Body roll

[M302_imola]

Originally Posted by X5Brian

MHD stage 2 plus.
It constantly hits 22-22.5 psi when I log.
I obviously don't drive it that way all the time, but it's nice to have when passing
I do change my oil every 5k now with increased pressure.
Btw sounds amazing to purge 22 psi with my blow off valve and new hood !!

Good stuff! You running 93 octane? Did you go a step colder with your spark plugs? Which BOV did you go with? Intake?

[X5Brian]

Yep 93 octane, dual feed inlet(I made)to stock airbox, one step colder plugs and turbosmart vent to atmosphere BOV

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by yupetc

I'd reckon the active stabilizer bar being electronically controlled will need some coding to install, it may be a direct swap, but what of the required wiring harness(s)? then some coding work, definitely not for an average joe to do.

This thread is basing on the presumption for all F15's with a standard suspension where as the stabilizer bar is too soft and do not provide enough anti-roll characteristic during cornering. So it's why ultra racing's stabilizer bar is becoming a blessing to us who are looking for the slight improvement in stiffness.

Honestly would much rather have your set up. The active sways are just a head ache and cost a fortune once they fail. Just hoping that happens when I'm still under my extended factory warranty lol. 75k miles though and still going strong.

Also they connect to the steering pump for its hydraulics so a bit more to swap than just a wire harness.

[HDEddie1]

Originally Posted by c00lbeans

Sounds like front sway bar is a pain in the ass. Would rear swaybar only work well?

GREAT JOB by "yupetc" on controlling sway. A short story of mine regarding "rear sway-bar only". The factory F15 rear bar is 22.5 mm and 23 mm with 3rd row seat. The 23mm bar is added by BMW just to offset the few hundred lbs at the rear due to the 3rd row seats and its minor effect on understeer. I don't think BMW ever intended the slightly larger rear bar to do anything else. IMO then, its not even worth the effort. But as "yupetc" shown, it takes big bars on both ends. Even slapping on a big rear bar, IMO, won't work. I learned this on another car...my previous F10 550i leaned a bit much so I threw on an M5 rear-sway bar only. It oversteered so much it was almost dangerous. But when i added the thick M5 front bar, then the car handled like a go-cart....flat, no lean or swaying. Again...GREAT JOB by "yuptec". Lots of work but IMO worth it if you're keeping the car.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by HDEddie1

GREAT JOB by "yupetc" on controlling sway. A short story of mine regarding "rear sway-bar only". The factory F15 rear bar is 22.5 mm and 23 mm with 3rd row seat. The 23mm bar is added by BMW just to offset the few hundred lbs at the rear due to the 3rd row seats and its minor effect on understeer. I don't think BMW ever intended the slightly larger rear bar to do anything else. IMO then, its not even worth the effort. But as "yupetc" shown, it takes big bars on both ends. Even slapping on a big rear bar, IMO, won't work. I learned this on another car...my previous F10 550i leaned a bit much so I threw on an M5 rear-sway bar only. It oversteered so much it was almost dangerous. But when i added the thick M5 front bar, then the car handled like a go-cart....flat, no lean or swaying. Again...GREAT JOB by "yuptec". Lots of work but IMO worth it if you're keeping the car.

Thanks for sharing your experience and the nice compliment.

I have one more trick up my sleeve. Since these bars do come with black polyurethane bushing and lube; I reckon they will dry out eventually and begin to squeak. Two months into my install, my front stabilizer is already squeaking. In the next few weeks I'll take the bar out again and instead of applying more lube, I'm going to put a coat of "Cerakote MicroSlick" onto the bar where the bushing sits. Will also put same coat on the inner side of the fastening bracket. I've used MicroSlick on my piston skirt, and on these sway bars there will be no metal to metal contact, so MicroSlick coat should serve as a permanent lubricant. (I may try to do a coat first, then add lubricant on top for even better result). Will check back in once in a while to report my observations. I've used Polyurethane bushings before in my previous cars. Some lasted long without noise, but most comes squeaky and gets pretty annoying. So I hope the coat I put on will work.

[BrandBMW]

Originally Posted by yupetc

Thanks for sharing your experience and the nice compliment.

