Lifted 01 EZGO but thinking about going back to stock or lower

BCR840

I bought a 2001 EZGO PDS, that came lifted with off road 22" tires, 10" ITP wheels. I don't like the way it rides and never go off road. I just replaced motor with a double brushed Advanced, and DCX500, all 2 gauge wires, larger solenoid etc. Also has back seat and will haul my kids and wife around. I was wondering which route to take.....

1. Remove lift, go back stock, and add 12" wheels with low profile tires
2. Remove lift, lower it, and whatever wheels and tires fit on a lowered cart
3. Leave lift, add 14" wheels with low profile tires.

Not what's involved in removing the lift and adding the necessary parts but want to stay on the cheaper side. I will try and sale my current tires and wheels.
Thanks for the help....

BGW

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BCR840

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kellys~hotrods

I can tell you that the 14 inch wheels and tires would likely ride worse due to less tire side wall (less flex in the tire). This provides a stiffer ride. Having said that, i can get a pretty smooth ride out of my wheels and tired, which are 14 inches, but this is with air ride suspension.

BCR840

Yea that makes sense. I'm sure air ride suspension is expensive. Is there a lo involved?

kellys~hotrods

just the air ride portion wasn't bad but i had most of the parts given to me or laying around the garage from another project. The only things I bought were the front bag over shocks and i did all the fabrication needed for the set up myself. If you have the fab skills you can do it on a low budget.

Not sure what you are asking about here (what is a lo?) (typo?) but you can see what was involved for my project in the build thread. There is a link in my sig. If you have any other questions I may be able to answer, ask away

As for the lift you have on the front of your cart, it looks like a drop axle lift. These types of lifts give a close to stock ride, or that's my understanding. In theory you would have a slightly harsher ride due to an increase in un-sprung weight (heavier axle, wheels, and tires). Is your cart riding stiff? Are you getting lots of body roll in corners?

BCR840

My cart does have a lot of body roll. It can be very tricky coming down hills. I have been on some neighbors carts that were stock with 12" wheels and low pro street tires that had great handling.

kellys~hotrods

Ah! Now you've shed some light on what your expectations are here. If you plan on keeping the lift you may want to look in to a set of wheel spacers to widen the track width. This helps with stability. Returning to stock ride height, or lowering the cart will help by lowering the center of gravity. Spring rate and shocks can play a role here too. Stiff springs will reduce body roll, but give a harsh ride. For this reason many cars and trucks have an anti-sway bar which allow for a softer spring rate but reduces body lean at the same time. Worn shocks can cause premature body roll when diving in to corners as well, resulting in excessive body roll. You can inspect the shocks for leaks as a tell that they may be in need of replacement. Worn suspension bushings can contribute to poor handling as well.

You can start by closely inspecting bushings and shocks because inspecting these costs nothing out of pocket. If everything seems ok there, you need to consider what your ultimate goal is. If it is pure handling you are after, lowering the cart is the way to go. I would be willing to bet if you surf around the lifted carts section or the for sale section on here you may be able to score a stock axle set up cheap. You could even start a thread offering some sort of trade.

On my project, the cart is very stable because I widened the track width and the air ride system is individually plumbed to each corner. It's very stable considering the 15 inches of lift The bottom line is that we should do our homework before tackling these projects, and your thread here is a great way to get input from others that may have good advice. Good luck with your new cart, and let us know what you decide! (man that was a lot of writing, the coffee has kicked in for sure )