test drive impressions

[noserider]

Guys

Need a little feedback. I test drove a 07 or 08 Precedent today. It had 6" A arm lift and 14" tires with a rear seat. It was my first one to drive. I'm comparing the ride to my stock 04 CC DS no rear seat or HD springs or lift so basically your stock golf course cart. The first thing I noticed when I sat in the cart was the seat was firm (ok hard) on both the bottom and the backrest. The second thing I noticed while underway was the tires made a humming or whining sound basically like you hear with a truck with muddies. I gave the brakes a firm squeeze and they were sufficient but to me not as good as my DS. The tires according to the dealer were some of the more tolerable for both ride and noise and still give you the offroad cool look to them so i'm wondering if all if not most will do this. My driving will mostly be paved neighborhood roads with the occcasional field with grass in my neighborhood parks. So in summary what i was hoping for was a fairly smooth ride with a comfortable seat and a quiet ride with no tire noise with decent braking. I don't feel like I achieved any of those today.

[shadowman]

i agree you didn,t accomplish anything.....its not fair to try and compare a stock cart to one all tricked out..........having said that there are many tires out there that will give you a smooth quiet ride......if it had a backseat and HD shocks its gonna be a more bumpeir or jarring ride...........best thing might be to just keep test driving carts but don,t compare cart to cart unless they are comparable................good luck...........................

[noserider]

Originally Posted by shadowman

i agree you didn,t accomplish anything.....its not fair to try and compare a stock cart to one all tricked out..........having said that there are many tires out there that will give you a smooth quiet ride......if it had a backseat and HD shocks its gonna be a more bumpeir or jarring ride...........best thing might be to just keep test driving carts but don,t compare cart to cart unless they are comparable................good luck...........................

Well there are some things that are important to me in a cart. Hopefully they will be achieveable with a lifted cart since that is the look I'm after.

1) No rock hard seat

2) 12-14 inch wheels that look cool that are quiet..no offroad capability neccessary here.

3) Decent braking and acceleration.

4) A stiffer ride I can live with if the other 3 above are met.

I realize different carts will ride and feel different. I'm just looking for the best setup to get the best fit for my needs. Also wondering what others have experienced with similar setups in these areas.

[noserider]

Originally Posted by shadowman

i agree you didn,t accomplish anything.....its not fair to try and compare a stock cart to one all tricked out..........having said that there are many tires out there that will give you a smooth quiet ride......if it had a backseat and HD shocks its gonna be a more bumpeir or jarring ride...........best thing might be to just keep test driving carts but don,t compare cart to cart unless they are comparable................good luck...........................

And actually I acomplished an enormous amount today. I discovered the setup I drove will not meet my needs or wants without some modifications. That's what I was hoping you guys could help me out with.

[SaltLifeCC]

If you can test drive and find what you want, already tricked out, then you'll have no worries. Otherwise, buy a basically stock cart and make it your own. As posted above, there are plenty of tire options to choose from to get the ride and low noise level you want. If the seats don't suit you, then eliminate that model cart altogether unless you are willing to change them out. Everyone has their own wants and needs, so nobody can tell you what is going to suit you.

I had an 03 DS (Gas) that had a 3" or so lift and 20" knobby tires. They hummed a tune on pavement but the ride was okay and the cart was comfortable and the braking was fine. But, when I moved up to my 06 Precedent, I felt like I was going from a chevy to a cadilac. To me, the ride was better and the seats much more comfortable. Yeh, maybe a bit firmer, but more supportive and more in the right position for me. But I'm 6'4"/240. And, other than a rear seat, it was bone stock at the time. I was worried how it would suffer from a lift and bigger rims/tires but it wasn't that bad at all. I also didn't need anything real agressive in a tire, just wanted something that "looked" off-road but had a decent ride and little noise. They make a little hum but not as bad as many I've seen and heard, certainly tolerable to me. I didn't upgrade to HD springs so I didn't have to worry about that factor. I have no complaints about the braking at all, before or after the modifications.

Bottom line, for me, I like my Precedent more than I liked my DS, but I didn't know the difference when I had my DS, I was fine with it. For you, it may be just the opposite.

[shadowman]

oh i hear ya but comparing a lifted cart with bigger tires to a stock cart is a crapshoot at best thats why i said just drive some around until you find one for you................i have a lifted 97 with offroad tires no backeat or HD springs but drives as smooth as silk.......better than my 93 stock.......................

[noserider]

I think I need to drive another Precedent to see if it would be any different than the one today. Todays ride had new seat covers that were really tight. I don't know if that could have made a difference. I'm 6 3" and close to 220. Not sure if that makes any difference. Like you said everyone has their own sense of what feels good to them. I'll be testing some different carts out over the next couple weeks so I will be better able to identify what suits me. If anyone could recommend a 12 or 14 inch tire that is quiet that would be a big help.

[LURCH]

Go with a 12", you will get a better ride than a 14" more sidewall. Check out the one I got, Vision VX's 6 ply DOT tire. Hope this helps.

[noserider]

Originally Posted by LURCH

Go with a 12", you will get a better ride than a 14" more sidewall. Check out the one I got, Vision VX's 6 ply DOT tire. Hope this helps.

Thanks..that's the kind of recommendation i was looking for.

[TahoeDawgZ71]

you may also want to call a site sponsor or your dealer and get a new seat. The plastic seats have now been replaced with old school wooden seat bottoms that are actually softer than the DS model seats used to be. Handrails must be changed as well but they're pretty cheap.