12 volt batteries, do I really need a reducer?

scubabud

If I have 4 12 volt batteries and a factory full light kit, can I use the 12 volts in the dash off the light switch or do I really need a reducer tied into the 48 volts? What’s the worst that can happen?

BGW

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AugustaResident

I don't have a reducer on my Precedent. I pull the radio power the same way you are talking about. Flawlesss operation!

mikesmotortoys

You decide if you want the power to always wear on one battery or have them all equally share the load. As you learn more and more, you will soon see the advantages of using the reducer. It's not required, but it is worth the cost...

shadowman

if you have 12 volt batteries the short answer is no you don,t need a reducer.....................................

scottyb

And the long answer is Yes. Over time the extra load on one of the batteries will weaken it. Creating an imbalance in the pack eventually. If one of the 4 batteries in your pack becomes weaker than the others it will cause your charger to run longer as it tries to bring the the low or weak battery up. This will result in an overcharging of the good batteries and will shorten their useful life. At this point 1 battery has been has been over taxed and 3 have been over cooked. ...I'm not saying this is going to happen next week or next month but, eventually....it will be the case. The same holds true for the 36v carts where 2 batteries are used for lights etc. Now, if you use your accessories only very rarely .... the difference this makes may be be minimal

mikesmotortoys

I agree with Scotty The cost of the reducer will be less than the cost of replacing the single battery As stated - it is NOT required, you just have to decide for yourself what is more important. EZGO Factory harnesses use the final 2 batteries in the harness to power accessories. Over time, we have seen that these two batteries become weaker than the remaining four. We use the Factory light kits on all our carts. Low voltage halogen lights, horn and blinkers use very little power - BUT, if you want to add a stereo, spot lights or high powered fog lights, I would suggest in adding the reducer...

sleezego

very nice explaination..

scottyb

Sometimes I try.....The other members here taught me alot of what I know.

scubabud

Thanks for all your replies and explanations. I’ve added a factory 12 volt outlet from a DS but just wired it to the 12 volts from the light switch on my 06 Precedent. I’m using the 12 volt outlet to power a Garmin as well as a 175 watt inverter to run LED, (4 watt,) Christmas lights. Last night when I opened her up for a ½ mile the inverter kicked off, my 48 volt gage moved down a couple of indicators and when I slowed down and pulled into the driveway the 48 volt gage moved back to full and the inverter kicked back on. My lights never went off, just the inverter. Not sure what the heck that was all about but I got to thinking about the 48 to 12 reducer and maybe using the 48 volts prewired for the 48 volt gage instead of off the switch.

Can anyone recommend a qood quality reducer, 10 amps should be fine for my needs.

Thanks again :)

scottyb

A good quality reducer will cost about $100. Here is the one I am using. It is very versatile and durable. The cheap ones didn't last for me? http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLF-CART-VOLTAG...em150316904379