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08-13-2017, 06:25 PM | #1 |
Getting Wild
Join Date: May 2017
Location: stl mo
Posts: 113
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Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
So.. I know nothing about lifts, I'm looking for a 4 or 6in lift. Probably 6
Primary purpose.... Woods riding, climbing over small logs, MUST be able to climb the Sandy River bank. (currently needs a push when it bogs down in the sand) 2ndary purpose.... Drive it the mile to town and back I'm looking to spend 5 - 700 bucks.. I'm currently setting completely factory, including governer settings. What are must have upgrades? Must stay away froms? Max wheel size and still be able to climb Sandy River bank? And let's see your setups! Thanks Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk |
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08-15-2017, 11:25 AM | #2 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
Ok I joined the BGW forum today wanting to solve an issue with a DS golf cart I was given. I brought it up to stock condition just to see what I have and the cart is a huge help at my lake property.
So I'm no help to the OP'er because I largely have the same issue. When I travel up the steep front yard from the lake it feels like the cart would love to tip over or that the uphill front wheel is lifting off the ground! I was hoping some of the experienced Club Car crowd could give me the first 5 mods that would increase stability, decrease the softness of the rear suspension, and make it look better, because ****, it looks a little wimpy. Lastly i mostly use it as a utility vehicle and welded up a diamond plate removable bed that sits over the rear fold down seat. That bed is moving the CG aft enough that it's not helping my suspension issues. Thanks for anyone and everyones help in advance. My hope is to start a rebuild project in the fall if my base platform is OK (94? DS Kawasaki FE290D) serial AG9441407571 |
08-15-2017, 12:05 PM | #3 |
Hammer Down !!!!
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Lake Geneva, WI
Posts: 2,681
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
OK, so there are several issues in play here, a lift and larger tires is a commonly-misunderstood set of accessories. First, without going to a "Long-Travel" lift kit, You aren't going to gain any real change or advantage vs stock suspension other than a lift to fit the tires - Most kits utilize the original suspension, just change the axle distance from the frame. Therefore, any advantage You see off-road is really just a product of larger tires, and the only ground clearance change is going to be half the measurement of the tire size difference IE going from an 18" stock tire to a 24" tire is only going to give You 3" of actual clearance change.
That said, the next issue is travel - and the factory suspension is good for a whopping 1.5-2" of it. A double-A-arm kit (depending on model) can increase that by .5" or so, but to get any real difference again You're looking at a Long-Travel kit (which will give You a full 6-8" of increased travel). Spindle, "Z", or most A-arm based kits will give You LIFT but will not increase travel at all. A LT kit will give you a true independent suspension up front, with both wheels able to move in either direction (up or down) to a total of about a 12" difference in axle height - THAT's where You start to see a REAL difference in the ability to soak up the bumps, small logs, rocks, etc. Onto the "Bogging" issue - without some changes to the drivetrain, adding bigger tires is only going to make this exponentially worse. The larger the tire, the more torque required to get it moving - and that engine is only going to put out 9hp so the other option is to modify the clutching, etc to get more power applied to the rear wheels. Machining the driven clutch is a big difference, swapping to a stiffer spring is also a move in the right direction. A good belt is imperative too, as is a properly working drive clutch. To sum, bigger tires and almost ANY lift is going to net You nothing more than a couple of inches of ground clearance, and no difference in travel or dampening IE ride. Also, unless You are willing to address the clutching, etc for every inch of tire size You go up, takeoff and torque are going to go down. It's hard for people to realize that these are GOLF carts, built for 12mph on level, groomed terrain. When they see big lifts and tires they immediately assume "Off-Road" but that's not at all like with a Silverado or say an F250, where you have horsepower and torque to spare right from the start. Can it be done, of course - but it's not just a matter of a few hundred bucks and a kit from the internet - to actually make these carts useable as a true off-road vehicle takes quite a bit of modifying and ensuingly, a larger budget. Hope this helped, again - not to deter You from a lift, but without realistic expectations it's pretty easy to get disappointed real quick. If You can live with a rough ride and some inherent stability issues (but are working on a budget) I always tell people to forego the shiny rims, do a basic lift and bigger plain rims and tires, spend the leftover on clutching, and You'll be a lot closer to your goals as long as You keep them within reason. |
08-19-2017, 09:03 AM | #4 |
Gone Broke
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Galveston, Texas
Posts: 1,592
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
Welcome,
You have the perfect Kart to start a project with. Kind of reminds me of mine when I first joined the Forum. Are you riding the cart right now? Those little Fe 290 engines are really strong if taken care of. One of my good friends is 6 ft 3 in tall weighs over 300 pounds... when he first sat on the golf cart it would lean pretty hard, but the little Fe 290 took us everywhere we wanted to go and maybe places we shouldn't have gone. Your cart will become an addiction as it starts to come together don't be so quick to just buy parts, there are many people on this forum that can guide you where you want to go. There are site sponsors here on this forum that can sell you the parts that you will need for your cart, by choosing one of our sponsors you help keep this forum going, just something to think about? Posting pictures is a good thing, it helps show the transformation of your cart. Here's a picture of my cart before I lifted it, and modified the hell out of it. The point of this picture is that you can take your cart in a lot of places without the lift kit LOL |
08-19-2017, 09:20 AM | #5 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Northern Indiana
Posts: 2,813
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
First: It's a golf cart not a UTV. To expand slightly on what Brew City Music said: NO lift, of any kind, does a whole lot for the rear end. The differential, axle tubes, engine pan and all can only raise by 1/2 the increase of tire diameter. Balance that against the added tire diameter changing your effective gear ratio and killing your low end torque. In other words the big aggressive tires you might want to climb that Sandy River bank, will take away the power you would need to climb that bank. Factor in the height of any lift changing the center of gravity and making it much more prone to tip over. The taller the lift the more "tippy" it will get.
