stock 08 yamaha drive

[talger]

ive got big plans and little dollars. i would like some more speed. i have brand new 4x12v batteries. i would like to make them last, as you all know they were not cheap. it will be general usage on the road, on the power lines, flats and hills. what would be a good way to gain some speed without losing too much torque? also as far as lifts and tires, 3" or 6", i want to keep it safe with my son riding with me. do all tire upgrades require new wheels and or spacers? i saw the thread posted about pdfs of manuals, but i didnt find any. are those available somewhere online? i know this is a lot at once. thanks for any help you all can offer. lastly i read about diconnecting the 3-wire connection for the regen. is that an option? would there be any cons in doing that?

[COURTESYCART]

Lift: IMO a 3" lift for a yamaha is enuff with a 20" tire. Reason being is the controller does not like big wheels/tires for off-road use. also keeping the tires at 20" will increase speed 2-3 mph and keeps your torque up.

Wheels: you dont have to replace your wheels, but if you go to 10" wheels your tire selection is 1000 better. if you go 12" you have about the same selection. Most of the time you can get wheel/tire combo's cheap enuf to offset the swapping of tires. swapping tires on a 8" rim just plain s*cks.

manuals: I have no idea

wire: never heard or read about it. you can get your dealer to reprogram your controller to deactivate regen braking.

[talger]

Sounds like a great starting point for me. Just the stuff I need to know to get me rolling. Thanks!

[swampsat]

as far as the 3 wire connection for the regen you can not disconect it will run like crap (jerky)

[talger]

Thanks, I want to do what I can to make these batteries last anyway.

[tomtt2]

When you say "Make the batteries last" I assume that you are talking about lasting over the long haul versus getting the maximum mileage per charge. That being the case, you may want to look into a device called a "De-sulfator". As I understand it, the build up of sulfate on the battery plates is the primary reason for battery performance decline (assuming they are properly maintained and do not short out a plate due to low fluid level and over heating). From what I've read, the U.S. Army uses de-sulfators on their vehicle because they tend to sit long periods without use. Do some google-ing and you will see that the reviews on the effectiveness of this kind of product are pretty good. I think it's more than a gimik. If sulfation could be reduced, the batteries could last a very long time.

Good luck with it.

[talger]

I'll look into that. Thanks

[swampsat]

The biggest thing you can do is: drive the cart, keep water in the batteries at proper level, clean them about once a month, and keep them charged. Your batteries should last for a few years.

And as far as the (De-sulfator) go don't bother with them. They shorten the life of the batteries. Plus it will void the warranty of the batteries.

[talger]

Got it. Thanks

[tomtt2]

Swampsat, thanks for the tip on De-sulfators. I keep reading about them (for the obvious reason--increased battery life). I'm not a chemist, so I don't pretend to know how they work. I didn't know that they would void the battery warranty.

Can you share any more info on them? What kind of damage do they do to batteries? Obviously, those selling them won't be too quick to share that kind of information, so passing along your knowledge and experience would be helpful to a lot of us.

Thanks for jumping in to this discussion.

T