1998 Club Car 48V Series Cart

[JulianL85]

I just got a 98 Club Car 48 volt cart with the forward, neutral, reverse switch (tow/run) everything is all original (except batteries). I'm noticing going up hill with family on cart it doesn't have much power which isn't a big big deal but it just started recently bucking and I let off the pedal and ease back into it and it stops bucking and makes it up the hill. I'm pretty sure it's not the batteries... but my mine question right now is if I decide to get a new motor from one of these websites that sells them which will be a good fit for me if I live in a very hilly neighborhood and drive with me and my family around 500-550 pounds? Im wanting to just replace the motor and that's it. Im hoping there's a good motor that's not going to require me to upgrade my controller and all that other stuff. I really don't want to have to spend over 700-800 dollars so that's my budget.

[CP241]

Contact plum quick, they’ll probably be your best bet to get the best bang for your buck without a controller upgrade.

That said, controller would probably be a better purchase than a motor. Torque is needed to climb hills. Torque is derived from current draw, which is limited by the controller. Stock is around 250amps. Upgraded controller allows more current and more torque.

You’ll see gains with the stock motor and controller upgrade. Marginal but better. Motor upgrade, again marginal gains but better. New motor Will be choked by the stock controller. Think reatrictor plate on a nascar. Combo with both is really your best bet and it will cost a bit more, but feel like a completely different cart all around. I’d call David hicks at revolution golf cars and he can set you up. It won’t be a whole lot more than your $800 budget but we’ll worth the money

[Swan]

I would have to agree with the above statement of getting a controller first .Then to save a little look for a used 36volt series 10 spline motor . 36volts motors love to play on 48volts.

no matter what you buy , you are going to have to upgrade the motor and battery cables. under 500 amps you can get away with 4ga , 500 amps and over you would need 2ga (I would do 2ga from the start). When you lift the seat on a golf cart it turns into a can of worms .

[JulianL85]

So as of now what controller do I have and how many amps does it put out? And what's the max amperage the motor that's on it now. It's a 3.1 HP.

[Reddawg454]

If it has a tow/run switch its not a series cart. Does it have a lever to change fwd and reverse or a rocker switch?

[JulianL85]

Lever

[Swan]

its a series cart and the controller is 225 to 275 amps if its still stock . I ran a stock 36volt motor on 48 volts with a 700amp controller with 4ga cable for years (8+) before I melted the S1 stud off the motor (mostly due to it getting loose on me).

[Reddawg454]

I've had a couple series carts with the stock controller and a high speed motor that would run about 25 mph.

[CP241]

Originally Posted by Reddawg454

I've had a couple series carts with the stock controller and a high speed motor that would run about 25 mph.

Yes, you can get plenty of speed with a motor and stock controller. Once you get up to speed there’s not a lot of current demand. Voltage = speed and current = torque with all things equal. Put whatever motor you want in the cart, but with 500 lbs of humans it’s still gonna struggle up hills. It would be better off with controller, cables, and solenoid upgrade for that purpose.

You can have a 400ci big block but if you’re feeding it with a 50cc motorcycle carburetor it’s not going to do you much good.