Front Wheel Issue

[pgold]

I have a 2009 E-Z-GO RXV and recently replaced all 4 wheels/tires. Since this time, my front right wheel makes a noise every rotation and the ride is now very jerky. I moved a back wheel/tire to the front (and then then vice versa) to see if it was the wheel and it was not.

I thought it might be the wheel bearing because when I raise the cart, there is some "play" with the tire (grab the tire at 9:00 and 3:00 and when i push in and out it does move a little).

When I called a website to order the part and explained my issue they thought it was the lug nuts...

Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you,
Peter

[bronsonj]

I doubt it's the lug nuts. But if it is then it'll be very easy to tell. Just make sure your wheel is on right and make sure all 4 are tight.

If you have verified the lug nuts are good then raise the cart and grab the wheel at 12 and 6 and see if you have play up and down. It should be pretty tight.

Lastly, if you put the old wheels back on does the problem go away?

[pgold]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, i just lifted the cart, put a hand at 12 and hand at 6, and yes the wheel does have some play in it. The lug nuts are tight though.

[HarryT]

Silly question but you are putting the lug nuts on with the tapered side towards the wheel.
Harry

[cgtech]

The stock 8" wheels are widely known to be POS for higher speed use. You did not disclose what wheels, or speeds you are doing. More info would be helpful.

[BobBoyce]

Originally Posted by pgold

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, i just lifted the cart, put a hand at 12 and hand at 6, and yes the wheel does have some play in it. The lug nuts are tight though.

Let me start by stating that I'm a retired aerospace engineer that had been involved with the design of electric vehicles for some time, so some of what I might say may be too technical for the average individual.

E-Z-GO designs their carts for golf and other low speed use. As such, there is a fair amount of play in the suspension/steering that is not obvious. This is because E-Z-GO is in the business of mass production, and having tight tolerances causes fitment issues on an assembly line. Since golf carts and LSVs are designed for low speed use, they can get away with wider tolerances to allow for less issues on an assembly line. As things wear, tolerances get wider, creating even more play.

With small tires and wheels, it is not as obvious. When you go larger, you are increasing the amount of movement that occurs from the same amount of play. Aside from replacing all components with wear, the only thing you can really do is to start over and get rid of the factory play in the fit of these components. It's a lot more difficult and expensive than one would think.

First, E-Z-GO has switched from metal to plastic in many of the replacement bushings.

Second, many of the bushings were designed with an SAE standard, while many of the bolts, shafts, and other threaded components were switched to Metric.

The RXV kingpin for example, the hole through the center of the kingpin has about 0.5mm of play with the bolt used. But if you try to use the next sized SAE bolt, it is 0.2mm larger than the hole. So it requires a precision reamer to enlarge the hole to fit the bolt. Drill bits commonly available are not usually precise enough to use in place of a reamer. I bought brand new spindle assemblies from E-Z-GO, and the fit was horrible. I had to go custom.

I found bronze bushings that are a precise fit for the RXV A-Arms to get rid of the plastic bushings, but again, the bolts used are undersized metric. It again requires a reamer to open the holes to be a precision fit for larger SAE bolts.

You can go through the entire front suspension and tighten everything up with custom components. Just don't expect any help from E-Z-GO. They are obligated to comply with federal and state laws, and those laws limit the speeds that are allowed with low speed vehicles.

As "Tim the tool man" would say, MORE POWER! grunt-grunt-grunt

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/road-...-road-car.html

And for what can happen when things go very wrong...

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...naway-rxv.html

Never give up, never surrender. Just be safe out there while doing so! LOL

Bob

[pgold]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Silly question but you are putting the lug nuts on with the tapered side towards the wheel.
Harry

Hi Harry. Yes, the lug nuts were put on with the tapered side towards the wheel.

[pgold]

Originally Posted by cgtech

The stock 8" wheels are widely known to be POS for higher speed use. You did not disclose what wheels, or speeds you are doing. More info would be helpful.

Great question, 215/35/12

[cgtech]

Ok, so if your rims have center caps, remove them & try again, I have seen lots of trouble with the center caps preventing the wheels from setting right against the hubs on the cart.

[pgold]

Originally Posted by cgtech

Ok, so if your rims have center caps, remove them & try again, I have seen lots of trouble with the center caps preventing the wheels from setting right against the hubs on the cart.

I removed the caps and my issue continued. In fact when I had the cart up, I rotated the tire by hand and heard the same clicking noise.

I may just order a new wheel hub and replace the wheel bearings all in one shot. Is this a reasonable solution?