Power Problems

[huntnwego]

I have a stock '06 EZGO that I have installed a 6" lift kit with 23" tires to use off road. The problem is the area I normally go offroad riding is very hilly and my batteries just don't hold up very long roughly about 1.5 hours is this norm. All my batteries check good. We (the kids) also ride our cart around the neighborhood. I was wondering what the gear ratio was before I lifted it and how much did I change it with the bigger tires? I know I can change the controller and motor to get more power but I'm looking for a cheaper fix if there is one like changing the gears in the rear end. If this is a fix what choice of new gears do I have and how much of a change will I see. Also I have heard that as your batteries age they lose their charge much quicker than when they are new. Is this true and about how much are we talking about? Any help and technical info for gear change out would be gratefully appreciated.

[roady89]

The stock ratio should be 12.44:1. Yes, when you added larger tires the FINAL ratio chaned and it also will cause you to pull more amps from the battery pack, which results in shorter run time.

Yes, batteries do get old and wont hold a charge as long. Proper maintenence is key to a long battery life. Check the watter in the batts, use distilled water only.

I don't think a gear change is going to help very much. The next set is 15:1. Thats about a 20% increase. It may make things "easier" on the components but your going to use more power because of the higher ratio.

[mikesmotortoys]

When you say the batteries check "good" - How do you come up with this?

Did you add a complete 4 gauge cable set with your lift kit? A lifted TXT HAS to have the cable upgrade!

Forget the gear change. It's not a 'cheap' upgrade. Plus some advanced mechanical skills are required...

Are your batteries original? I can't tell you how many times a set of batteries "were just fine" before lifting, yet after the bigger tires they show their true power holding capability.

I say a fresh set of batteries, topped off with a full set of 4 gauge cables is the first start

[huntnwego]

I have checked the batteries and I'm aware of using distilled water. So I take it you don't think changing my gears will help much. I'm new to the cart world but I'm very mechanically inclined and I'm a industrial electrician and I & E designer by trade. I love my cart but I'm not getting the performance I was lead to believe I would get when I purchased it. I don't want to go back to a gas power atv but if I can't increase my run time I may be forced to. I don't know for sure but as an electrician I tend to believe that changing my controller and motor to say a 400 or 500 amp setup will only worsen my problem (higher amp draw...shorter battery time). Is this correct or is their some other factors I'm not considering or don't about? I know when we lifted your trucks and installed bigger tires we usually had to change the gears in rearend to overcome the power loss thats why i thought of this about my cart. I don't know tell me your recommendations. Is there any answers or solutions to my problems>

[huntnwego]

Mike, I tested them with a load tester. All but two of the batteries are '08s Trojans R-605's and I may need to just bite the bullet and purchase all new ones but was trying to wait until after the first of the year. However, it's lack of reliability is killing me while I'm running around in my hunting club. No, I have not upgraded my battery cables, I didn't know I needed too. That's something I can try that will not be costly or take too much time. May do tommorrow if the weather will allow me to get outside(suppose to rain).

[eadavis]

Use welding lead cable it is the best stuff to use.

[tunnelmike]

My batteries are 04's and the run time with 6ga wires and 25" tires was almost as good as my neighbors unlifted cart. Eventually the stock electric components started to overheat and melt thus i was educated on the H/D parts you see in my signature. Runtime or lack of is going to be related to your batteries. It only takes one bad one to bring down the whole pack. Have you checked the voltage for each when it's at its weakest ?

4ga wires will help your performance with a H/D solinoid . Those were the first things i had to change (burnt sol & melted wires) and even with the 25's the acceleration and speed were noticable. Good luck ! Mike

[tunnelmike]

Unlike trucks ,power can be corrected with motors and controllers . Gear changes on a cart are just about as precise as on a truck . Fix your battery issue and then it's relatively cheep to change the wires and solinoid. If you still want more power A controller upgrade will really wake things up after the other upgrades. Mike

[scottyb]

Look into upgrading to 48v with 8 6v batteries for more amp storage capacity ... You keep the same motor ..... you will get the best of both performance and runtime this way! What controller do you have now? Stock?

[COURTESYCART]

one problem you are using 605 batteries. these have the lowest reserve capacity for the battery. I would recommend you go to a trojan t-145 or alike. they have a reserve capacity of 145 minutes.

It sounds to me you are just using this cart for what reserve capacity those batts have. I just sold a customer a new 2+2 with trojan t-105 and he only gets about 1.5-2 hrs of run itme. I traded it back in and put him in a gas. He is trying to go 45 minutes (1 way)down a rd to his hunting property and then make it back home. His road is very rough, and hilly, so it is draining his batts pretty quickly.

But yes adding a 4 ga battery kit will help in charging and in runing of the cart. It like trying to suck an elephant thru a straw with orig 6ga cables.