Perfect beach buggy - Ezgo or Club Car??

[CoastalCart]

Hey there guys! Wanted to tap into your collective wisdom for some insight and to ask a few questions I hadn't really seen answered here.

My wife's parents had a lifted Ezgo Series 36v cart at their beachhouse in Galveston (with 22" tires, rear seat, and 4awg wires the only other mods I could see). As you can imagine, it was slow as molasses. Luckily, (or unluckily) its demise was the only real casualty at their house in Hurricane Ike back in 2008. So I've been tasked with finding a replacement, and have been instructed to hop to it.

Usage will be fairly limited - a few 1/3 mile jaunts between the house and the beach a few weekends a month, a few (5) months a year. Land is completely flat, and max people/cargo load on the cart will be 700#, and usually far less. Main improvement I'd be looking for would be some more speed - hopefully in the ~20mph range. Looks like the main availability down here is Ezgo and Club Car, so I figure I can limit the discussion to those two. Have found both similarly priced and conditioned, so would love to get y'all's opinion on some technical aspects!

From what I can tell, the Ezgo PDS can hit ~20mph with the $5 Freedom chip, 22" tires and maybe some upgraded 4awg wiring. But will that extra load on the motor burn it up quickly or have any other adverse effects on the other guts? Are my speed expectations fair?

Looking at the alternative, likely a pre-2010 Club Car Precedent - meaning the 48v with 4-12v batteries - it looks like it takes more $$$ and effort to get to 20mph. Bare minimum would be a Level 4 performance code for ~$100, and likely also a PlumQuick Bandit rebuild on the motor, for $225 + shipping both ways. Plus maybe 4awg cable upgrade. Again, is this correct? Would a DS be the answer? Although I think they had similar internals to the Precedent, right?

Potential leg up for the Club Car is the aluminum frame, which in a beach environment could be a big plus. Any of you have Ezgos around the beach - can you make it work if you keep the frame cleaned off and repaint every year or so?

Sorry for the long message, but I'm hoping you guys can help me pick the right one before we're committed. Posted in both camps to be fair

Thanks!!

[rinman]

First off I have a 2004 Club Car Precedent (4 x 12v) and have had no problems with it so my vote would be for the CC. As far as hitting 20 mph my cart is stock everything on the engine/controller with speed code 3 with 23 inch tires. I can get 19.5-21 mph on flat ground. I don't run it that hard for any extended time so I don't think it gets hurt. The only mod you mention that I have considered is the 4 or 2 awg wires. Not experienced any problems, but seems to be a good mod for the long term no matter how you look at it.

As for the Ezgo PDS I have had no experience.......so my choice would be a CC and I just like the Precedent body style over the DS......aluminum frame will be no maintenance compared to any steel frame.

Good luck on whichever you choose!

[CoastalCart]

Thanks a lot rinman - makes me feel better that you were able to get to that speed without having to drop a bunch of cash into the drivetrain. And you did it with a speed code 3. Did your dealer do that for you for free?

Have you other guys had similar results?

[rinman]

I bought my cart used a year ago from a dealer and he set the speed code to 3 for no charge. Not sure if every dealer would do that but mine did.

[scottyb]

Ezgo PDS is hands down the best choice here. Stock PDS with a $5 speed chip gets 19mph.
You will get 24mph easy out of a 36v PDS cart with controller pkg upgrade for $515

[CoastalCart]

Thanks ScottyB! I was just digging through an old 2010 thread where some guys was about to buy a lifted PDS, and mikemotorsports (I think that's the name) was warning him against it, since it'd burn up the stock controller. But that the 2008 and above PDS carts had a better controller that could handle the lift/bigger tires. Is that true?? Because the PDS I'm looking at is a 2008. Can I assume all 2008's have the improved controller, or was it a mid-year change?

And should I be concerned with rust on the Ezgo frame near the beach, or would preventative maintenance (regular hose offs and occasional repaints) keep me in good shape?

[shadowman]

the one factor i would want to really consider no matter what brand you get for beach use is i would want 48 volts......just a bit more humf for the sandy drives............................

[TahoeDawgZ71]

Precedent. I wouldn't wish an E-Z-GO on my worst enemy. ESPECIALLY at the beach. I've seen what those frames look like here in Augusta, I can't imagine how bad it would get at the beach. Unless however you want to replace the entire frame every few years or so.

[CoastalCart]

TahoeDawg, thanks for chiming in on this. The aluminum frame seems like a great thing to have down at the beach.

Since I know you're lurking here now , one of my main concerns about the 48v Precedent is that I've heard it described as "gutless" - even by Club Car guys - in more than one thread (heck, it might even have been you?? all the threads run together after awhile). And I just think of the pokey Club Car Precedents I've had on golf courses, and so I think it gives me a bad impression. Are they just set on a super low speed setting probably??

Looks like rinman had some pretty good luck getting his up to ~20mph without significant upgrades. Is his experience unique, or is that pretty standard?

Thanks!!

[TahoeDawgZ71]

I've never said a precedent was gutless. It's got the same IQ system as a DS car. Plenty of power. Speed code 4 will get you 19.6mph. A PQ bandit will get you 22-24mph at a great price. I stand behind the Precedent 100%. That's why there's one in my garage.