it also upgrades your car’s handling. Removing excessive movement with new polyurethane bushings allows the sway bar to instantly apply leverage and counteract body roll. The new bushing material and its resistance to deflection, impacts, and abrasion is also better suited to handling the weight of larger wheels and tires as well as more aggressive driving styles.
We Hope That Helps!
Changes in how parts are manufactured as well as how vehicles are made will likely always contribute to making repairs a little more challenging for the shade tree mechanics out there. We hope showing you a few options for replacing bonded sway bar bushings helps you dodge a hefty repair bill in the future. If you have any further questions our amazing customer service staff has you covered and would be happy to help!
LostInTransit
July 17, 2024 at 3:57 amLong time since I’ve been here and things have been progressing very well wit the build. But this year is the year we finally get that 28mm hardrace sway bar on our 2020 Connect.
Josh Daniels
July 17, 2024 at 9:35 amHey Lost,
Glad to hear you’re still trucking along out there and good luck with the sway bar install!