cntrl upgrade? vary speed fro off road? confused..

[Trophyduck]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spawn
The simplest upgrade is 20x8x8 on the stock rims. they run around 50 bucks at most tire stores or Harbour freight or even some walmarts. Changing them yourself can be a issue. but nothing a can of WD40 and a Lighter cant seat.....rofl Old school way to bead a large tire from my offroad days in 4x4's. Think long term anything bigger for a pds will require a controller upgrade and you are still taxing the factory controller with a 20" over the stock 18". Never run slow or stall the cart! very the throttle if your running off road and do not install a chip unless you are only cruising the streets. Chips and off road will lead to heat in the controller more than normal and cause a early failure.

Thanks....could you explaina little more? If I put on 20" tires, would it be better to install a chip that increases torque?
Why would I need an upgrade to the controller?
My "off-roading" shold only be driving dirt raods and occasionally going thru the woods to carry treestands and maybe carry a deer out. I was thinking of a more agressive tire for traction oin case the roads are wet and wanted a little more height in case there is a log or something in the way...

I hope my cart will work

[Andy4639]

If I'm reading this right you want to use a PDS cart for off roading just on dirt roads are we talking full off roading hills and ditches and what not?
If so the PDS cart isn't the best cart for this but can do it with the right mods. There is no torque chip for a PDS cart that I know of.

[scottyb]

There are 4 possible 'chip' configurations....
no chip is 'all terrain' 13-13.5mph no braking (regen)
then steep hill same speed with heavy regen braking.
Mild hill with mild braking14-14.5mph
Freedom chip 17-19mph no braking
The braking mentioned is electronic generated by the motor

Your cart can work if you use some discretion.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Trophyduck

...............
1. If I put on 20" tires, would it be better to install a chip that increases torque?

2. Why would I need an upgrade to the controller?

3. My "off-roading" shold only be driving dirt raods and occasionally going thru the woods to carry treestands and maybe carry a deer out. I was thinking of a more agressive tire for traction oin case the roads are wet and wanted a little more height in case there is a log or something in the way...

4.I hope my cart will work

1. Taller tires will increase speed and reduce torque. The various "Chips" (Molex plugs with jumper wire between pins actually) limit top speed, the amount of Regenerative Braking (Using motor to generate electricity, which causes drag) and when it is activated. The torque is roughly the same in all four PDS modes.

2. An electrical motor converts electrical energy (Watts) into mechanical energy (Horsepower). To get more mechanical energy, more electrical energy must be sent to motor. The stock PDS controller is only capable of passing about 275 Amperes to the motor for about two minutes before it self-destructs, so if you want more mechanical energy, you've got to up the controller size along with other high current carrying components. The components in addition to the controller being, the Solenoid and the ten high current cables. Then you can increase the ampacity and/or voltage of the battery pack and upgrade the motor to handle all the electrical energy you can now throw at it.

3. Going from an 18" to a 20" will only get you 1" of additional ground clearance. To get more ground clearance, you'll have to lift the cart, which means you can go to taller tires, which will also put more of a demand on the drive system and increase the need to upgrade the controller and other stuff.

4. A Golf Cart is not a ATV, but it can be made into a reasonable facsimile of one.
It's sort of like turning a family sedan into a 4X4 pickup. It depends on which changes you are willing to make and what compromises you are willing to accept.
There are forum members using PDS carts on hunting leases, others using them for hauling things around the farm and others run them on city streets at 30+ MPH, so it is a versatile vehicle that, with some grooming, can do many things above and beyond what it was actually designed for.


Bottom Line:
Figure out what you want your cart to do and what limits you cart from doing what you want it to do, then upgrade as needed, if needed, with that goal in mind.
Basically, use your cart for what you want to and replace any component that fails with a more capable one rather than a stock one.

[Spawn]

He said in another post he uses the cart sometimes hunting.

I would not recommend using a chip. Keep it in all terrain mode. With a larger, tire if not driven very carefully will eventually kill the controller on a PDS cart. If you plan to use the cart for hunting I strongly recommend getting new cables and a larger controller like a Alltrax 400 amp at least. Then you can turn off the Regen and turbo functions and that will decrease the heat made at the controller. Down the road get your motor redone at PlumQuick or get one of the available new motors out for a PDS cart.

The controller is the weak link in a PDS cart that is going to be used a lot off road.

Things to do to help extend the factory controllers life are:
Do not cruise for extended time running real slow.
Get a running start at any hill.
Coast down a hill. If a chip is installed don't use the Regen braking going down a hill. It adds heat to the controller.
DO NOT STALL THE CART! If you get up against a hill or root and the cart wont move don't sit there and keep giving it gas to try and climb it! Back up and get a running start.

These are just a few things to do. Just run it carefully and it will get you around for some time.

If it shuts down a few times and takes a few minutes to run again then it has hit the thermal overload (heat in the controller) and that damage is cumulative. It will fail if that continues to happen.

[Andy4639]

The chips are for brake effect, and the so called recharing the batteries and the speed settings. They have no effect on the torque of the cart. The only chip I would use off roading would be the steep hill chip if you end up doing a lot of hills. Want last long though. If you plan on a bunch of hill climbing you best be thinking of a new controller,biger cables and a heavy duty solenoid.

[Trophyduck]

Ok...so basically....With care and common sense, it can be used effectively for a lot of uses.

Use it, and have "fun" then fix what needs fixin', only bigger and better fixes.

My use "off-road" will be basically flat.
I was thinking, maybe my best bet would be to install a moderate lift and keep the same size tires but just chage from a turf tire to a more agressive tread to keep from slipping. It may look a little "off" but I would get the ground clearance to overcome debris, but not lose the torque if I were to oversize the tires.....no?

After buying the cart, the funds need to be recouped a little before I go replacing a lot of stuff. The guy I bought it from said he just put a new controller in it. I'd hate to replace it already.

Maybe I should have done a little more research before buying. I thought a PDS was good

[scottyb]

PDS is good.
IF you live in flat land you can probably do all you want to do with a HD solenoid kit and 400amp controller with cable upgrade and 22 inch tires & 4 inch lift IMHO.

Just avoid extended slow driving or Creeping and stalls.... enjoy the cart.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Trophyduck

1. Ok...so basically....With care and common sense, it can be used effectively for a lot of uses.

Use it, and have "fun" then fix what needs fixin', only bigger and better fixes.

<Snip>

2. Maybe I should have done a little more research before buying. I thought a PDS was good

1. You got it summed up pretty well in those two sentences.

2. Like Scotty said, PDS is good. I have a stock PDS except for the cables and it has done everything I've asked it to do so far. I've got my fair share of hills around here and then some, but I drive around the worst ones instead of going over them. I've hauled 20 8' 2x4s standing upright in the bag well and two 4'x8' sheets of 1/2" plywood strapped on the top without blowing up anything. Not both loads at same time, but over a mile under load each trip and half of it was cross-country. I love my PDS.

FWIW: Series carts have their limitations also. Ironically, there are fewer things that need upgrading on a PDS cart.