2013 TXT Valor

[Dogmike]

Whats up guys, just bought a 2013 Valor with the FJ400 Kawasaki engine. I have always been a club car man, but i think ive made the switch. She's a pretty British racing green, I have tan seats on front and back, and one of the 80" tops over everything, windshield also. If anyone has any input on these carts, let me hear, good or bad. Here's a picture, not the greatest but you get the idea.

[mcdave71]

I like the the Kawi motor myself but since I have one.. Adjust the govenor and tighten the throttle cable and you'll be high 20's just like that.

[BrewCityMusic]

Nice cart - You've got the better of the two available frames IMHO, the RXV just isn't as solid as the TXT-style "Valor" ... The 400 pulls far better than the old CC 290, which I'm sure You've noticed - but if You are going to mess with or bypass the governor I'd highly recommend getting a tachometer and USING it, keep the cart under 3800RPM and You should be OK (2 reasons, number one there really is no "Rev Limiter" on these, the valves will float if You get her too high, second the Governor gears in these are plastic, and from what I heard like to self-destruct at high RPM's, locking up the rear end with shrapnel *this from a good friend who is an EZGO Field Tech) ... Keep an eye on your driven clutch, if it starts to make noise or act up, check the circlip right at the clutch side of the splines (it holds the two clutch halves together) - if it has torn up or enlarged the grove it fits in, You will need to replace the clutch (common to the 400's, and never really addressed by the factory except to offer a plastic "balancer" as a recall to help stop the vibration, OR they now offer a $500 upgrade clutch set called the TEAM clutches, on the upside they give a fairly reasonable torque upgrade, on the downside they have an entirely different torque curve so they do rob a bit of acceleration) ... The only other thing I've noticed with my 400 (and I've owned a ton of older carts so I'm pretty picky about stuff) is that the throttle linkage from the Governor Arm to the carb likes to bind a bit if You mess with the Governor, etc - that'll make the cart "jumpy" and rob you of the ability to idle or drive at a creep - after hours and hours of messing with mine, I finally installed a throttle-return "assist" spring, which for the $3 investment has been wonderful in keeping the cart performance stable on the lower-RPM end of things).

As to performance enhancements, there aren't a whole lot of them out there for these carts, I'm planning on trying out a new set of rear end gears soon but still can't decide if I'm keeping my new TEAM clutches or go back to the original set and just resigning myself to replacing them every couple of years - Probably have to figure that out before I start tearing into things too much, LOL ... There are rumors out there RE an upgraded 20hp version of this motor used in another application, but when I talked to the service tech at our local Kawi dealer he pretty much looked at me like I was an Alien, although in all fairness he was pretty Young and didn't seem to have a clue regarding these engines - I plan on making as many calls as I can until I get a definitive answer on that one, although I really can't find anything online except again "rumors" on different Golf Cart forums.

Enjoy the new cart! With my Governor adjusted and tied back as far as I dare take it I'm getting about 28mph at 3800RPM, the new TEAM clutches are a lot smoother than the factory ones but again, the accel has suffered a bit (although the torque is definitely improved) - also, as to parts, everything on your new cart is basically cross-compatible with the late TXT's with the exception of course of the engine and drivetrain parts (basically anything associated with the cradle or anything on or attached to it) - body, front end, trim, etc though, that's all TXT :)

[Dogmike]

Thanks for the input, and yes I have noticed the 400 pulls a whole lot better than any stock cart ive driven. As far as the governor, im not going to touch anything on it, dont wanna open that can worms. Its plenty fast enough for cruising the campground. My next purchase is going to be a dash, or some sort of glove box cover with doors. I have to say I am pleased with the performance, but then again, i was cruising a 96 CC DS, with a worn out engine. Glad to be a new member of the E-Z-GO family