Club Car DS Motor Upgrade

[Kolassus]

I have a 96 48v Club Car DS. I would like to put a new motor, solenoid, and speed controller in. I already have the solenoid in order. I can’t afford to do the new motor and speed controller at once. If I upgrade the motor now and the speed controller down the road, will the new motor work with the stock speed controller?

[Kolassus]

Also, if the new motor does work with the existing speed controller, will I see any improvement? Or will I have to wait until the speed controller is installed?

[R&TBabich]

Originally Posted by Kolassus

Also, if the new motor does work with the existing speed controller, will I see any improvement? Or will I have to wait until the speed controller is installed?

You should see some improvement.
What motor are you getting?
I'm installing a Bandit in a week or so in our stock 2003.
From reading the info on the Plum Quick website and others' postings I should see a noticeable improvement in speed & torque, we'll see.
Another improvement should be seen when the rest of the system is upgraded.
I think the stock controllers limit the amps to under 300A.
To get the max benefit of a controller upgrade you'll need higher amp rated cables, solenoid, & F-R switch (for series carts).
I'm going to complete my cables upgrade to 2 ga after the motor is in, then replace the solenoid and install an Alltrax 48400, one at time to see what differences they make.
I like changing things one at a time to make troubleshooting easier.

[Kolassus]

Originally Posted by R&TBabich

You should see some improvement.
What motor are you getting?
I'm installing a Bandit in a week or so in our stock 2003.
From reading the info on the Plum Quick website and others' postings I should see a noticeable improvement in speed & torque, we'll see.
Another improvement should be seen when the rest of the system is upgraded.
I think the stock controllers limit the amps to under 300A.
To get the max benefit of a controller upgrade you'll need higher amp rated cables, solenoid, & F-R switch (for series carts).
I'm going to complete my cables upgrade to 2 ga after the motor is in, then replace the solenoid and install an Alltrax 48400, one at time to see what differences they make.
I like changing things one at a time to make troubleshooting easier.

I’m looking at getting the Admiral A1. Seems like it had a good combo of Torque and power. I want to end up with the SR48500 controller within the next month or so. I already upgraded to the 400a solenoid and 2g cables. I will just have to get the HD F&R switch. I just want to make sure if I go with the motor next, I won’t be hurting it by still running the stock controller for a bit.

I like the idea of the price mail approach even more with your trouble shooting logic. Thank you.

[R&TBabich]

Originally Posted by Kolassus

.... I already upgraded to the 400a solenoid and 2g cables. I will just have to get the HD F&R switch. I just want to make sure if I go with the motor next, I won’t be hurting it by still running the stock controller for a bit. ....

No, you will not hurt the motor.
The motor will draw whatever current your system will give it.
The throttle pedal tells the controller how much current to give the motor up to the limit the controller can provide.
A higher amp capable controller can give the motor more amps.
Just checking, did you upgrade all the cables to 2 ga, not just the batteries?
The cables to the solenoid/controller/motor need to be upgraded, too.

[Kolassus]

I replaced all the big wires from the batteries, f&r switch, speed controller, solenoid, and motor.

Anyone hav experience with the A1 motor?

[radelon]

What kind of performance are you looking for in the end?

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

[Kolassus]

I use the cart to drive around my neighborhood. It’s mostly paved but has a lot of pot holes and hills. I would like decent speed on straight aways and plenty of power on hills. It’s just a toy for me, the wife, and the kids that we will take camping at times.

I have a 6” lift on it with 23” all terrain tires.

[avinzant]

I have about that exact set up on my 1988 DS: 6" lift, 23" all terrains, 2 gauge wires, HD F&R, HD Solenoid, Alltrax 48500, and the Admiral A1. I use it the same as you have described.

I upgraded the motor last, about a year ago. There is a giant difference in torque from the stock motor. I was running a 36v motor on 48v. I gained a couple of mph over stock, and it will pretty easily hit 25 on flat ground. I am very happy with it's performance. Also you can adjust the speed and torque curves in the Alltrax software. I had to throttle down the reverse because I couldn't back out of the garage without doing a burn out. Hope this helps!

[Kolassus]

Wow. Thank you. Glad to hear that. Can’t wait to get it all the way upgraded. Thanks for the response.