I have one more trick up my sleeve. Since these bars do come with black polyurethane bushing and lube; I reckon they will dry out eventually and begin to squeak. Two months into my install, my front stabilizer is already squeaking. In the next few weeks I'll take the bar out again and instead of applying more lube, I'm going to put a coat of "Cerakote MicroSlick" onto the bar where the bushing sits. Will also put same coat on the inner side of the fastening bracket. I've used MicroSlick on my piston skirt, and on these sway bars there will be no metal to metal contact, so MicroSlick coat should serve as a permanent lubricant. (I may try to do a coat first, then add lubricant on top for even better result). Will check back in once in a while to report my observations. I've used Polyurethane bushings before in my previous cars. Some lasted long without noise, but most comes squeaky and gets pretty annoying. So I hope the coat I put on will work.

You want to know a trick I have used on dozens and dozens of poly bushings and tuners use? Try using marine grease. It is tackier, resistant to getting washed out, and lasts. Never had a squeal on any of my poly anti-sway bar bushings, poly control arm bushings, etc. I drive through winter salted roads and the grease stays on.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by BrandBMW

You want to know a trick I have used on dozens and dozens of poly bushings and tuners use? Try using marine grease. It is tackier, resistant to getting washed out, and lasts. Never had a squeal on any of my poly anti-sway bar bushings, poly control arm bushings, etc. I drive through winter salted roads and the grease stays on.

How do you think this compared to the marine grease you're using?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

that's the one I've been using, and it is already dried out.

By the way, I put my car through an automatic carwash twice a week. The first squeak on this Ultra Racing bar happens after a particular carwash one day and has been squeaking ever since.

[BrandBMW]

Originally Posted by yupetc

How do you think this compared to the marine grease you're using?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

that's the one I've been using, and it is already dried out.

By the way, I put my car through an automatic carwash twice a week. The first squeak on this Ultra Racing bar happens after a particular carwash one day and has been squeaking ever since.

Yeah, I ditched the supplied poly lube and any from Energy or Powerflex. They all washed out. Just look up a good marine grease and try it out. Again, the tackiness, the resistance to being washed out, and the price are all benefits of using marine grease.

[yupetc]

I've taken out the front sway bar yesterday. Took me about 1.5 hours to get it out, having to remove the whole front end, radiator, condenser, intercooler and a bunch of underbody and wheel arch panels. This is my third round accessing the area so it's becoming easier and smoother for myself. But it's definitely not for those who'll faint easily. Upon taking it out, the right side (where the rubbing/squeaky noise was coming from) I can easily use my hand to articulate the same noise on that bushing on the sway bar. Removed the bushing to find how dry it has become, and yeah, I can tell that during movement, there's enough deformation on the PU to create voids for debris to come in. I think this grease has dried out partially is due to when it deforms it allows grease to be moved out of the grip and it must have dried out prematurely. I also must mention that I also often times take carb-spray and would spray down that area each time I access the crank pulley side on some work, even on a oil change; just to keep the area clean. Some of the carb spray must have dripped into the bushing and help dry out the lube.

I've gone ahead and grind down the original white paint and finally got to bare metal. Boy this thing has a real thick coat of paint; initially I used sandpaper by hand, didn't get anywhere. Then I took out a surface paint remover wheel and went to town. Took 30 minutes to do both sides. So that tells you the quality of the coat finish on this way bar is VERY good. It's very thick, and there's a clear coat, white, then a base coat. After removing paint, I took it to my blasting cabinet and prepped the surface for Ceramic Coating. Applied 2 passes of MicroSlick Cerakote to it (in case anyone's wanting to try this, the part number is C110 from Cerakote). I've only applied this to the main area where the bushing will grab.

Will wait another week for Microslick to settle and dry out completely. Once it's ready for installation I'll also follow BrandBMW's recommendation and use marine grease on the coating. MicroSlick itself is already a dry film lubricant. It's used on piston skirts and show great results. I'm hoping to double it up on this polyurethane lubrication. If this turns out well, it may become the ultimate corrective solution for PU applications. I've been a 20-year automotive tinkerer, and PU squeak has plagued many for both decades we're in. MicroSlick may just be it, guys. Will report what I observe for years to come.

