Did I get ahead of myself?

[Wax]

Should a stock 2004 Club Car DS 48V be able to have 4 people on it (I installed back seat kit) and go up a hill? I have some decently steep grades in my neighborhood, and I really don't want to have to put a more powerful motor and controller in this thing. I'm almost starting to regret an electric instead of gas now that I've seen how it performs in the cold.

It never really even crossed my mind until winter came and I started seeing significant performance reductions (which other members on here said is normal). I just got it in December, so I don't know how it should perform in normal temperatures (it was much warmer when I got it and performed better). All I know is there's no way it would pull 4 people up my hill now, it barely pulled me and a buddy up the hill, and if I go around the neighborhood twice it will barely make it up with just me!

[SV1]

If the batts are good when it gets warmer,it might not be a problem In Minnesota we don't drive the carts in the winter but in the summer many people load their carts pretty heavy, like 6 teenagers, and they still run strong enough that the crabby people complain about the kids racing around and breaking their self imposed 10 miles per hour speed limit.

[scottyb]

Sounds like you need to assess your batteries, how old are they?

This is a question I address everyday... The cart with 4 adults on it actually has 5 adults on it because the rear seat weighs 150 pounds. The cart is engineered for 2 people. You may have big tires? Those tires instantly change the gear ratio by 20-35%, great for top steed but a kick in the pants for the motor and generally power drops off especially under load ..... up hill.

[Wax]

Well the good news is it warmed up to the 50s and 60s this last weekend, and I took the cart out to check it out. I actually pulled my 3 seater jetski down to our lake lot (mostly downhill) and it did fine even backing it up in the thick wet mud. It seemed to be running a bit stronger. I took my dog for a run, and all winter I could only make it around the neighborhood about once, if I did it the second time I was basically pushing it up the last hill with my hand on the gas! It made it around my neighborhood twice with what seemed with no issue yesterday.

Scotty, as for my batteries, I am not sure of the age. The guy I bought it from said they were 2 years old. They are Crowns I think, if I remember right. Also BTW I do not have big tires, I have just stock tires with chains on the back for the winter and mud. I don't plan on doing a lift or big tires.

I guess another question about having the back seat...should I be putting in a rear HD leaf kit? If I do that, will it also raise the back maybe an inch or so? I would really like to raise the back up a small amount (maybe around an inch or two at most), just for purposes of plowing and hauling my smaller trailers around.

[jakesnake27]

Originally Posted by SV1

If the batts are good when it gets warmer,it might not be a problem In Minnesota we don't drive the carts in the winter but in the summer many people load their carts pretty heavy, like 6 teenagers, and they still run strong enough that the crabby people complain about the kids racing around and breaking their self imposed 10 miles per hour speed limit.

[jakesnake27]

Originally Posted by Wax

Well the good news is it warmed up to the 50s and 60s this last weekend, and I took the cart out to check it out. I actually pulled my 3 seater jetski down to our lake lot (mostly downhill) and it did fine even backing it up in the thick wet mud. It seemed to be running a bit stronger. I took my dog for a run, and all winter I could only make it around the neighborhood about once, if I did it the second time I was basically pushing it up the last hill with my hand on the gas! It made it around my neighborhood twice with what seemed with no issue yesterday.

Scotty, as for my batteries, I am not sure of the age. The guy I bought it from said they were 2 years old. They are Crowns I think, if I remember right. Also BTW I do not have big tires, I have just stock tires with chains on the back for the winter and mud. I don't plan on doing a lift or big tires.

I guess another question about having the back seat...should I be putting in a rear HD leaf kit? If I do that, will it also raise the back maybe an inch or so? I would really like to raise the back up a small amount (maybe around an inch or two at most), just for purposes of plowing and hauling my smaller trailers around.

I think if you install a rear seat, it is also a good idea to put in HD springs.
So yes, it probably would be better...