High Speed Golf Carts: Choosing Your Options

Electric Low Speed Vehicles (LSV 's) are becoming treMendously popular these days for a number of reasons. They are quiet, fun and relatively comfortable to drive, but more importantly, they do not use fossil fuel. New LSV's like the GEM and others can be very expensive though and not a practical purchase for those who would only use them occasionally or on weekends. Welcome the "lease turn in", "out of warrantee, golf course, Fleet Vehicles (golf carts) to the rescue. Three year old Club Car, EZ-Go and others show up by the thousands at auctions across the u.s. every year. Some end up in neighborhood classified ads or used car lots after a quick cosmetic makeover. Many of them make their way to "chop shops" where they are stripped of their original golf paraPh Meter of the drive Tires increases the distance they will roll for each revolution of the axle, thus increasing the speed your cart will go. You first need to know how Fast you can go with the standard 18.5 inch tall Tires. Most portable GPS units can be used as a speedoMeter to find that. If you don't want to crunch themath, there are several free online calculators to help you determine how much speed you will gain with the new taller Tires. A very good one is located the Digital Overdrive Systems website. Although increasing the Tire size will increase you speed, the torque will suffer somewhat. That means you may have to leave your mother-in-law's home! Tire size is also limited by the wheel opening. Most large tires require the cart be "lifted" which may not always be desirable and can be costly. The speed gain is relatively small (a couple of mPh Meter one. To go Faster, you need to advance to the larger drive sprocket. The bike goes Faster, but it is harder to pedal. In a golf cart speed gear sets, the ratio is similarly changed by increasing the drive gear diaMeter, and the cart runs Faster. Like the Bicycle though, the motor has to provide more force "torque" to the axle. This type of modification is great for speed but will sacrifice low-speed torque (your mother-in-law again) and is not recomMended for hilly areas. Installation can be messy due to the gear lubricant and requires some skill and expertisehow.

• Increase Motor RPM -Increasing the Revolutions per Minute or RPM's of the motor is one of the most popular techniques for increasing golf cart's speed. This type of modification does not sacrifice low-end torque like the two previously mentioned ones. Golf cart electric motors are designed to operate at a certain RPM (typically around 3600 RPM) at either 36 volts or 48 volts and provide a good balance between speed and torque of the end product. Aftermarket motors have their field and armature windings redesigned such that they achieve greater RPM than the stock ones. If the motor spins at twice the original RPM at 12 mph cart could reach as much as 24 mph. The motors are safe and reliable but can require the addition of a high currentController to operate at full potential. Aftermarket "speed motors are available from a number of vendors but can be rather expensive due to all the copper wire in the windings. There is one vendor that provides a really simple and easy upgrade for Club Car IQ carts called a SpeedyLink, which increases the RPM of the stock motor by about 50% without any additional modifications.

Whichever method you use to increase the speed of you golf cart, be sure to use good judgment and utilize proper safety equipment. Carting can be fun and functional for everyone and has many applications. Be safe enjoying your fast golf cart. Watch for more articles about golf cart upgrades and maintenance.