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Electric EZGO Electric EZ GO Marathon, Medalist, TXT and RXV.



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Old 11-07-2012, 06:09 PM   #1
bbradf44
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Question marathon speed

alright been a while. i have a 1992 ez-go Marathon all stock parts(except for front axle, just replaced yesterday). i use my cart to get everywhere as i live in a golf cart community. lately it has been lacking "get up and go" i think because its getting colder at night. anyone have ideas on how i can speed it up? or a good way to warm it quickly in the morning? and also, even in the summer its not very fast so any ideas on how to speed it up without changing parts would be GREATLY appreciated.
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Old 11-07-2012, 08:53 PM   #2
pjmia96
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Default Re: marathon speed

If it were my cart I would make sure my Battery's are fully charged and working properly and not dropping voltage under a load. Then I would make sure all the connections are clean and tight. The more resistance you have the hotter and slower the cart will run, I would drive it around like you normally would and when your done feel around on the different parts under the seat to check for heat. It is OK for things to get SLIGHTLY warm, but not hot. If you find something to be Really Hot that means you have resistance. Resistance is wasted energy that could be used to give the cart more power. If the cart runs OK but just needs a little boost I would upgrade all of my cables (Battery's Motor, Solenoid, Controller, and forward and reverse switch) Cables to AT LEAST 4 Gauge. Bigger Cables means less Resistance, Less resistance means less heat, Less heat means a smoother running cart. if you want to go bigger you could go to 2 Gauge. If you just use the cart to cruise around the block I think 4 Gauge will work just fine. It worked wonders on my Cart.

What is your Total Pack Voltage when fully charged?

Someone else will chime in on this too.

Let us know what you find,

Matt
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Old 11-07-2012, 09:54 PM   #3
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Default Re: marathon speed

Where would one find new cables and are the super expensive?

Last edited by bbradf44; 11-07-2012 at 09:55 PM.. Reason: Typo
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Old 11-07-2012, 10:27 PM   #4
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Default Re: marathon speed

Scotty B should be able to help you with that. I hear he makes some Nice cable kits. Or you can do what I did and buy about 18ft worth of 4 gauge welding cable and get some cable ends and crimp and solider your own.

http://cartsunlimited.net/Battery_Cable_Upgrades.html

Check out his kits I will ask him to check out your thread.

Matt
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Old 11-08-2012, 06:20 AM   #5
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Default Re: marathon speed

Like me, my cart has less oomph when it's cold.

The chemical reaction in the battery slows down as temperature decrease.
At 0°F cart batteries only have about 50% of the capacity they have at 80°F.
It is more or less a linear decrease, so when fully charged at 40°F they are at about 75%.

On the flip side of that coin, batteries produce more when they are above 80°F, so at 100°F you get about 120%, but at the expense of battery life, so battery packs in warmer climates don't last as long as the ones in cooler places.

So going from 100° weather down to 40° weather will reduce battery power by about 45%.

---------------

Putting your fully charged batteries on charge for half an hour or so before using cart will warm them up a bit.

---------------

I might be wrong on the exact number, but I think the top speed on a stock Marathon controller cart is about 12 MPH. (Anybody knowing for sure, please post the correct top speed)

If you are not getting that speed, one or more of the following four things exists:
1. Weak or not fully charged battery pack.
2. Resistance in high current loop.
3. Throttle not telling controller to pass the maximum amount of Amps to motor.
4. Mechanical drag.

---------------

Once the cart is running at its maximum efficiency (IE: Maximum stock speed), getting it to go faster will take aftermarket parts and money.
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Old 11-08-2012, 06:29 AM   #6
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Default Re: marathon speed

All good advice.

Stock speed is 12mph. If you have a smart phone, or know someone who does, download one of the many free gps speed apps and clock your cart on flat-n-level. How far you may be off from the stock 12mph may shed a little light on what your probable cause is.

There is also the possibility of the motors carbon brushes being worn to.

Interesting words from JohnnyB in regards to temp variables. Now I'm wondering how fast my cart will be in the Christmas parade when it's 5 degrees out
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Old 11-08-2012, 08:36 AM   #7
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Default Re: marathon speed

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gonkulor View Post
All good advice.

Stock speed is 12mph. If you have a smart phone, or know someone who does, download one of the many free gps speed apps and clock your cart on flat-n-level. How far you may be off from the stock 12mph may shed a little light on what your probable cause is.

There is also the possibility of the motors carbon brushes being worn to.

Interesting words from JohnnyB in regards to temp variables. Now I'm wondering how fast my cart will be in the Christmas parade when it's 5 degrees out
Motor brushes are part of the high current loop.
Along that line, the carbon dust from normal brush wear builds up inside the motor and creates conductive paths that route some of the current around the windings instead of through them. Thereby reducing the efficiency of the system.

-------------

Your straight line speed will be about 3.4 MPH (30" steps at 120 steps per minute.)
If you meander side to side, it will be higher.
If you follow any horses (or rain-deer), your traction will be less.
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Old 11-08-2012, 09:39 AM   #8
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Default Re: marathon speed

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Originally Posted by JohnnieB View Post
Your straight line speed will be about 3.4 MPH (30" steps at 120 steps per minute.)
If you meander side to side, it will be higher.
If you follow any horses (or rain-deer), your traction will be less.
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Old 11-08-2012, 09:52 AM   #9
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Default Re: marathon speed

I never knew that carts run slower when cold. I never notice a difference in mine but I probably won't because the Gas pedal never leaves the floor. Lol
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Old 11-08-2012, 10:03 AM   #10
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Default Re: marathon speed

Quote:
Originally Posted by pjmia96 View Post
I never knew that carts run slower when cold. I never notice a difference in mine but I probably won't because the Gas pedal never leaves the floor. Lol
If you ever lived up north like I have, north MN with -30 degree weather. You would know how batteries don't perform in the cold. Darn I'm glad I live in Idaho now. I'm longitudinally further north than when I was in MN, but. -30, c'mon folks.... really! 5 degrees is fine for me.

Sorry, I'm off topic but I really wanted to comment on how cold, cold can be.
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