[BrandBMW]

Good luck! Sounds like overkill. Again, never had an issue on the dozens and dozens of polyurethane bushings I have used the marine grease on. I like the epoxy paint on the sway bars as it helps prevent rust and not giving it an edge reduces the likelihood of it flaking off later. The paint can wear out over a long time inside the bushing, but I am not going to electively add an edge to the paint creating bare metal.

There should be grooves in the polyurethane bushing to help hold grease. Use the marine grease one time and you will quickly realize why it is a great option. Have to use latex/nitrile gloves as that stuff sticks yet moves. Perfect for areas like sway bar bushings and control arm bushings.

[TOPEC]

Try this, find a piece of rubber hose with an ID that is exact, if not almost the same, as the OD of the swaybar. Cut about 1-1.5in sections, then cut it open length wise. Slide the rubber hose onto the bar and butt it up against the swaybar bushing, then use a hose clamp to secure the rubber hose in place. So 4 pieces in total, 2 on each sides of the bushing. This way, u can kind of create a seal around the bushing opening to at least prevent the grease/lube from being washed out, n it can also prevent the swaybar from walking to one side.

[yupetc]

Thanks for the help, guys. And while it may be an overkill, I've already dived in and did it. I really just want to end this squeaking noise for good. Attaching some pictures for your entertainment.

For information, ceramic coating, if surface prep is done correctly, has a much stronger adhesion/bonding than just regular epoxy paint. If I'm not mistaken, the bonding substrate in Cerakote's coating is of an epoxy derivative. And this coating has very strong resistance to corrosion and impact damage. So I'm not very worried about it being rubbed off by the PU bushing. In fact, the MicroSlick coating will help retain that marine grease for good. I also do not find any grease grooves within the PU bushing provided along with UR's sway bar.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by TOPEC

Try this, find a piece of rubber hose with an ID that is exact, if not almost the same, as the OD of the swaybar. Cut about 1-1.5in sections, then cut it open length wise. Slide the rubber hose onto the bar and butt it up against the swaybar bushing, then use a hose clamp to secure the rubber hose in place. So 4 pieces in total, 2 on each sides of the bushing. This way, u can kind of create a seal around the bushing opening to at least prevent the grease/lube from being washed out, n it can also prevent the swaybar from walking to one side.

That sounds like a lot. I think what I'm already doing with MicroSlick will probably do the trick. But thanks anyway for the hellp.

[BrandBMW]

If you didn't find any grooves inside the poly bushing, then that is a design flaw. All the poly bushings I have used for sway bars have had some kind of grooves to help hold grease. That's from Powerflex, Energy, Racing Dynamics, iPD, Stillen, Eibach, Hotchkis, etc., have all had some kind of shallow groove inside the poly bushings.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by BrandBMW

If you didn't find any grooves inside the poly bushing, then that is a design flaw. All the poly bushings I have used for sway bars have had some kind of grooves to help hold grease. That's from Powerflex, Energy, Racing Dynamics, iPD, Stillen, Eibach, Hotchkis, etc., have all had some kind of shallow groove inside the poly bushings.

That's a critical point to give to Ultra Racing. Those folks are all the way over in Malaysia; and I doubt I can get the eBay seller to contact them and let them know this. But yeah, good catch; I had never paid any attention to grease grooves with the PU bushings. I'm gonna put all my eggs on MicroSlick and marine grease then.

Let it be forewarned that any of you who's going to be buying the Ultra Racing Sway bars, consider that there are no grease retention grooves on the inner side; put that into consideration when you shop; else you'll be dealing with squeaks quite soon, like I did.

[yupetc]

Finally re-installed the front sway bar with Cerakote MicroSlick on the bushing section. All good now, no more rubbing noise, and the marine grease is very thick and looks like it'll stay in place to withstand the car-wash's spray down. Happy camper now. Thanks everyone.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by acmurda

Also noticed that since the E70/F15 use same bars. People may want to just try an E70 Oem rear sway bar which is 24.6mm compared to the 22mm found on the f15. Thats assuming its stiffer, because diameter alone does not determine stiffness, properties and quality of material used is a big factor. The 22mm in the f15 could be just as stiff as the 24.6mm on the E70.
I'm just really hoping the almost $1000 Canadian I just spent on the aftermarket bars I mentioned above is going to be a worthwhile investment.

