Rethinking the 6 x 8 volt upgrade.Lithium?

[Davey11A]

I have been rethinking this battery upgrade to 6 x 8 volt AGM batteries.
After some research the lithium batteries make sense. Slightly more money but appears to be of much better value and longevity.
I would welcome any input from members that have done the lithium conversion. What battery did you use? Any install issues? Any issues after install?
Currently looking at the Eco Battery conversion kit.
Thanks in advance for any input.

[scottyb]

There are a lot of options out there. I highly recommend the Eco 51v/72ah drop in Lithium battery /charger combo. More run time than 6/8v with none of the water and corrosion and an 8 yr warranty.

[bronsonj]

Drop in options weren't available when I converted. But the difference has been fantastic and I am so glad I switched to lithium. It would be time for me to buy another set of lead acid batteries right about now... So I'm glad to not have to do that again!

To note, your cart will lose a lot of weight. So you may need to reduce the air pressure in your tires a bit for a softer ride. That and your cart will sit a little higher. I have Dual Action rear springs instead of normal HD springs as HD springs with less weight will be pretty stiff.

Also, please be sure to use the supplied charger and not your old lead acid charger. Some people do that and rely on the BMS to control everything. They give you the charger just be sure to use it.

[Davey11A]

Originally Posted by scottyb

There are a lot of options out there. I highly recommend the Eco 51v/72ah drop in Lithium battery /charger combo. More run time than 6/8v with none of the water and corrosion and an 8 yr warranty.

Scottyb
Thanks for your input. I do have a question/concern about run time. My 2010 RVX is lifted and has 25" tires, and has the Curtis 350 amp controller. Our property is mostly hills. Will the 51v/105ah Eco Battery have similar run time as the four VMAXTANK 12 volt, 155 ah AGM batteries I need to replace?
The other concern is when driving down a long steep hill the regen braking will over heat/over volt the controller. When this over heat/over volt condition occurs the cart goes into a freewheel. No throttle and no brakes!
I have installed a cooling fan that blows over the resistor and the controller heat sink. The fan does help as long as the down hill speed is greatly reduced.
Before making the change to lithium I want to be sure the normal everyday use of the cart will not damage the lithium battery.
Thanks for your help with this decision.
This is a great forum with many very knowledgeable members.

[Davey11A]

Originally Posted by bronsonj

Drop in options weren't available when I converted. But the difference has been fantastic and I am so glad I switched to lithium. It would be time for me to buy another set of lead acid batteries right about now... So I'm glad to not have to do that again!

To note, your cart will lose a lot of weight. So you may need to reduce the air pressure in your tires a bit for a softer ride. That and your cart will sit a little higher. I have Dual Action rear springs instead of normal HD springs as HD springs with less weight will be pretty stiff.

Also, please be sure to use the supplied charger and not your old lead acid charger. Some people do that and rely on the BMS to control everything. They give you the charger just be sure to use it.

bronsoj
Thanks for your comments. I will need to check the ride height as it barely clears the garage door. I am leaning towards the Eco Battery conversion kit.
Any thoughts on the Eco vs the RoyPow?

[Volt_Ampere]

The Lithium weight reduction is significant when it comes to climbing hills.

[Pat911]

And will also reduce the regen required when going down hill, mitigating your over heating problem.

Regen won’t damage lithium batteries. The only problem that may arise is if the battery is near full charge. If enough regen is provided to fully recharge the battery, the BMS will disconnect, leaving your to free wheel down the hill with no brakes, as you’ve experienced before. You really need to be at almost full charge for this to happen and can easily be avoided.

Reading on this forum, Eco battery have very good after sales support. That’s worth a hell of a lot.

Cheers
Pat.

[Warden902]

I changed over to Chins lithium batteries. I am running 4 12V 100Ah batteries. I have ran this system from Spring to current time. They have been awesome. I can make 6 or more rounds compared to 1 with the wet cell batteries. I had these delivered to my door for less than $350 per battery. I had an issue with one battery dropping out before full depletion and contacted Chins and there service was top notch. It wasn't an issue with the battery. I just needed to balance them. I have had no issue since. I highly recommend this battery. The only feature this battery doesn't have over the more expensive ones is the low temperature cut off. If you plan on using your cart below freezing tempatures this may be a deal breaker.

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by Warden902

I changed over to Chins lithium batteries. I am running 4 12V 100Ah batteries. I have ran this system from Spring to current time. They have been awesome. I can make 6 or more rounds compared to 1 with the wet cell batteries. I had these delivered to my door for less than $350 per battery. I had an issue with one battery dropping out before full depletion and contacted Chins and there service was top notch. It wasn't an issue with the battery. I just needed to balance them. I have had no issue since. I highly recommend this battery. The only feature this battery doesn't have over the more expensive ones is the low temperature cut off. If you plan on using your cart below freezing tempatures this may be a deal breaker.

1. What charger did you choose for your setup?
2. Are you using the stock controller or have you upgraded that? (I have an Alltrax)
3. Does the battery BMS ever cut out when you hit the throttle and take a big amp draw out of the batteries? I thought this was the weak link in using the cheaper 12v batteries.

Thanks

[Volt_Ampere]

The real weak link using 12V batteries is that they don't stay balanced. Each one has a BMS but they can't talk to each other to balance. I don't like this configuration. You need to make sure they stay balanced over time.