I need to beef up my suspension and I'm looking for ideas/advice

Nmbr5

I'm about to start building an art car on a gas cart base. I plan to be able to carry four adults and the body I am fabricating (along with other systems) will add quite a bit of weight. At this point, I am considering a Yamaha G2 but that could change.

I'm not as concerned with the ride as much as I am with making it durable and reliable. I don't need it to ride any higher but I'm willing to accept a higher ride if the cart will better deal with added load.

Will a lift kit beef up the suspension and load capacity?
What other ways could I beef it up to support the added weight?
Any simple but effective things I could do to keep costs down?

I have access to a full shop with everything from CNC to metal shop to multiple welders so all ideas will be considered.

Thanks for your advice. I know learning from you guys can save me a lot of time and frustration.

BGW

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cfherrman

Really any of the carts with upgraded springs will do what you want. Standard carts with upgraded springs and standard speeds will work, if you lift or want to drive fast thats where problems can come along, so you better do it right. Another concern is loaded it rides well and unloaded it is rough, so air springs can help.

Nmbr5

Most often I'll be under 10mph at the events I'll be at.

Reliability is concern #1. I will be far from parts and the conditions will be rough with extreme heat, occasional high winds and lots of dust. Air shocks could be a cool feature but do you think they would be as reliable as getting heavy duty leaf springs?

slonomo

The reason you want a lift kit is to fit larger tires. The reason you want larger tires is for better ground clearance off road.

Larger tires will always affect the ride/handling in a negative way, never in a positive way. You are raising the center of gravity of the vehicle and the tires are larger and weigh more (more unsprung weight), both of which will affect handling. Now a good lift kit and good tires and wheels will reduce the amount of negative handling result, so plan carefully.

Lift kits do not usually increase the load carrying capacity. In fact, it might actually do the opposite because of loads applied to the suspension parts could be multiplied due to increased angles/geometry. If you want/need more weight carrying capacity, I suggest looking into heavier springs/shocks combinations. Some will use atv/utv shocks/springs. Sometimes a little bit of experimentation is required here.

What are you looking a hauling? How much weight?

These carts can haul a lot in stock form, but not usually more than 600 lbs without some modifications.

lockman1

For an "ART" cart... all you really need is leaf springs front and rear, so you can beef those up! (I'm not sure a G2 has leaf springs)

A few years ago, someone in the Outer Banks of NC., built a splitting image of his house on a cart frame,
For the life of me, I can't find the thread, but... it was cool as h*ll!

When you find what your looking for... start a new thread, take lots of pictures of your build, and post them!

TheNewGuy

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/membe...cal-build.html

Ron


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lockman1

There it is!
(I stand corrected... it was only a year ago!)

Thanks Ron!

Nmbr5

Great advice!

I will focus on shocks and springs. I don't need a higher ride and the handling issues.

that house project is great. I will definitely post pics and progress updates. I'm sure I'll be on here often looking for help as we go along.

I've found a line one a pair of G22's in an auction not far from me. I'm going to try and buy both so that I can strip one for parts to bring along. Something will go wrong out there and I won't be anywhere near a source for parts. Having a second set of everything will give me peace of mind.

Doug73

With the Yamahas, you can also get progressive springs now that will give you both smooth ride and added weight capability. Careful with Yamahas....parts cost more, not as readily available from anyone other than Yamaha, and (my opinion only here) not as well built as Club Cars or Ezgo carts. Look closely at the front ends of the G22...they wear out very fast.

Unforgiven

Replace shocks with a solid bar,... take the suspension out of the picture. Control the ride with air pressure in tires.