Braks options on big block

Dallas guy

I am trying to decide between:

2 wheel disc brakes for $300

4 wheel hydraulic for $800

I am a street rider but stopping a cart going 25/30 mph can be tough with factory brakes. Please weigh in.

Tom

P.S. Are there any other options?

BGW

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Newbylee

I would spring for the 4 wheel discs. I have the rear mechanical discs on mine,they basically lock up on gravel or dirt. Pretty scary trying to stop my 40mph cart. I'll eventually switch to 4 wheel discs when $ allows

blake80

ive got the 4 wheel hydraulics on mine. it has unreal stopping power. the biggest thing im going to suggest with it is once you get them installed, take it to a mechanic with a brake bleeding machine and let them bleed it. now, my cart will run 50mph, and on gravel it will lock up all four. if your sticking to the street and not bypassing the gov., then the mechanical rear kit is more than enough. i meet up with a bunch of guys from here at a atv park with some steep hills. their mech. disc brakes do just as good of a job as my 4 wheel discs.

95Viper

blake80 What did you do to get your cart to run 50mph?

blake80

alot of it has to do with my motor. i pulled the gov., cam, rev. kit, advance timing key and thinner head gaskets. i also have a more open exhaust than what comes with some kits. and of course i have 23" tires which makes a big difference. for me to hit those high speeds it takes a long straight away. my block is only a 18hp briggs, but it will walk away from a stock briggs. im currently seeking a 20hp two barrel intake to put on my motor, then im going to have head work done and change the pistons to increase compression some more.

scottyb

2 wheel stock brakes don't come close to comparing with 4 wheel disc.

Depending upon where and how you drive your stopping power needs will vary.

Most people have bled hydraulic brakes without issues, but professional installation is always advised.

Stock golf cart brakes are engineered to stop 2 passengers from 15 mph on 18 inch tires. On moderate terrain.

I prefer scaring myself with where I can go as opposed to how fast I can go.

Extreme off-road requires extreme power and stopping force.
The 4 wheel hydraulic brake kit is unequaled in stopping or holding power.

My off road cart has a 25hp motor and 4 wheel hydraulic disc brakes... both have given trouble free usage.

sho305

It depends on your use and your tires the way I see it. I have 22 trail pro on a stock g9 that will gps 30 on pavement but I rarely hold it WOT that long. It will stop pretty good on most surfaces with stock brakes, they will lock up if I push hard enough. But these tires seem to grab hard on most surfaces except mud/snow of course. These tires made it stop much better than golf tires did. Most of my riding is trails and dirt drives and I have no problem stopping. Now if I did huge hills I might want more, but stock power can't get up them lol. Going faster than 30 yes you better think about it. Hardcore off road and big block yes you need them.

scottyb

I think going over 25 mph with stock golf cart brakes is asking for trouble. What happens when something backs out of a drive or rolls off the curb or shows up in the trail in front of you suddenly and your rolling 25-30 mph on golf cart brakes and 23" tires!?

You can defend your ride all you want, I'm saying you upgrade the go, why not the stop? Is the stopping power that much over engineered in these carts? I think not. It's just my opinion based upon my experience with many many hotrodded carts on and off road... other opinions will vary.

blake80

Just as sho said, tires play a big role in stopping. I know with
my tires and brakes, when I lock it down off road it just slides and often to the point I have to let off the brakes to keep control since it likes to slide sideways. I also have a workhorse on 27" vampires with the steel dump bed using the mechanical disc brake kit. Yes, my 4 wheel kit will stop faster. But my cart weighs less with smaller tires. The workhorse also has has a vtwin. The workhorse has no problems at all stopping.
So, I give both kits a thumbs up. If you can afford and want the hydraulic kit then go for it. If you cant let go of that kind of money, then the mechanical kit will work just fine.

sho305

I don't get what some are saying, my G9 is mostly stock except for 22s and no governor. If I can lock the tires then rear disks are not going to help as I don't have a modulation problem. Sure front brakes would stop faster, but I've never had a time when I needed to. I can stop from 30 in like 3 seconds, just how fast do I need to stop? When the weather turns I can test it and measure, it must go 20-30 foot with a full speed stop, just a guess. I rarely go WOT for long most of the time 20-25 is cruising speed. I've run this cart all summer for 14 years and never felt like it lacked braking. Given I don't ride hills that much the immediate area is mostly flat. I rode it a week or two with golf tires on it when I got it, I could easily lock the brakes and slide all over the place. It stopped much quicker with these tires, no sliding. It will only slide if I try to, only on very loose or soft surfaces. It takes some effort to lock them on pavement the brakes just have enough power to do that so it is almost like anti lock lol.

Maybe different carts and tires don't stop as well is my guess, or you live where there is lots of rock that slides easily, go down steep hills, etc.

I put a 16hp clone in another G9 with the same tires and it has the same top speed, it stops the same as mine. Except his brakes are toast and I have new shoes to put on this spring when he gets it out. It might stop better with new brakes I dunno.

I also adjust my brakes once in a while so the pedal is at the right height, they are even, etc.

I have to go over 20mph just to get the cart to slide around sideways when I lock the brakes, or it stops before it slides around. That is with me turning the steering on purpose, to do a quick U turn for example on a dirt or gravel drive.