Anybody know about golf carts?

I have a 36V Club Car, which is really nice other than being incredibly slow. I put in new batteries last weekend. Now it is still really slow, but with a much longer range. I live in a hilly neighborhood and I use it for two mile round trips to take my kids to the pool and such. Should I beef it up with a bigger motor? Just sell it and buy a gas cart?

I tried to talk my wife into allowing us (me, wife and two little girls aged 6 and 10) to get minibikes and form our own little gang, possibly called the Hell's Satans, but she didn't think the neighborhood association would like that.

Sounds like you need a battery upgrade. I'd wire a couple of car batteries in parallel. That or install some pedals under the passenger floorboard.*

"Pedal kids! We're passing this squirrel if it kills you!"

• might not work but what the hell. Worth trying if you have some spares or can take them out of your drivers for an experiment.

440cc Air Cooled snowmobile motor should do nicely

I know that the older electric models would spin the tires if you kept the go pedal mashed and changed the directional lever from forward to reverse

Mine will do that too. It will even chirp the tires from a standstill. Just not much happens after that.

My aunt and uncle's friends modify golf carts by putting lift kits and over sized tires on them. Recently they got one registered as an electric vehicle and have it licensed in the state of Wisconsin, of course it only goes 25 mph but does seat 4. How slow is slow?

12 mph flat out. Probably 5 mph up decent sized hills.

They will not float, they make strange noises after jumping

pilotbraden wrote: They will not float, they make strange noises after jumping

There's a story here somewhere...

pilotbraden wrote: They will not float, they make strange noises after jumping

However, they withstand impacts with trees remarkably well.

The steering columns fold like a house of cards in a rollover, and snap when you try to bend them back. If you work at a course in Vt and lost one a few years back, drain your pond. It's gonna need a new steering column.

The following is from working on a golf course for the past 8 years. We got bored on the slow days.

Pretty simple... More batteries, routed in a parallel circuit, as mentioned above. You do lose acceleration though.

I'd recommend selling and getting a gasser though. A lot more opens up there. Really, you can immediately get more speed there by sticking a golf tee or a zip tie on the governor-spring-thingy. It runs out of gas by the 18th hole though. Still real quick, makes it easier to get air.

Also, the "15mph" models are actually 12. Just FYI.

You guys are worthless. As much as I might want to try it, all that stuff is only fun with someone else's golf cart rather than the one I paid for. However, if I need binge drinking and hooliganism advice I will let you all know.

nderwater wrote:

pilotbraden wrote: They will not float, they make strange noises after jumping

However, they withstand impacts with trees remarkably well.

Those windshields were designed to withstand a golf ball driven into them. And it works for that too. Ask me how I know.

In reply to mtn:

Well, that is actually some good advice. Problem is I just spent $513 on batteries, so I am not so keen to add any more right now.

The front ends are incredibly strong. They will not withstand trees, but they WILL pretty much obliterate a water cooler chained to a wood and metal frame park bench. Also, DO NOT FORGET THEY DON'T have seatbelts. Turns out, it's VERY difficult to stay seated after a brief flight. And landing on your keys hurts.

SInce I just got a forum posting published in the current GRM; I do think that it is required that every posting have some sort of sarcastic comment hoping the editor will laugh enough and publish that person.

But then again I might be wrong.

What volt battery is in it now? Does it list a range of voltages it can take?

Also, we (the course I work at) have (had, we rent them) one cart that for whatever reason had tires that were huge, easily another 2 inches bigger. Everything else was the same. In a 50 yard race, all the others won. In a 200 yard race, this one would pull ahead. Same as in a car with the gearing. Maybe worth looking into, although that would really be a problem on the hills.

Otto_Maddox wrote: I tried to talk my wife into allowing us (me, wife and two little girls aged 6 and 10) to get minibikes and form our own little gang, possibly called the Hell's Satans, but she didn't think the neighborhood association would like that.

Remember, it's easier to beg forgiveness than it is to get permission. Do it!

I've been looking at used gas carts. People seem to want close to $3K for a decent used one. Dealers want another $1K or so on top of that. I could buy a cheap convertible for that kind of money. Maybe even one that goes over 12 mph. And no, Miata is not the answer. My golf cart will fit me, the wife and three or four kids in a pinch. We even have seat belts on the back.

The original Hell's Satan

Otto_Maddox wrote: I've been looking at used gas carts. People seem to want close to $3K for a decent used one. Dealers want another $1K or so on top of that. I could buy a cheap convertible for that kind of money. Maybe even one that goes over 12 mph. And no, Miata is not the answer. My golf cart will fit me, the wife and three or four kids in a pinch. We even have seat belts on the back.

Sounds like Subaru Brat would be the answer. But how much could you get trading in/selling your current golf cart? Because I'm not really aware of much that you can do to soupe up an electric motor.

Otto_Maddox wrote: However, if I need binge drinking and hooliganism advice I will let you all know.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Does your pedal rheostat only control the field or does it control all the current to the motor? You might be able to up the voltage on just the field circuit with a motorcycle battery or the like to adjust the overall speed up a bit. I'd need a wiring diagram to get more specific, but some electric motors can be sped up easily than others.

They'll do a complete 360 spin (while still continuing in the original direction) with skilled use of the shift lever and left foot braking.