How To make An electric Golf cart Faster : Tips

Any golfer want to add a little speed to their golf cart? One of the most asked questions regarding golf carts is, how to make an electric golf cart faster? What’s the best way to get more speed from my custom golf cart?

What exactly does adding speed to your golf cart entail? Is it expensive? Do I need to install new parts? These are probably the questions you’re asking yourself before you dive into this project, and we have answers.

In this article, we do our best to give you the top 6 easy ways to make your golf cart go faster with as little effort as possible.

1. Adding More Torque

Torque can play a big part in adding speed to your golf cart. The more Torque your golf cart has, the faster it can produce.

What is Torque?

Torque is measured by the amount of pulling power the motor produces. All of this is possible due to the current. If the current is higher, the more Torque your motor will produce.

How do you achieve more Torque?

It is simple once you understand that voltage is your Top Speed and Amperage is your Torque. You will have to increase your motor’s RPMs to achieve more Torque.

First, you’ll want to switch to a motor with a higher RPM. It may involve some spending if you want to upgrade your existing motor. The upside to this is you don’t have to mess with voltage. If you don’t want to spend money on a new motor, your second option would be to increase the voltage of your existing motor (for example, 36 volts pushed up to 48 volts). You should know this will not increase your Torque, only your top speed.

Upgrading one part of your cart at a time may cause an imbalance of power. Electricity can be fickle; voltage and amperage, according to the laws of electricity, are opposite. As voltage goes up, your amperage goes down. Works both ways. 

When you upgrade one part of your golf cart, like your motor, you may lose power elsewhere without another pertinent part. This is why we recommend upgrading everything at once to achieve the most power out of your golf cart. This makes a huge difference in the long run.

2. Upgrading Motor

The field coil’s size is the first thing you should look for in a golf cart motor. Typically, Series Wound Torque Motors have larger coils inside. The larger coil allows for a larger magnetic field generation. This can hold the armature much more securely, creating more Torque.

This will only upgrade your Torque, so if you’re looking for more top speed, you’ll want to choose a motor with higher RPMs, which we touch on next.

DC series wound speed motors will be the best for those who want to go fast and continue to go fast. Speed motors tend to have smaller magnetic field coils, which allows the motor to get going at high speed, creating more top-end speed for your golf cart.

As we mentioned, if you choose a speed motor, you’ll gain more top-end speed but lose Torque or acceleration. If you choose a torque motor, you’ll gain some acceleration but lose a little top-end speed.

One of our favorites is the Club Car AMD Torque & Speed motor, which gives you up to 25 mph speeds and a 50% boost to your Torque. It is the best of both worlds.

3. Upgrade The Speed Controller

Besides your motor, several parts to your golf cart can increase the overall speed you need to consider before throwing a new motor in.

If you throw a new motor in your golf cart, you may get something else with more speed. The two components that need to be researched before purchasing a new motor would be the relay and speed controller.

These two parts sit quietly between your motor and batteries but play a massive part in the function of your golf cart. You need to upgrade these two parts to avoid causing more problems for yourself down the road. For example:

Say your motor can potentially draw 400 amps, but your speed controller is only rated at 300 amps. The current limitation will not allow your motor to run optimally. We recommend upgrading all your parts simultaneously and ensuring they are rated at the same amperage level. This includes your motor, speed controller, and solenoid relay.

Navitas producing some of the best speed controller products for golf carts and are worth every penny.

4. Upgrade Batteries

Installing a new battery with a higher voltage is a quick and easy way to increase your overall power and speed for your golf cart. Changing the battery on your golf cart takes little to no time and can make a difference in maximizing your golf cart’s speed.

If you aren’t entirely sure about the voltage on your existing battery, you should be able to find a label located on the battery. If your label is worn away, you can quickly look at your motor to determine the voltage.

Why is this important? Choosing a new battery with a higher voltage output can increase the output of your motor, which will increase your golf cart speed tenfold.

It’s also important to note that you should choose a battery made specifically for golf carts. This is not pertinent, but it is recommended. We suggest checking out batteries by Trojan. They make some of the best golf cart batteries in the business, all at a reasonable price.

We also recommend keeping your battery clean of build-up or corrosion. Believe it or not, clean batteries make your golf cart run better. A massive build-up of corrosion can cause your golf cart to run slow.

Also, it’s important to note that you should replace your battery cables when moving to a brand-new battery.

5. Upgrade Tires

Increasing your tire size is the easiest and most cost-effective way to get more speed out of your golf cart. The nice thing about upgrading your tire size is that it doesn’t matter whether you have a gas or an electric cart.

The larger the tire’s diameter, the faster the cart will go. It will only give you top-end speed and may slow your acceleration.

Most golf carts come standard with 8” tires. If you upgrade to a tire around 24” and add no additional upgrades, you could gain anywhere between 3 and 5 MPH.

Adding new golf cart tires will save you much money compared to upgrading any other speed components on your golf cart. This is also the easiest method to gaining speed, considering all you have to do is change your tires.

Some golf cart models may require a lift kit if you decide to get bigger, meatier tires. Lift kits are typically inexpensive and aren’t very tough to install if you have mechanical skills.

You should always make sure your tires are being maintained properly. This means checking your air pressure consistently. The PSI is stamped on the tire’s sidewall and should be referenced before adding or releasing air. This will make a big difference in speed, so treat your tires nicely.

6. Keep Your Golf Cart Clean

It seems silly to think that keeping a golf cart clean would add some speed, but you’d be surprised. A nice and shiny outside can cut down a little on aerodynamics, but we mostly talk about the junk you rarely notice on the undercarriage.

Build-ups such as dirt, mud, and rocks can sometimes get caked to the undercarriage. It’s always smart to thoroughly wash your golf cart after every ride. I know these don’t seem like things that would slow your cart down, but over time, they may start to.

Also, keep in mind the amount of weight that you’re hauling. How many people are riding with you? Are you hauling a load?

These are all things to consider when trying to gain speed. We suggest you keep your golf cart free of clutter and carry no more than the weight limit suggests. Excess weight on a golf cart can damage your parts over time.

Final Words

Making your golf cart faster can be done in various ways and over an extended period. There is no need to rush to make your golf cart faster. It’s smart to research parts and have a plan before diving head-first into a massive golf cart project. So we did our best to touch on 6 ways you could make your golf cart faster, including boosting your voltage, adding a new battery system, upgrading your speed controller, and even purchasing bigger tires.

This article has given you the knowledge and confidence to take the next step in making your golf cart faster. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding parts or comments about your recent upgrades. Thanks for reading!