96 g16 any advise on weather to buy a clone motor or do add ons to stock?

[cgtech]

Originally Posted by TheNewGuy

Not bashing Plowman? Looks like you are calling him a liar and your info is wrong. Don Plowman is not a liar. He has been at this 25+ years and is very highly respected all across the golf cart world.
It's cool that you are a cheerleader for Vegas however, bashing is not tolerated here Ray.

Is it still allowable to bash BU/Nivel?

[raydhd]

Sho did correct me that the carb does get it's bore increased.My apologies to Don Plowman and anyone else I offended with my zeal for clones.

[BrewCityMusic]

Well here's MY 2 cents, having done several G16's and G22's w Plowmans "Hot Setup" as well as a couple of VC Clones ... I live at an old ski-area so no shortage of serious terrain, and the "Hot Setup" with 23" tires significantly increases the ability to power up hills without bogging down too badly (including some stuff that a cart probably shouldn't be on, LOL) whereas the Clone will generally lose traction faster because of the huge difference in HP ... While both are pretty much suited for "putting around" as well as the faster, fun stuff the difference in volume is definitely to be considered, even with a Walker muffler on the Clone - all in all they are really 2 entirely different animals.

Are You handy around tools and simple projects, because both installs are pretty straightforward and if you can do one You can certainly do the other, albeit the Clone install does take an extra hour or so if You are prepared and have everything ready to go. Top speed w the Plowmans is going to likely be right around that 30mph mark give or take on 23's, with the Clone it's 40+ and You get there a lot quicker - but as I mentioned, sometimes that extra power (at least the way I personally drive) can get You into trouble, especially considering You are driving a chassis designed for 12-15mph that has already been compromised stability-wise with a lift at 30+ or even 40+ mph ... See where I'm going with this? If You're ready to deal with the self-control issues and drive a clone responsibly, well they definitely are a TON of rip-roaring fun, but if Your cart is driven by other people regularly then that needs to be considered too and the Plowmans setup will give You a lot more than your stock engine while still remaining somewhat tamer and more forgiving.

Like I said, 2 different animals. Neither one really has any *drawbacks* - the big question is what do you really NEED based on what You expect the cart to do, then balance $1350 for 25hp+ and a brand new motor against $5-600 for 14 or 15hp and now You're building a used engine, etc ... Neither choice is bad, just quite different.

I guess if I had to sum it all up, the Plowmans route is a great upgrade (prob the best bang for the buck and best results out there) to a stock cart, the Clone route is basically elevating a golf cart to the next level - hard to compare the two or argue the merits of either based on the other.

[SandbaggerYDRA]

Originally Posted by BrewCityMusic

Well here's MY 2 cents, having done several G16's and G22's w Plowmans "Hot Setup" as well as a couple of VC Clones ... I live at an old ski-area so no shortage of serious terrain, and the "Hot Setup" with 23" tires significantly increases the ability to power up hills without bogging down too badly (including some stuff that a cart probably shouldn't be on, LOL) whereas the Clone will generally lose traction faster because of the huge difference in HP ... While both are pretty much suited for "putting around" as well as the faster, fun stuff the difference in volume is definitely to be considered, even with a Walker muffler on the Clone - all in all they are really 2 entirely different animals.

Are You handy around tools and simple projects, because both installs are pretty straightforward and if you can do one You can certainly do the other, albeit the Clone install does take an extra hour or so if You are prepared and have everything ready to go. Top speed w the Plowmans is going to likely be right around that 30mph mark give or take on 23's, with the Clone it's 40+ and You get there a lot quicker - but as I mentioned, sometimes that extra power (at least the way I personally drive) can get You into trouble, especially considering You are driving a chassis designed for 12-15mph that has already been compromised stability-wise with a lift at 30+ or even 40+ mph ... See where I'm going with this? If You're ready to deal with the self-control issues and drive a clone responsibly, well they definitely are a TON of rip-roaring fun, but if Your cart is driven by other people regularly then that needs to be considered too and the Plowmans setup will give You a lot more than your stock engine while still remaining somewhat tamer and more forgiving.

Like I said, 2 different animals. Neither one really has any *drawbacks* - the big question is what do you really NEED based on what You expect the cart to do, then balance $1350 for 25hp+ and a brand new motor against $5-600 for 14 or 15hp and now You're building a used engine, etc ... Neither choice is bad, just quite different.

I guess if I had to sum it all up, the Plowmans route is a great upgrade (prob the best bang for the buck and best results out there) to a stock cart, the Clone route is basically elevating a golf cart to the next level - hard to compare the two or argue the merits of either based on the other.

I have a question with regard to clone engines. I understand one of the most popular routes to go is the Harbor Freight 420 engine. If I understand right, those are Chinese made engines. Is there any issue on quality/reliability with Chinese made engines versus Honda or Briggs engines?

[maxim1157]

I can't say how good the Harbor Freight 420 is in a golf cart, but I can say that a co worker has one mounted to their log splitter, and have been using it now for 4 yrs. without any issues.

[cfherrman]

Any Chinese product will have quality control issues, some will be awesome and some lemons. If you can find a American assembled and China made engine it's a pretty good combo. The VC engines are like this if I recall

[cgtech]

Assembly quality control may vary, but it's a sound design. As far as I know, it was a good enough design for Honda to design it before China copied it.

[raydhd]

The VC engine are assembled and fitted here in the USA in vegas using both chineese and american made parts.

[SandbaggerYDRA]

Originally Posted by cgtech

Assembly quality control may vary, but it's a sound design. As far as I know, it was a good enough design for Honda to design it before China copied it.

That's where my head is at. The Chinese are very good at copying good designs...... not so good at building them with close tolerances and quality. Hence my initial concerns. Every now and then Harbor Freight runs specials on their engines and I've seen the 420 go for $299 already, and now they have a 22 HP V-twin in the $600 range, it's an economical repower option IF the quality is good.

[raydhd]

One of the ultra light aircraft crowd did an in depth analysis of hardness and clearance factors on the 22 hp predator. He claimed it was up to spec in all areas. You might want to see if you can dig his report up. I have a VC 460 with over 170 trouble free hours on it.