Hey there, did you ever receive your sway bar set and got it installed? Curious to see what the outcome is and hope it's at least similar to mine; that'll yield a good comparison between stock suspension and adaptive.

[acmurda]

Originally Posted by yupetc

Hey there, did you ever receive your sway bar set and got it installed? Curious to see what the outcome is and hope it's at least similar to mine; that'll yield a good comparison between stock suspension and adaptive.

Hey guys. So the front sway bar was backordered and while I was waiting for that, I received and installed the rear hardrace bar. That alone improved roll and overall road manners drastically. The steering is so much more responsive and what felt like oversteer for the first few days now feels perfect. I am quite happy with this so I ended up cancelling the front bar all together. I will now be installing Eibach springs which should help improve things even more.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by acmurda

Hey guys. So the front sway bar was backordered and while I was waiting for that, I received and installed the rear hardrace bar. That alone improved roll and overall road manners drastically. The steering is so much more responsive and what felt like oversteer for the first few days now feels perfect. I am quite happy with this so I ended up cancelling the front bar all together. I will now be installing Eibach springs which should help improve things even more.

I was hoping you go all the way through with the front sway bar, too. That way you can document what it feels like with stock strut/springs. Mine's installed all bars and the H&R springs in one-go; and the tightened spring response just makes it feel a little much. It's gotten a whole lot bumpier than I like, tolerable, but just bumpy.

I may consider swapping out the H&R springs and go back to stock/ or if M-sport springs can be directly fitted I may want to consider it. Stock springs are very soft, but I believe the front and rear sway bar upgrade will take care of the body roll altogether. The only thing stopping me from going back to stock for the time being is that I have MHD stage 2+ with a larger compressor wheel in the turbo; and once the boost kicks in, I am afraid it presses down too hard on the back side if I go with stock springs. At least for now, the H&R springs resisted that pull very well; makes the car feel very nippy zigzagging through traffic.

[acmurda]

Originally Posted by yupetc

I was hoping you go all the way through with the front sway bar, too. That way you can document what it feels like with stock strut/springs. Mine's installed all bars and the H&R springs in one-go; and the tightened spring response just makes it feel a little much. It's gotten a whole lot bumpier than I like, tolerable, but just bumpy.

I may consider swapping out the H&R springs and go back to stock/ or if M-sport springs can be directly fitted I may want to consider it. Stock springs are very soft, but I believe the front and rear sway bar upgrade will take care of the body roll altogether. The only thing stopping me from going back to stock for the time being is that I have MHD stage 2+ with a larger compressor wheel in the turbo; and once the boost kicks in, I am afraid it presses down too hard on the back side if I go with stock springs. At least for now, the H&R springs resisted that pull very well; makes the car feel very nippy zigzagging through traffic.

From my personal experience with H&R springs, I can almost guarantee that they are the culprit when it comes to your bumpy ride. I had em on my e92 m3 and the ride was intolerable. swapped over to Eibach pro kit and it was night n day. That is why I will never use them on any car regardless of what reviews say.
As for the front sway bar, I really didn't see the point in spending another 1k or so for the part and install because of how content I am with just the rear upgrade. If the front install wasn't such a pain in the ass I would maybe take it on myself.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by acmurda

From my personal experience with H&R springs, I can almost guarantee that they are the culprit when it comes to your bumpy ride. I had em on my e92 m3 and the ride was intolerable. swapped over to Eibach pro kit and it was night n day. That is why I will never use them on any car regardless of what reviews say.
As for the front sway bar, I really didn't see the point in spending another 1k or so for the part and install because of how content I am with just the rear upgrade. If the front install wasn't such a pain in the ass I would maybe take it on myself.

I see. One of those days later on, I may consider swapping out the H&R's with the Eibach then. Bumpy just going to cut it with the Mrs and a baby on the back seat.

Sounds like you're already quite content with just the rear sway bars; and yea, no need to throw another grand if you didn't need to. Happy motoring, bro.

[Vivek.]

After reading this whole thread, I'm going to order either the rear or both for my car. Rear looks like something I'd be willing to do, front I may be able to combine some labor with the engine mount replacement. My main worry is the squeaking/lack of grease grooves in the bushings. Could I dremel in a groove to help this issue? Stripping the paint and using Cerakote seems like a little more than I'd prefer to do.