lifted club cars - lifted ezgo
Home FAQDonate Who's Online
Go Back   Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum > Golf Cart Repair and Troubleshooting > Electric EZGO
Electric EZGO Electric EZ GO Marathon, Medalist, TXT and RXV.



Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-05-2014, 02:52 PM   #1
tteckster
Getting Wild
 
tteckster's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: High Point, NC
Posts: 112
Default Driving habits

With a modified cart, what's the best (for controller, motor, ect....) way to drive? Wide open? Easy? Normal? What generates the most heat? I guess heat probes on the motor and controller would be the best way to tell. Any thoughts?
tteckster is offline   Reply With Quote
Alt Today
BGW

Golf car forum Sponsored Links

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum
   
Old 05-05-2014, 02:57 PM   #2
Olman
Gone Wild
 
Olman's Avatar
Yamaha
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Athens, Alabama
Posts: 758
Default Re: Driving habits

I would say just normal driving is best. The worst, at least on mine, is going slow in the campground with 4 people on board. My original controller went into thermal shutdown in that situation. That's what started me on the "upgrade trail"
Olman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 03:04 PM   #3
scottyb
Happy Carting
 
scottyb's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southern California
Posts: 73,358
Default Re: Driving habits

True enough. Low speed generates more heat because the load is highest on the motor at constant low speed. Creeping around (driving slower than you can walk) should be avoided.
scottyb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 03:12 PM   #4
tteckster
Getting Wild
 
tteckster's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: High Point, NC
Posts: 112
Default Re: Driving habits

What are normal Temps for the motor and controller?
tteckster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 04:36 PM   #5
JohnnieB
Techno-Nerd
 
JohnnieB's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 19,654
Default Re: Driving habits

Quote:
Originally Posted by tteckster View Post
What are normal Temps for the motor and controller?
Normal temperature rise varies with terrain and other factors, such as tall tires and weight being carried.

The maximum case temperature for a motor with Class-H insulation is 239°F.
As previously mentioned, going slow typically generates more motor heat.
Other things that heat up the motor are hard acceleration from a standstill and climbing steep hills.

Basically, a stalled motor can draw all the amps the batteries can provide and the controller will allow. However as the RPM increase, the motor is no longer capable of drawing as many amps. The higher the RPM, the fewer amps it is able to draw.

The heat comes from the fact that all the amps drawn that are not converted into torque, are converted to heat. Since the motor can draw more amps at lower RPM, the potential for generating heat is higher.

How hot a controller gets more or less tracks how many amps pass through it. Alltrax does not publish the voltage drop per 100A for SPM controllers, but for both AXE and DCX 500A controllers it is 0.09V per 100A so it is probably about the same for s 500A SPM, and that is where a lot of controller heat rise comes from.

------------
I live in hilly terrain and I have gotten my motors in the 220°F range as measured with a thermocouple attached to the case, but the controllers stay cool enough to touch.
JohnnieB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 06:48 PM   #6
tteckster
Getting Wild
 
tteckster's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: High Point, NC
Posts: 112
Default Re: Driving habits

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnieB View Post
Normal temperature rise varies with terrain and other factors, such as tall tires and weight being carried.

The maximum case temperature for a motor with Class-H insulation is 239°F.
As previously mentioned, going slow typically generates more motor heat.
Other things that heat up the motor are hard acceleration from a standstill and climbing steep hills.

Basically, a stalled motor can draw all the amps the batteries can provide and the controller will allow. However as the RPM increase, the motor is no longer capable of drawing as many amps. The higher the RPM, the fewer amps it is able to draw.

The heat comes from the fact that all the amps drawn that are not converted into torque, are converted to heat. Since the motor can draw more amps at lower RPM, the potential for generating heat is higher.

How hot a controller gets more or less tracks how many amps pass through it. Alltrax does not publish the voltage drop per 100A for SPM controllers, but for both AXE and DCX 500A controllers it is 0.09V per 100A so it is probably about the same for s 500A SPM, and that is where a lot of controller heat rise comes from.

------------
I live in hilly terrain and I have gotten my motors in the 220°F range as measured with a thermocouple attached to the case, but the controllers stay cool enough to touch.
Thank you for your input!
tteckster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 08:25 PM   #7
yurtle
Gone Mad
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Buford, GA
Posts: 8,988
Default Re: Driving habits

Just pour some beer on the motor and if it sizzles, you getting into the danger zone. Dunno the boiling point of beer, but water is 100°C and the wire insulation is usually good to 180°C. However, the internal temp is usually hotter than the motor case, as it can't dissipate the heat as fast as it's generated, and most buggy motors aren't fan cooled.
yurtle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 08:31 PM   #8
tteckster
Getting Wild
 
tteckster's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: High Point, NC
Posts: 112
Default Re: Driving habits

Quote:
Originally Posted by yurtle View Post
Just pour some beer on the motor and if it sizzles, you getting into the danger zone. Dunno the boiling point of beer, but water is 100°C and the wire insulation is usually good to 180°C. However, the internal temp is usually hotter than the motor case, as it can't dissipate the heat as fast as it's generated, and most buggy motors aren't fan cooled.
I can do that as there's always a cooler of beer on my buggy!
tteckster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 08:36 PM   #9
tteckster
Getting Wild
 
tteckster's Avatar
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: High Point, NC
Posts: 112
Default Re: Driving habits

That makes me wonder if a 12 volt fan running off of the auxiliary battery pointed on the motor would be worth it?
tteckster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 08:50 PM   #10
yurtle
Gone Mad
E-Z-GO
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Buford, GA
Posts: 8,988
Default Re: Driving habits

I thought about placing a rag around mine and placing an ice holder on top. If you got beer, you prolly got ice.
yurtle is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Go Back   Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum > Golf Cart Repair and Troubleshooting > Electric EZGO


Thread Tools
Display Modes


Similar Threads
Thread Forum
Headlights go dim while driving Electric Club Car
G1 Driving me mad! Gas Yamaha
Charging Habits Electric Club Car


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:54 PM.


Club Car Electric | EZGO Electric | Lifted Golf Carts | Gas EZGO | Used Golf Carts and Parts

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This Website and forum is the property of Buggiesgonewild.com. No material may be taken or duplicated in part or full without prior written consent of the owners of buggiesgonewild.com. © 2006-2017 Buggiesgonewild.com. All rights reserved.