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Old 03-19-2019, 07:50 PM   #1
golf cart man
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Default Speed upgrade ideas

So I have my 42v 4 passenger western. It's an ezgo series. I will need batteries in the next year or so but have the itch for a little more speed right now. What would you guys suggest as far as an upgrade that could get me speeds up to 28-30+ mph? I am currently at 20-21mph.

I want something that can currently run on 42 volts but in the next year or so I can upgrade to 48 volts by getting 6-8volt batteries instead of 7-6volts and replace the 42volt charger with a 48volt one. The cart is strictly used on the street so lack of torque isn't a big issue.

It is a heavy cart because of the western body. I will upgrade the brakes as well. Based on the pictures you see below I don't think any of that will handle a bigger controller should i need one so I am assuming I will need 2 gauge cable and a new HD solenoid and FnR so I will plan on that as well. I believe western used motors that are able to run on 48 volts so I think I am fine there. What else would you recommend? I am trying to be as economical as possible and still have the system be able to run on 42 and then upgrade to new batteries and do 48v. I don't think strictly upgrading to 48 volt battery pack and changing out the controller will get me to where I want to be speed wise correct? I run 205/50-10 tires. Thanks
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Old 03-19-2019, 09:08 PM   #2
Fastest1
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Default Speed upgrade ideas

The amperage of the controller will be too small.
You can adjust many parameters in a modern controller to safely work with your motor.
Personally an increase of tire size would be your best bet.
Was the system originally 36v and you added a battery or was it always 42v?
My PDS was a 36v and I added a battery and controller.


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Old 03-20-2019, 10:37 AM   #3
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

higher V will get you more speed, but it is not likely to get you to 30+ by itself. To get to 48v you'll need the controller and soleniod (which can run 42 or 48v). You'll also need the FNR switch and a 48V charger and cables.

You currently have 42v and get 21mph. That's 1/2 mph per V and if everything were perfect (no increase in wind resistance for example) that trend would continue (at least with a series cart) so adding 6 more V would get you 3 more mph. The good news here is that 48v will help your speed AND your torque.

Increasing tire height will increase speed, but again it's incremental and isn't going to get you to 30+mph even with the increase in V. And you lose torque to gain speed with bigger tires or taller gears.

Also, you may find driving that fast is not fun on a cart that was made for 15mph. My cart feels less sure over 28mph and feels 'loose' over 30mph. But I have a lift with bigger wheels/tires so that's likely adding to the looseness over 30.

I'd hate to see you spend a lot of time and money to get to 30 then not like how it feels that fast... You may love it at 24mph.
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Old 03-20-2019, 10:41 AM   #4
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

Also, can your cart take 20" tires without adding a lift? I don't know how the western body sits, but I've read on here that 20" can fit on a stock TXT without a lift. That'd be the cheapest/easiest way to gain a few mph. Won't get you near your target, but faster than 21. Make sure they are high pressure tires if you go this route...
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Old 03-20-2019, 10:44 AM   #5
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

You both make good points. Since I don’t care about torque I wonder if installing the 48v batteries, upgrading the wiring, solenoid and FnR and maybe high speed gears would get time to 25-26? That would feel like a significant increase over the 20-21 I get now. I think the controller I have in there now can work on 42 or 48v. This cart was built by western as a 42volt. Usually they took Ezgo carts upgraded the motor and controller and made them 42volts.
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Old 03-20-2019, 06:40 PM   #6
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

I went from stock 18" ties to 20.5 My speed increased from 19.5mph to 23.5 by gps speedometer.
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Old 03-20-2019, 08:05 PM   #7
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

Quote:
Originally Posted by golf cart man View Post
You both make good points. Since I don’t care about torque I wonder if installing the 48v batteries, upgrading the wiring, solenoid and FnR and maybe high speed gears would get time to 25-26? That would feel like a significant increase over the 20-21 I get now. I think the controller I have in there now can work on 42 or 48v. This cart was built by western as a 42volt. Usually they took Ezgo carts upgraded the motor and controller and made them 42volts.
You mentioned that it is a road cart and torque isn't an issue, but torque is the only issue. In fact it is the only thing an electric motor puts out.

The number of amps a motor is capable of drawing decreases as RPM increases, and RPM translates to cart speed and the max RPM a motor can spin at the voltage applied to it is when the motor is capable of drawing enough amps to produce the torque that is equal to the mechanical load being imposed upon it. This is why all carts slow down going uphill and series drive cart slow more than sepex drives and AC drive.

You have a heavy cart and can carry four passengers, so you'll need quite a bit of low end torque to get the cart moving and up to speed. Taller tires and faster gear ratios reduce torque throughout the RPM spectrum. Higher battery pack voltage increase torque throughout the RPM spectrum.

There are motors available the have greater than stock torque and well as the same or greater RPM for applied voltage. A custom job from EMP comes to mind.

You'll need at least 4Ga high current cables throughout (2Ga would be better) and a 400A solenoid (a 48V MJZ400 will operate at 36V, 42V and 48V) and a true HD f/R switch (Most F/R switches advertised as HD, aren't) or better still, a HD reversing contactor. The trick is to make the amp delivery system as efficient as possible and practical, so the amps that can be converted to torque by the motor aren't wasted heating up cables, contacts and connections.

My guess is that the tallest tires that will fit under the cart without lifting, 48V and a high-speed motor with plenty of torque is needed.

Also, going to from a 7x6V 42V pack to a 6x8V 48V pack is going to reduce the driving range on a single charge unless you go with premium or super-premium 8V batteries . My guess is that the 42V pack is made up of T-105 or clones and has about 9.5kWh of stored energy. A 48V pack using T-875 (170AH) batteries has 8.2kWh, using T-890 (190AH) batteries has 9.1kWh and using Ranger-160 (204AH) batteries has 9.8kWh. (attached is a kWh comparison chart)

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I'm pretty sure an Altrax SR48500 will fit in the space occupied by the existing Curtis 1204/1205 controller, and is user programmable.
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Old 03-26-2019, 09:16 PM   #8
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

JohnnieB thank you for simplifying that for me, now I understand. It sounds like there wont be an easy way to get this cart up to at least 28mph. I figured I could upgrade the wiring, FnR, Solenoid, charger to 48v and batteries to 48v and put in a new controller and get that speed but I see it's not that simple.
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Old 03-26-2019, 09:18 PM   #9
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Default Re: Speed upgrade ideas

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Originally Posted by bronsonj View Post
Also, can your cart take 20" tires without adding a lift? I don't know how the western body sits, but I've read on here that 20" can fit on a stock TXT without a lift. That'd be the cheapest/easiest way to gain a few mph. Won't get you near your target, but faster than 21. Make sure they are high pressure tires if you go this route...
Thanks for all your insight bronsonj, I am not sure about the 20" tires. They did make several westerns with 13" wheels so I bet those had 20" tires. They look larger than the ones I have. I have 10" wheels on there which I think are about 18.5" tires.
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