EZ GO electric golf cart speed controller adjustment

If you own a golf cart, at some point, you will notice that your cart is slowing down, or just want to simply go faster than stock. You probably have added accessories such as a rear seat or wheels which slow your cart down with the added weight. There could also be an issue such as a faulty speed sensor or a weak battery causing your cart to go slower than when it was brand new. However, what do you do when your EZ Go electric golf cart is running slow?

Increasing the speed of your EZ Go golf cart can be done by reprograming your speed control at the dealer, upgrading your batteries, motor, or replacing your speed control. Upgrading these can increase your typical speed from 12 MPH to 19.5 mph or above depending on your modifications.

There are two reasons you may be looking to speed up your cart:

1. Something has gone wrong and it is driving slower than normal.
2. You have the need for speed and want to go faster than stock.

Why your EZ GO Golf Cart Runs Slower than Normal?

When you’re EZ Go RXV or TXT golf cart starts running slow, it is usually because of a faulty speed sensor or battery issues. I have compiled a couple of these reasons below. They include the following:

1. The speed sensor is defective.
   • This can be fixed with a new speed sensor.
2. You added heavier than stock wheels and tires or other accessories that add weight such as a rear seat and your motor cannot keep up
3. The batteries are old and probably weak and possess insufficient charge, or maybe the water level is low.
4. The cables used for connection are low current cables or defective.
   • Upgrading your cables can allow more amperage to flow to your motor giving you better speeds and acceleration while running cooler.
5. The current rating of the controller is lower than optimal.

Nonetheless, whether the speed sensor is bad or the batteries are weak, there are ways to resolve this speed issue. The next section will provide a detailed guide on boosting the speed of the electric EZ Go golf cart.

How to Boost the Speed of Your Electric EZ Go Golf Cart

There are several methods for you to make your EZ Go electric golf cart go faster. I have detailed these methods in this section.

Method 1 – Reprogram the Speed Controller

The EZ Go golf cart consists of two kinds of speed controllers, the Drive Control System (models before 1994) and the Precision Drive System (PDS). On the PDS drive systems, there is programming that can be completed by a dealer for the end-user. Most golf courses reprogram the carts to go slower than factory or about 12 mph for safety reasons. Most carts can go 14 mph from the factory.

The speed controller can be reprogramed by your dealer on newer models such as the TXT or RXV to go 19.5 which can be called “freedom mode”. Most dealers will perform this for free if you buy your cart from them, but some will charge you about $80 for their time. This is the easiest way to make your cart go faster than the factory.

Method 2 – Use a Higher Powered Golf Cart Battery

Increasing your golf cart batteries voltage is an excellent way to up your golf cart’s speed and power. This can be done on certain 36-volt models. Most of the time you can change the controller out and upgrade your batteries to 48 volts. This will make your golf cart have comparable speeds with a newer higher voltage cart.

This method is also a nice upgrade and does not take much time. However, you need to find out what your current golf cart battery voltage is before changing it. You can check your Current Batteries or your Golf Cart Owner’s Manual.

Method 3 – Upgrade Your Golf Cart Motor

Upgrading your motor is an excellent method to up your EZ Go golf carts speed. Most carts have the ability to allow you to upgrade your motor, sometimes you may want to upgrade your speed controller in conjunction with a motor upgrade as the amperage may not be enough for an upgraded motor.

Method 4 – Upgrade your Golf Cart’s Speed Controller or Solenoid Contactor Relay

There are several components that you should upgrade if you want to up your golf carts speed. One of them is installing a new speed controller. An aftermarket speed controller can give you lots of customizable options when it comes to a faster golf cart. They will either have a few knobs or a Bluetooth app that can allow you to customize your top speed, acceleration, braking regeneration, and other options. If you have the need for speed, an aftermarket speed control will be your best option.

Method 5 – Add Bigger Golf Cart Tires

One of the easiest and most economical ways to get more speed of your golf cart is by upgrading tires and increasing your tire size. This method applies to both gas and electric golf carts. Larger tires have a longer circumference than a smaller tire, given the exact same rotation coming from the motor, the tire with the larger circumference will go faster than a smaller tire. This means that a tire with a larger diameter on your golf cart will lead to increased speed. 

Conclusion

Having a faster golf cart can get you from point A to B a lot quicker. Whether you want to upgrade your cart from stock, or just fix the speed you have lost due to faulty batteries or add on parts, this is something that can easily be done.

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