48 Volt Conversion

Sumner121

I already know that the next upgrade I do to my 94 DS will be to upgrade to the 48 volt battery pack. I'm trying to figure out how easy or difficult it may be for me. I have heard that the stock motor on the 36 volt club car can also handle 48 volts. Is this true? Also, I have a 400 amp AXE alltrax controller. I know these are made for 36 and 48 volt carts. Could I just jump to 48 volts no problem? Would I have to re-program the controller or just buy a new one? Same goes for the MJZ 200 solenoid I have. Will it need to be replaced or is it good to go? Also, I already know I will need to buy a new 48 volt charger when I go to the 8Volt batteries. Am I missing any components or is that it?

Any advice helps.
Thanks,
Sumner

BGW

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scottyb

Your controller will not need anything to handle 48v, no reprogram needed.
Your solenoid will handle 48v on the large posts, but only 36v on the small posts. You can wire the solenoid activation side so it only sees 36v or replace it with a 48v model. You really only need to buy batteries and a charger due to your previous upgrades.

Nohbdee1

Sumner, with your current controller what kind of MPH are you seeing? I have a DS Series cart that is lifted and I was hoping to get it to 20mph+ with just a controller. Mine is already set up as a 48v cart. It's lifted with roughly 20" tires which I believe makes a difference.

It's a 2002, not sure if the year matters...

Sumner121

with those size tires and trying to get that speed I would atleast go to the 500 amp. Its not that much more and It definitely makes that much more different. I just have the stock tires still and I'm seeing around 18mph or so. It mostly made a difference for me in torque which is what I was going for. After I do the conversion I'm going to get bigger tires and lift kits.

scottyb

On this 36v motor cart you will see about 16-18 mph on stock tires with the 48v upgrade.
On the other person's 48v cart he might want to consider installing an older 36v motor to increase his speed.

Sumner121

Also how much of a trade off will be seeing as far as battery run time. Am I gaining 33% more speed and torque and losing roughly 1/3 of the run time as well?

gsf35099

I didn't see any run time loss when I upgraded. I actually think it got better. Could have been my 6 v were getting old.

Sumner121

Also I suppose I would need a new battery charge indicator. Any suggestions? Right now I just have the vertical LED bar indicator. Links and pics would be appreciated.

89GatorClub

ScottyB Site Digital Voltage Meter

A pic from my cart with it in it

gsf35099

Site sponsors have some good digital volt meters. I mounted mine in the dash (nice BLUE) that was a simple two wire. One side to the key switch and the other to the pack. They work great and are pretty accurate for the most part.