The pushing to get it up that river bank, does it seem to be because of traction? Or is it because undercarriage bottoms on something? |
08-19-2017, 09:49 AM | #6 |
Gone Broke
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Galveston, Texas
Posts: 1,592
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
[QUOTE=meimk;First: It's a golf cart not a UTV.
Hmmmm UTV = Utility Task Vehicle, seems to me that my golf cart would fit in that category,( unless you are talking to HOA then it's a golf cart!) All of my friends have side by sides, I can't have a side-by-side because HOA won't allow four wheelers or side by sides in our neighborhood but they do allow golf carts. The state of Texas requires that golf carts have an off-ro ad vehicle sticker to ride the National and State Trails.. My golf cart is the best UTV vehicle I have ever had, I just wished it had four wheel drive LOL |
08-19-2017, 10:07 AM | #7 |
Gone Broke
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Galveston, Texas
Posts: 1,592
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
JD,
I love taking my cart through trails, creek beds, sand dunes, washed out gulley's and ravines..... Here are a few videos to show where my golf cart has been.... http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/video...woods-run.html There is more than one video there, from there you can form your own opinion. |
08-19-2017, 11:44 PM | #8 | ||
Getting Wild
Join Date: May 2017
Location: stl mo
Posts: 113
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
Quote:
I too am a big guy, i'm probably closer to 400lbs, ive also looking at a heavy duty suspension. also thinking about chopping the steering wheel column as the steering wheel rubs my belly now. but thats another project for a different day. Quote:
my biggest problem now is the fact i dont have enough traction, im going to look at some all terrain tire, but i need to split size against loss of torque. |
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08-19-2017, 11:46 PM | #9 |
Getting Wild
Join Date: May 2017
Location: stl mo
Posts: 113
|
Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
i see a lot of guys talk about jakes spindle lifts, and that they are so easy to install. I guess i dont the difference between the spindle lift and double a, or know of any other brands i should be looking at?
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08-20-2017, 08:53 AM | #10 |
Gone Broke
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Galveston, Texas
Posts: 1,592
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Re: Let's talk lifts, wheels and tires. 99ds
JD,
This is what I have had, all sports lifts, Mad Jacks lifts, and Jake's lifts. I am not a Salesman or a representative of any of these lifts, just a guy that likes to take his golf cart wherever he pleases. You can find a Mad Jacks lift pretty cheap, and they are great around the neighborhood, as long as you're not doing any rough housing. The all sports is an improvement over the Mad Jacks but not by much, all sport has quality control issues, such as powder coat flaking, weak helm joints. I do believe the Jake's lift kit is the best bang for your buck! Yes you can find many lifts cheaper, you get what you pay for. I live in a hostile environment, (Salt Air and corrosion) and I might have a few hostility issues...(mean mugging the dog) and the Jakes has been able to take everything I thrown at it. I have had several Jake's double a-arm lift I now have a long travel. If you go back and check out some of my threads, you will see the problems that I had with certain lifts I documented their problems and the issues that I had with them. This here is the lift that I think you should choose it is from one of our site sponsors but you might find it cheaper from another site sponsor but this is the lift that I think you should put on your cart, seeing how you are working on a budget. http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-816...981-20045.aspx Also if the little 290 runs well I would think about Machining the clutches and putting the heavy duty belt on. That little bit, most of time gives the grunt that's a little 290 is missing. One last note, From what this cart will be doing I would also recommend 10 inch rims, with the right tire pressure, the rim and tire can absorb a lot of the little impacts, it greatly smooth out the ride. (22x10-10) would be a good recommendation for size not too tall not too small. JD this is just my humble opinion, from experience |
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