'07 Precedent: New to the Game: Advise needed!!!!!!

[dragster777]

I have been wanting a golf cart for some time now. I recently bought a '07 Club Car Precendent 48volt with 2010 batteries. Don't know what these usually go for but i got it for $2000, is that a decent deal. On to the important stuff, I have upgrades that i want to do and need advise on the pros,cons and what your opinion is. How long and far will the batteries carry me on a full charge, I usually ride dirt roads, some real sandy and i can tell it don't like the sand. I want a lift kit, which is a good one without breaking the bank, A-arm or spindle, Jakes or Etc. Is the long travel really wroth the price and what is the advantage of it. What kind of speed upgrades can i do, it runs dead on 15mph now. Any other upgrades and info would be very helpful. Thanks alot, just don't really know a whole lot about golf carts and ready to learn.

[TahoeDawgZ71]

All-Sports 6" A-Arm lift kit.... purely awesome.

[OLD MEC]

I dont know where you live but not bad price, its all about the area you purchase cart? If you are wanting only a 4" lift I would go with a spindle kit like JAKES sells, 6" and up I would go with long travel and again Jakes or All Sport.
Speed and range is all about how much you expect and how much you can afford and how good the road is? Precedents controller can be reset for more speed by a CC dealer, what you have is stock golf course speed. There are many upgrades available such as 4 guage welding cables, higher amp controllers, even larger HP motors.
Remember that you must deside whether you want speed or power as they are not the same in up dates beyond a small part?
In my area lots of owners go full bore and spend thousands of dollars for beach sand dune powered carts? Electric carts do not like sand or hills but in my area the stock engined gas cart is not as good as minor updated electrics?

[shadowman]

thats a good price for that cart.....up here they would want your 1st born i,m finding out......i don,t know where these people get their asking price from but its way out of line...................................

[dragster777]

Old Mic
Look like you know alot about cart, i do alot of dirt road rideing, so places do get sandy and my cart does act like it does not like it, with the tires help that when i put them on or do i need to trade on a gas, how long with my cart run on a normal dirt road ride with a full charge, how easy would it be to get it to run around 25mph, thanks

[OLD MEC]

To get the performance you want ( dirt road travel, soft roads, possible hills and ability for 25 mph speed ) you would probably have to trade out a STOCK CART GAS ENGINE for a V twin block engine like Honda, Briggs, etc. Remember that a electric motor has instant torque all through the rpm range, where a gas engine has to rev up to power curve before being able to reach max torque. This is why a electric cart can out run a gas cart for a set distance on a drag strip which I think is about 1/8 mile track.
Each cart is different so how far you can go on a charge depends on so many factors? REMEMBER THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER TRAVEL FURTHER THAN A TOTAL OF 50% OF YOU BATTERYS CHARGE BEFORE RECHARGING. I always say run it around the road you take and you will have an idea? Paved flat roads you could go 20 plus miles, dirt road depending on roughness and hills can be 1/2 plus or minus, gravel hard pack 3/4 plus or minus? Tire diameter, tire pressure, tire tread type, condition of shocks, load, wind, drag because or top and windshield lift highth, ground hard packed or soft, sand, Brake drag, wheel bearing drag, motor hp, etc, etc, etc.
If you have hills to contend with you need a cable up date, higher amp rated controller, possibly a torque motor with higher hp? For speed its a whole different thing on motors, and again controls, cables, etc. With a upgrade motor made for speed you can go for bigger diameter tires, narrower tread, NO LIFT, NO TOP, NO WINDSHIELD, ONE LIGHT PERSON, ETC? Each upgrade combo is a compromise between torque and speed?
I would say get used to your cart first and then deside what you expect from your cart and then your upgrade can be designed to reach that goal.
One question does your cart have 8 volt batterys of 12 volt batterys? Reason for question is that 12 volt batterys give you 20%-30% less range and performance than 8 volters and much shorter life. This is the reason CC went back to 8 volt packs.

[SaltLifeCC]

Dragster, you already got some responses from the experts around here, so I won't even try to reply from that angle. I'll just give you my take as an electric cart newbie (and noob). First off, you are in the right place with this forum. Lots of great information and very helpful people around here.

I think 2k is a great price for that year cart with not very old batteries by the way. Mine has 08 batteries (4x12v) and I paid $2100 for it but that did include a brand new folding rear seat. I could have gotten a white one for $2000 but my son wanted black and it was $100 more. I had just sold my old 03 gasser DS for $1800 so it didn't cost me much for what I considered a trade UP.

Read some posts and ask some questions to learn about the batteries and how to care for them. Part of that effort should include going out and investing in a meter to test them. I got a cheap one for around $20 but it does the job. Once you educate yourself, you'll realize why having this tool is a must.

As for the lift kit question, read around and make your own decision. It really depends on what you need and want as far as looks and performance. I went with a 6" Jakes lift kit (don't by foreign knockoffs to save a few bucks) and a 23" wheel and tire package. I just installed it all myself yesterday and we are ecstatic about the look and the ride. But all we do is ride on a combo of pavement, grass, rock, and sandy roads that are mostly flat where we live. I've put a nice stereo and speakers in it as well. But, by learning about the cart and knowing where to purchase things at good prices, I've still got less than $3k in a cart that would have cost me at least $3500 if I purchased it already done like it is now. Actually, I saw similar being sold for that amount that didn't even include the stereo.

[dragster777]

If i put a lift on it with 22in tires with it being stock, would it hurt it on the sandy dirt roads and with it pick up any speed. What is a cable update?

[SaltLifeCC]

Just the bigger wheels will add a little speed. However, the Precedents, as I understand it, have several different speed modes that can be programmed. I think speed setting 2 is the most common for a second hand golf course cart and I believe that is what mine is set to, although I've never checked the speed specifically. The first few settings can be programmed by a dealer with a specific programming interface they hook up to the cart. The fastest setting requires a special code, I assume for a price, from Club Car and that code is used in conjunction with the programmer.

I don't think the 22" tires and lift will hurt at all. I would think it would actually help with the wider tires. When mine was stock, I got it stuck in my own yard once because the ground was so wet. I don't think that would have happened if I had the new tires on it.

The cable upgrade old mec talked about is just that - upgrading the electrical cables to something that is more efficient in delivering the power to the motor. There is aftermarket stuff, such as cables, controllers, motors, etc. for these carts that can really make them go. As much as I'd love all that stuff, I find I just don't need it for what we use our cart for and I don't want to dump a bunch of money into the cart either. I'm probably going to find myself purchasing new batteries in the next year or two, if what I read around here is true and that is that the 12v batts just don't have as long a lifespan as the 8v do. I'm in good shape for now, though. All my batts check out okay each time I check them, as does the entire pack, and I keep the water checked and topped off and it seems to charge like it should.

[Beacon]

I have also just bought a 07 Precedent. It needs new batteries for sure. Best place to by batteries? I have a cc dealer 2 miles away and he wants $155 per 12v batt. Is that a good price? They are trojan batt. He said he can also do code 4 for $100 which from what I have read so far is a good price.