Remove front helper leaf spring in Precedent / Onward lifted cart ?

[fstop]

I still wanted to get some more feedback on easing the stiff ride of my 4-passenger Onward (factory lift kit, A-arm, which I think is an All Sports).

In another thread it was suggested to remove the front "helper" leaf altogether (red on the photo).

I had considered grinding its thickness down (helper only) but hadn't thought of just removing it entirely, as I thought maybe danger of breakage could be an issue.

I see the non-lifted Onward or Precedent carts only have a single leaf (no helper) in the front - breakage doesn't seem to be an issue on those as far as I know.

My cart is 317 lbs. lighter than stock since changing my batteries to lithium, and the ride is fairly stiff as a result.

With this in mind, the suspension doesn't have near as much load to deal with, and maybe, like the non-lifted carts, it doesn't need that helper spring?

I also don't off-road with the cart - paved streets / paths only.

Any thoughts for or against, or other options to soften suspension (I'm running pretty low psi in the tires already) would be appreciated.

In the rear I'm considering putting the non-lifted 2-passenger Precedent leaf springs in instead of the "HD" single leaf springs that are on it now. I think they will fit?

Thanks!

[fstop]

Originally Posted by fstop

I still wanted to get some more feedback on easing the stiff ride of my 4-passenger Onward (factory lift kit, A-arm, which I think is an All Sports).

In another thread it was suggested to remove the front "helper" leaf altogether (red on the photo).

I had considered grinding its thickness down (helper only) but hadn't thought of just removing it entirely, as I thought maybe danger of breakage could be an issue.

I see the non-lifted Onward or Precedent carts only have a single leaf (no helper) in the front - breakage doesn't seem to be an issue on those as far as I know.

My cart is 317 lbs. lighter than stock since changing my batteries to lithium, and the ride is fairly stiff as a result.

With this in mind, the suspension doesn't have near as much load to deal with, and maybe, like the non-lifted carts, it doesn't need that helper spring?

I also don't off-road with the cart - paved streets / paths only.

Any thoughts for or against, or other options to soften suspension (I'm running pretty low psi in the tires already) would be appreciated.

In the rear I'm considering putting the non-lifted 2-passenger Precedent leaf springs in instead of the "HD" single leaf springs that are on it now. I think they will fit?

Thanks!

Ok so I removed the helper (top) leaf spring, and replaced it with a 8" piece of 1/4" thick flat bar, with edges ground smooth and painted black as a spacer to take up the same thickness as the leaf spring that came out.

Cart sits about 1/2" lower in the front, 1/8" lower around the firewall.

The ride is SO much better - it's like a different cart.

Cart was fine before on smooth street, it was the potholes, curb cuts, repaired sections of road, expansion joints in concrete paths and street transitions to sidewalks etc... that were jarring before.

Just a HUGE difference. I wish there was some way to quantify it, but I ride the same routes almost every day that I use the cart, and I know how it rides. Today after getting this finished I just had a grin on my face - I was looking for bumps.

I was concerned that the cornering (which was very flat before, like a sports car almost) would suffer, but it really is about the same. I'd say outside lean is a little bit more, but I'm not going around corners on 2 wheels anyway. It's still quite good, esp. for a lifted cart (Onwards are a mild lift - 4" I think?)

So my camber is a little off now, probably still OK, but I'd like to try and raise it back up a bit because I'm out of adjustment at the lower A arm, so I'd have to pull the bolts on the top of the spindle, and I think those puppies are about welded in there (mega locktite probably...) Thinking I could shim those spacers between leaf spring and lower A arm, but that would take a little more flex out of the leaf.

Something else that surprised me when doing this was I noticed I can pick up the front end of my Onward by the brush guard (not super easy, but it isn't super hard either), and I'm not the hulk and am 54, but in decent shape.

I'll have to try picking up the front end of a lead-acid stock Onward and see, but I'm guessing mine is around 100lbs lighter on the front suspension than stock.

All I can say is now it rides better than it did stock, with the lead acid batteries (wasn't the world's smoothest even then, though) with the helper spring removed. The front end can actually move now when you hit a bump! It was just SO stiff before.

I was assuming next I'd put in non HD rear springs, but apparently the front was where all the trouble was - no need to do anything else - it rides literally 100% better.

This is something to consider (maybe there is a better way to do it than what I did) for those who have gone Lithium. Many who have I know have not been happy with the increased ride stiffness (EZGOers I think also).

[jakesnake27]

Glad you’re satisfied with the improvement.

Removing that short leaf gives the front end much more articulation.

[fstop]

Originally Posted by jakesnake27

Glad you’re satisfied with the improvement.

Removing that short leaf gives the front end much more articulation.

Glad you suggested doing it that way! Thanks again.

[ncfenceguy]

Really good information !!! I've been doing this very thing for years on race cars and it translated to some trailers that we have on the farm and then to golf carts that rode very harsh. Some of the specialty trailers that I own (like the one that hauls only the carts and atvs) I have removed a leaf because the weight capacity of the spring pack far exceeded the load that the trailer would ever see. A small trailer with a pair of #1750 springs will never see #3500 of load for my use. The cart manufactures have to build the carts with the maximum load accounted for so they are mostly too stiff for cruising around. If ride height becomes important, spacer blocks do the trick.

[jakesnake27]

Originally Posted by fstop

Glad you suggested doing it that way! Thanks again.

Sure thing

[fstop]

Originally Posted by ncfenceguy

Really good information !!! I've been doing this very thing for years on race cars and it translated to some trailers that we have on the farm and then to golf carts that rode very harsh. Some of the specialty trailers that I own (like the one that hauls only the carts and atvs) I have removed a leaf because the weight capacity of the spring pack far exceeded the load that the trailer would ever see. A small trailer with a pair of #1750 springs will never see #3500 of load for my use. The cart manufactures have to build the carts with the maximum load accounted for so they are mostly too stiff for cruising around. If ride height becomes important, spacer blocks do the trick.

Thanks for your insight and experience on this.

I lost a minimal amount of height in the front, but it looks the same and usable ground clearance hasn't changed (and doesn't matter to me anyway).

But I think I did lose that roughly 3/4" of height in the shock / damper travel also, which I think (in my case) determines when the front suspension as a whole bottoms out. Travel isn't a ton to begin with on these (but again, for my use, I don't think I ever use much of it anyway). But I was thinking about pulling out my 1/4" spacer bar - which was same thickness of the spring I took out - with a 1/2" bar. Even though I made up the spring thickness, I lost the height from the added "sag" of the springs which are not as stiff now.

I think building up the spacer thickness would get the height pretty much back where it was, and increase the damper travel by another 1/4" or so, without changing the current leaf spring tension.

[ncfenceguy]

You pretty much nailed it. On some of the projects in the past I have installed a block of greater thickness than the leaf I removed, and lower the vehicle, compressed the suspension and let it return to it's happy place, and measured. As long as the spacer doesn't extend to the active part of the spring, it won't change the spring rates any. On race cars in the past (stock class) ride height was important to maintain the proper or desired geometry.

[Comfort Buggy]

Hello guys… is there any info on how to remove the helper spring? I just got a lifted onward and would like to do that mod before I put it in the course.

Thanks!
JC

[Dale.D]

I also replaced the spring spaced on the bolt from the spring to the A Arm, I got one 3/8" shorter and dropped the front 1" in height, and I put the short spaceds in the back, I had to realign the front but now the cart is much softer