Club Car is one of the brands that supplies electric and gas powered golf carts. The golf carts are designed with a wide range of speed. There are many factors why there exists speed variation and limits in all golf carts. Some of the factors are design factors while some are deterioration related. The good thing is that the speed of any golf cart inclusive of the Club Car can be modified and made to move faster. Some of the options available to increase or make the Club Car golf cart go faster are more costly and they involve redesign while some are very affordable. The cost is generally proportional to the technical complexity of the modification required which in many cases will require assistance from experts. Prior to any changes made to make Club Car golf cart go faster, first refer to your warranty document and make sure changes effected will not compromise your warranty or consult your supplier for any guidance.
Table of Contents
1. Change to Bigger Tyre Sizes
Tyre size matters most when it comes to speed of golf cart. The bigger the tyre the larger the road distance covered on the road surface and hence the using bigger tyre sizes gives an increase in speed of your cart. The use of bigger size tyres may also give an advantage of increased ground clearance. In terms of cost, tyre purchase is the only cost which is affordable. Optionally, one can go for second hand off market tyres which are very cheap. An extra cost may come in case there is need for lifting the cart for alignment with larger tyres which however is a small price to pay.
2. Upgrade Engine
Speed of any golf cart is dependent on the engine specifications particularly the power and torque of the engine. The higher the torque and the power the faster the golf cart can go. This makes engine upgrade the most straight forward way of making Club Car golf cart go faster. Simply get an engine with a higher power and torque rating as compared to the current one and replace it. The method complexity depends on the technical skill of the person doing the engine replacement. It is advisable to contact qualified person to perform the upgrade to avoid errors that may result in malfunction of the engine or other components. The method is probably the most expensive as compared to others due to cost for procurement of better engine and skilled labor cost for the upgrade process. It is recommended to use new engine to have a better life as compared to refurbished engines.
3. Upgrade Speed Controller
The speed controller purpose is to govern the acceleration or deceleration of the golf cart. This provides another alternative for making Club Car golf cart go faster. Replacement of the controller with an upgrade makes the golf cart go faster and the cost associated with it is procurement of the controller. Competent personnel may also be required to do the replacements which increases the cost with a small margin. The most important thing to take note of is the compatibility of the controller with existing components from power supply mostly. It is advisable to check the power requirements of the controller and match the power supply of your cart. Technical consultation may be important to ensure quality work is done.
4. Use High Torque Motor
Torque refers to the turning force that the drive shaft is subjected to and is the force responsible for the speed at which golf cart move. Higher torque produces higher turning force and hence a higher speed. Changing electric motor to a higher torque motor is another way of increasing the speed of Club Car golf cart for the models that uses electric motor. This method does not apply to gas powered golf carts. Increasing motor torque results in an increase of the speed of your Club Car golf cart. The major disadvantage that comes with motor upgrade is that at times it will also need an upgrade on the battery system. Usually higher torque motors draw more current as compared to low torque motors. It is therefore important to check the motor power requirements and ensure it’s within the range supplied by your golf cart current battery system. Torque can also be increased by using a torque convertor which multiplies the torque applied to the golf cart wheels while keeping motor size constant. This will make Club Car golf cart move faster. Use of high performance clutch is also another option for increasing the torque to make golf cart move faster. This gives the golf cart the ability to engage and disengage the engine from the flywheel at higher revolutions per minute thereby increasing the golf cart speed.
5. Speed Governor Adjustment
This is another method of making Club Car golf cart go faster. Adjusting the speed governor may imply partial slackening to allow more fuel to access the engine and hence more power produced or totally removing the speed governor. This method applies to gas powered golf carts which is one of the disadvantages. This method is cheap and there are no components to be procured except the skill and tine required to perform the task. Consultation with technically competent person is recommended to make sure work is done correctly.
6. Increase Battery Power
This method is only applicable to electric golf carts. Battery power is responsible for supplying power to turn the electric motor. The speed of electric motor relies on the amount of voltage available and the higher the voltage supply the faster the motor rotates hence the faster it goes. Increasing the battery pack voltage say from 24Volts to 36Volts battery system makes your Club Car golf cart moves faster. Battery power is increased by adding more battery units to the system which also brings in the cost of extra batteries to be added. It is important to ensure that the extra voltage added does not damage other components of your system. It is always important to check power requirements for the other components of your system prior to any modification.
It is recommended to consult your dealers for any of these options. Reference to supplier manual is also advisable so that guidelines provided are not violated.
