new rubber sway bar bushings question
 

I've read that the general consensus is to not lube/grease up the rubber factory sway bar bushings during install but since the rubber on metal friction fit occurs, should the sway bar bushing housing be installed with the vehicle flat on ground so suspension parts are all at natural state?
If you tighten the bushing housing on with the car raised (wheels, suspension dropped cause you used jack stands to support the vehicle instead of a ramp style lift) woudn't that tighten the bushing onto the sway bar in an unnatural state?
Just thinking out loud here...

PS: repair manual calls for just 14 ftlbs of torque on the 4 nuts holding bushing bracket to sub frame yet 74 ftlbs on the Sway Bar End Link ball joints.

I final torque the sways with all the wheels on the ground, yes, but not because I know this to be required. My Bentley is packed up in one of a thousand boxes, or I would check the procedure for you.

Lo_jack, I'm of the same mindset. Final torque while car is lowered, just makes getting to the bolts a bit more difficult is all.

Torque brackets on ground (loaded) No lube

Replace them if cracked or have worn out. At 100 K replace them. They served their life expectancy timeline. Don't forget the end links too!

Thought so.
I just bought a great condition used rear 23.5mm sport sway bar and even tho the bushings that came with it look compressed they are mint, but I bought new anyhow and will install so I know the bushings will be super tight upon installing the bushing bracket and wanted to make sure about preloading them before torquing nuts down.
Thanks.

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I don't think the preloading is critical on the F&R sway bars, links, or bushings. I personally do it as a Best Practice as there really is no load on these components until the vehicle is in motion as they engage on body roll not in a stationary situation, as the OE end links are not adjustable for pre-loading.

this was what I was trying to think about today (but I'm very busy with work and not much time to play mechanic today) bt I dont think the sway bar "activates" when both front or rear wheels are off ground... only when body roll occurs (turning or jacking up just one side of a car). So since I'll be doing this job on jack stands, if there is no room under the x5 after its lowered, I'll install and final torque while vehicle is jacked up still.

Well F!!!!
Installed the bushings and sport bar tonight and hand tightened snug only the 4 bolts on brackets but then had a small mechanics remorse for not actually torquing to 14ftlbs so I used a new Harbor Freight quality (aka Princess Auto in Canada) and something didn't seem right when torquing and then I sheared a welded bolt off from the sub frame and then had to spend hours drilling out the remaining bolt and install another aftermarket design (nut and bolt). What a pain in the ass the faulty torque wrench caused.

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Anyone who uses a torque wrench with no quality control involved in its manufacturing deserves the consequences. Unfortunately you are not the first nor the last to have had the experience.
Thankfully it was an easy part to replace not something like a plug in the head!

To be honest Mike - I've had Harbor Freight torque wrenches for years and mine are accurate out of the box - I have a 3/8" and a 1/2" drive -

I also snapped a stud on the rear subframe when doing the rear sway bar bushings which had to be drilled out a few years back though, that metal gets brittle from the salty winters I think .....