Front shocks on my G2 are dead..

[maxim1157]

Got home from work today and put my tires and wheels on to check height and clearances. I was checking out the rear by pressing down in the bag well , cart has good compression and rebound from the shocks. I did the same thing in the front , the front is dead no rebound at all. I am using the Jakes 6" single arm lift with the bottom out in the 3rd hole. I do remember seeing a post about some people putting a spacer around the shock under the coil. When I had the springs off to paint them , the shocks had really no compression and zero rebound . Just wondering what everyone thought . .front shocks junk or use the spacers?

[Mike Mac]

To start with, the shocks are not gas filled, they are not going to extend back out. Your probably going to have to put them in the third hole from the outside.

Then when it won't hold camber, you will need to have Plowman shim them or put split shaft collers on them like I did!!

Then they will go in second hole (from outside)!! And Camber will be perfect!!

[maxim1157]

Mike that is the hole I am in now.. what's the thickness of them shaft collars ? When we raced R/C car's we would rebuild and service our shocks weekly , they were oil filled shocks with a simple plastic valve and we had both compression and rebound with them . The reason I was thinking these shocks had no rebound was that all the oil was gone . Not really sure how they we're built or designed to work . Mike so if you take the shaft collars out you have the same reaction as mine ?

[maxim1157]

Mike do you have a picture of your steering rod's at the pitman arm? Are you running one in the front and one in the back side ?

[Mike Mac]

John, the shocks on a golf cart, don't matter if they work or not!! the springs do it all!! If they are not leaking oil, their good!!

The OD on my shocks are 1 1/4", and the shaft collars should be the same!! When I bought them 7 yrs ago, they were 4 bucks a piece!!

And I can get you a pic tomorrow in daylight!! One tie rod end goes on the front side and the other goes on the back side!!

[maxim1157]

Mike, yeah I figured the shocks weren't designed to do any motocross action I was just thinking that maybe over the years before me getting the cart all the oil leaked out.. so hopefully that's not the case.

I might even have some of them shaft collars from back when the kids raced 1/4 midgets..that was the diameter of our rear axles. Looking at your shocks I'm guessing that the collars are 1/2" or 3/4" thick?

That's exactly how I have my steering rods..I was just checking because the right side seems to have a lot of angle to it..due to running it behind the pitman arm.

[Mike Mac]

Pretty sure the right side tie rod is longer than the left, and yeah, mine are half inch thick!!

And mine may be assembled wrong, I don't know!!




All I know is, Spot turns left when I turn it left, and it usually turns right when I turn right!!...

[maxim1157]

Yes I believe you are right (no pun intended) the right side is longer.

What did your front end feel like before adding the shaft collars? Was the front end flat/dead no suspension travel period?

How did you come up with the name spot

[sho305]

Problem can come up is the kit is wider and then puts more leverage on the shocks, it makes ride softer but if shocks are weak it just can't hold the cart up. You will see them compressed a lot and will bottom with little travel. If that is case you need new or move shock closer to wheel so it has more strength. If the spring has a long way to go before its compressed sure the collars should help.

If the shocks have no oil you can pull them in/out fast with no resistance (with no springs on them). I have seen this, they get beat hard and they do wear out depending on use of cart in the last 30 years give or take. I could take a lot more 30yr ago too lol.

Another thing you can do is look up threads on other shocks, lot of people have used ex400 shocks on carts and others. You may have to move the mounting or something I don't know but they are better shock and made for some travel the GC shocks are not made to move very far they just don't work well with a lift that has longer arms, that is why the LT lifts that work really well come with new shocks.

[Mike Mac]

Front sus on Spot was soft, and would go negative camber with 2 adults in the car. It had a lot of body roll when cornering. The rear coils on it, the driver side spring was preloaded more than the passenger side. When the car went over a bump that preloaded spring would send the whole car into a tizzy!!
Especially at speed!!

I cut the preload out of that spring keeper, and that setteled the car down a lot, but the cornering was still scary (turning on 3 wheels was common)!! I read that Plowman shimmed the front springs with 1/4" spacers, and I thought,,, That's what I need, or Spot needs!!

Anyway, it all worked out positive with no negatives, if you have enough space between the coils, (so as not to run into coil bind)!! Car sus is just a touch firm, corners very flat (even at high speed), you can take harder bumps at speed now, so all is positive!! Don't do anything till the car is running, set the toe at straight ahead, or 1/16" toe -in (like Spot).


Spot got its name; All Hotrodded Yamaha's want to do is please you, (like a dog!!)!! Being street legal, and parking in parking lots, it looks like a speck of a car!! Well, I kinna couldn't call it speck, so Spot (like a dog), came to mind!!

And Sho is correct, you want the shock bottom mount as close to the spindle as possible!! (All 4 corners for that matter!!)