Can I just swap the motor

[jbsmith05]

Is it possible to just swap out a motor and nothing else without doing any harm on a '06 DS IQ?

I'd like to keep the feature that slows the cart down hill so I don't have to stand on the brakes...lots of hills here around the neighborhood.

But I'd like a bit more torque and speed (like 20mph-ish is fine).

So I was curious if I could just have an incremental gain by swapping a motor?

[scottyb]

There are members who report that they have done this with success. Most have not made a big change in motor size and operate the cart on flat hard surface. But here is how I see this.
The golf cart amperage delivery system is designed around the original motor and workload. When the workload or motor is upgraded for more performance the amperage draw is increased. I talk to many of people who have upgraded the motor and either did not get the results the manufacture claimed or had other problems related to high amp draw.
So keep the motor upgrade relatively small. I prefer to upgrade the controller and cables and get 22-23 mph from the stock motor now and then use most any aftermarket motor later.

[mjroman20]

With just a motor swap you can really only get one or the other (torque or speed). Plumqucik designs their motors to be compatible with the stock control so if you're looking to upgrade only a motor I'd go with them. Though from what I can tell the speed motors have a 4pole magnet to 'trick' the control to letting you go over 19mph. That being said you would loose a lot of regen braking, which is bad for hilly terrain.

To get more of both a control upgrade is needed. More current = more torque. This will also let you maintain regen braking or increase it if desired. Curtis 1268's allow adjustment to regen braking, speed sensor poles, and max speed allowances.

[jjance]

You mentioned a lot of hills. How is your speed going up the hills? 12-13 mph. You might want to consider a balance of speed and power for those hills. Which would require an upgrade to both the motor and controller. I'd start with the motor first and evaluate the results.

[scottyb]

I would start with the controller first and re-evaluate the stock motor.
The stock motor will produce more torque and speed with a new controller.
It may be all that is needed.

[Sergio]

I would agree the controller upgrade is the only way to increase speed/torque and maintain Regen brake.

While both Curtis and Alltrax are excellent controllers, the Alltrax is much more flexible as far as programming since You do not need a programming device like an IQDM (or the new CDT) to make changes.

That will prove beneficial when you decide to upgrade the motor, or just tweak for your specific driving conditions and personal preference.

[jbsmith05]

Thanks for all this. It sounds like a controller is a better place to start. Is that something that can be simply swapped out on its own (I know I should do cables at the same time).

The more I read about these carts (first one) the more they are like my hobby grade electric R/C models that run on large LiPO battery packs and an ESC (electronic speed control).

I like the idea of the last poster that you can change the controller settings without a need for a programmer...

[jbsmith05]

just took a look at scottyb's site - the XCT with the selectable dials may be the ticket, just keep my stock motor. I'm not looking to race this thing.

But since I did just drop a few on a lift kit and 23" wheel/tire combo perhaps I'll wait to see what it feels like after that's installed...

[jbsmith05]

Originally Posted by scottyb

I would start with the controller first and re-evaluate the stock motor.
The stock motor will produce more torque and speed with a new controller.
It may be all that is needed.

Is it possible/OK to put the 400amp XCT on a completely stock (electronics wise) DS IQ. Meaning will it burst into flames, melt wires or something else bad if I just did that (for now).

The cart does/will have 12" wheels with 23" ATX Trail tires.

[Sergio]

You will definitely notice a loss of torque when You install those 23" tires on the stock controller.

As was mentioned before, those controllers are fully programmable, so you could even set it up for a Max of 250amps like the stock controller, but that is not needed.

The best thing is to set the "throttle rate" as low as it is acceptable to you.

That allows the motor to slowly develop its torque and increase speed, which reduces the wasted energy that heats up the motor.

Although it is true the controller cannot "push" current, it is also true the motor will consume more current than it can convert into torque, the rest is wasted as heat.

The trick is to allow the motor access to enough current so it can develop its max torque without providing so much that it will heat up.

The "throttle rate" setting in conjunction with the "torque curve" allows you to fine tune the controller to your stock motor where it can develop much more torque than under the OEM controller without heating up excessively.